introduction

A WWII artillery scene means ammunition. These are nice crisp renditions of live ammunition for the 105mm howitzer. Ammunition for 105mm Howitzer is a staple of artillery. This kit gives you an assortment of the possible ammunition that was used for the U.S. 105mm howitzer during WWII. For those of us who have served in the artillery and on the 105mm, the kit will even transfer well into today after a modification in colors and markings to meet today’s standards.
An excellent overview of WWII 105mm ammunition can be found here.

the kit

Upon opening the packaging you are presented with a number of brass ammunition parts, decal sheet and a small photo etch sheet. A photo etch sheet is also included with the kit for the base of the canisters, and is etched with lot markings. Lastly the kit includes a detailed decal sheet.

the review

All of the brass parts appear to be very crisp. You get 4 rounds each of 4 different types of ammunition: M51 HE (High Explosive) with PD (Point Detonating) fuse; M60 Gas Persistent;, M67 HEAT and M84 HC Smoke. All of these rounds are presented as one piece and cannot be separated into projectile and canister (as the Verlinden resin set allows). The set also comes with 4 empty/expended brass canisters.

With the photo etch sheet, there are different lot markings for each of the different types of rounds. You will need the optivisor to separate them! These are much nicer than the molded-on bases from some resin vendors which usually lack the lot detail, and are too thick for proper scale.

decals

The decals are for the WWII era ammunition, and are very complete for marking the different types of ammunition, including square weight markings.

Square weight markings are used to show the weight of the projectile. From one ammunition type to another ammunition type (such as WP White Phosphorus) the weight of the projectile will be different than the standard (which is based on the HE projectile). This has to be accounted for when doing ballistic calculations. The standard weight for a 105mm HE projectile is 2 square. Each square is roughly 16.5 pounds

Instructions

The kit includes a back-of-the-box instruction as the assembly guide for the photo etch, along with which “lot” goes with which round. Instructions for painting and decal placement are relatively simple.

A manufacturing lot is marked on each projectile and canister. This prevents mixing of lots which would cause erratic results from firing. Consistency gives accuracy!!

conclusion

The $11.95 price is steep but we’re talking brass. The kit appears to make a great addition to any 1/35 scale collection. A good mix would be this set and the old Verlinden set with fuses and separate projectiles and canisters. You can never have enough ammunition, and this kit give a good stock to the ASP (ammunition supply point). The parts are held in the bubble pack with a nice urethane foam block. It makes a good chipping/painting tool. Think of it as a bonus!