US 155mm M198 Towed Howitzer

Merit International, 1/16 scale

Reviewed by Cookie Sewell

Summary

FirstLook

During the 1950s the US military searched for ways to replace its artillery park with newer weapons having better overall capabilities. The standard towed howitzer of the time was the M114 or M114A1, basically a WWII leftover. The goal was to find a lighter weapon which would also provide some of the capabilities of the old M1 155mm gun as well.

In 1969 development began of the XM198 lightweight towed howitzer which appeared to fit the bill. After a long period of test, evaluation and improvement, the first guns rolled off the production line in 1978. It served through the rest of the Cold War and hit its zenith during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 when it was with the US Army light divisions and the USMC in Kuwait. The M198 also serves in the armies of 10 other nations.

At that time there were 745 of these guns in service with the Army and 566 with the Marine Corps. As a towed weapon, it was fielded in 24 gun battalions with three eight-gun batteries. It was towed by a five-ton class truck in the US Army and the larger seven-ton truck by the Marine Corps. One gun weighs 7,163 kilograms; the M114A1 it replaced weighed 5,800 kilograms and the M1 (M59 for MAP) weighed over 13,000. Range for the M198 is up to 30 kilometers with rocket-assisted projectiles and it can use all of the 155mm ammunition developed by the US or NATO standard.

Merit is now branching into 1/16 scale kits in a big way, and this is one of their first two artillery offerings. As the deployed M198 is a big gun, the kit is as well - in firing position the model is more than 450mm long. While to some the parts count may seem low – in this scale there is “no place to hide” when it comes to details! – it is actually quite involved but a buildable model for any modeler of intermediate experience.

Many of the parts work – the trails fold, the gun traverses and elevates, the gun lock operates, the breech opens and closes (but as it is interrupted screw does not operate), the spades move, and so do the wheels and helper wheels for the trails, which also flip over as per the original when in firing position. A large but partswise modest sheet of etched brass is included, with the main achievement being the perforated heat shield for the breech area of the gun.

Some of the parts do not have optional positions, such as the short-move travel lock (the gun normally is traversed and the barrel is fastened onto the left trail for long moves; for short ones the upper carriage is locked to the front of the main gun mount). But with some work nearly all of these items can be made operative, which is a nice way to use the big gun as a “demo” for “Artillery 101".

Construction starts with the trails and there are a lot of things to watch for; the spades (parts D23 and fittings) may be left loose if the hinge pins are not cemented in place so the spades may be installed in their travel racks. All of the rods and pins on the trails are unfortunately provided with fasteners and racks in place, so it will take a bit of work to demonstrate them in a removed or “in action” position.

In Step 5 the sight case (I think) is assembled as closed and fitted to the left trail. Part B4 is the traversing pad and is shown fitted in travel mode.

The main barrel is assembled in Step 7 and while some modelers may be disappointed that it is not a turned aluminum one, a barrel of this size would be about the size and weight of a billy club! If you can use a “Flex-I-File” this is not a big problem.

The M198 is different from most guns in that it does not have a one-piece cradle for the barrel, but two assemblies mounted one on either side and connected to a set of brackets. Merit provides for the elevation and balance cylinders to move so care must be taken here, and also the rubber boots must be fitted to permit the inner piston rods to operate.

The sights are attached in Step 13 but are not clear; that is fine with me, as few of the visible parts of the sight are actually clear on the original sights for any artillery piece unless you look through the optic. Handwheels are non-functional.

I have no idea what the manufacturer is trying to indicate in Step 14; a section shows parts D7 and E24/25 being installed as an “either/or” but there is no option called out!

The tires and wheels are assembled in Step 15 and the hollow tires are nicely done with no visible seams on the big Goodyear G286 ones, and a small seam on the auxiliary tires. There is a small seam in between the ribs of the rubber boots as well, but I am not sure if they are on the originals or not. The front wheels rotate up and Part B4 clips into pin A1 for firing, and the auxiliary wheels can be placed in their mounts either down for emplacement or up for firing/travel.

A nice sheet of decals is included - surprise! - and the directions provide callouts for their locations. The gun is shown either in NATO/Marine Corps tricolor camouflage or the Desert Sand finish. I would guess that the tricolor one is Marine Corps from its markings.

Overall, this a very nice piece and should be popular with artillery fans. But now it begs for a crew and a prime mover in 1/16 scale!

Sprue Layout:

A 22 Carriage base, traversing table, front brace, components, turntable
B 18 Lower carriage halves, gun support components
C 16 Gun tube halves, recoil mechanism components
D 65x2 Wheels, tubes, cylinders, rods, elevating and traversing components, trail bases
E 40 Breech, muzzle brake, aiming stakes, details
L 1 Left trail body
R 1 Right trail body
– 23 Etched brass
– 2 Main tires
– 2 Auxiliary (trail) tires
– 2 Rubber boots

Thanks to Tony Chin of Merit International for the review sample.