Virtual Museum of the Vietnam War

M42A1 Duster

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Part 5 - New main armament and its mount

I started working on the armament mount by fitting the two lower parts together. The part that will later be visible from below, through the spent brass chute, was painted white:

1:35 M42A1 Duster - lower armament mount

1:35 M42A1 Duster - lower armament mount

I put the spent brass funnels on the center of the armament mount:

1:35 M42A1 Duster - center of the armament mount

Then I went on to assemble the 40mm guns:

1:35 M42A1 Duster 40 mm guns

1:35 M42A1 Duster, 40 mm guns' receiver cover

Diverting from the kit's instructions, the guns were assembled, filled and sanded separately, and just then combined into a subassembly:

1:35 M42A1 Duster 40 mm guns

1:35 M42A1 Duster 40 mm guns

I used copper wire to build some of the details:

1:35 M42A1 Duster 40 mm guns

1:35 M42A1 Duster 40 mm guns

Working on the oil gear:

1:35 M42A1 Duster oil gear

The kit's parts needed a rework - first they were hollow from one side, second - the electrical connectors on them were wrong (shown by the arrows on the photo below):

1:35 M42A1 Duster oil gear

After filling the hollow spaces:

1:35 M42A1 Duster oil gear

After filler and sanding I rebuilt the details and the wiring:

1:35 M42A1 Duster oil gear

1:35 M42A1 Duster oil gear

The armament mount with dry-fitted guns and oil gear:

1:35 M42A1 Duster - lower armament mount with guns and oil gear

1:35 M42A1 Duster - lower armament mount with the electric gear

Gun sight's mechanical computer:

1:35 M42A1 Duster - sight's mechanical computer

Upper armor of the main armament mount:

1:35 M42A1 Duster - upper armor of the mount

Grenade boxes:

1:35 M42A1 Duster grenade boxes

Wiring - the wires are made of soldering wire (lead), the connectors out of thin brass pipe:

1:35 M42A1 Duster - lower armament mount with the electric gear

The bases of the ammo loaders' seats made of copper sheet instead of the kit parts:

1:35 M42A1 Duster lower armament mount

The base of the mount initially painted. Base colour was Humbrol 113 (oxide red) with centers of the panels picked up with Humbrol 66 (Olive Drab) wit an airbrush:

1:35 M42A1 Duster lower armament mount

Wiring details:

1:35 M42A1 Duster - lower armament mount with the electric gear

Scratschbuilt locking levers - one for traverse, one for elevation:

1:35 M42A1 Duster elevation and traverse lock levers

Beginning to equip the mount base:

1:35 M42A1 Duster lower armament mount

Armoured "wings" of the mount. In order to make the parts fit, cut off about 1mm of material in the place indicated by the arrow:

1:35 M42A1 Duster armored wings of the mount

1:35 M42A1 Duster  armored wings of the mount

Machine gun ammo can holders - scratchbuilt (top) to replace the kit's parts (bottom):

1:35 M42A1 Duster MG ammo box holders

The belt of armor to make the mount's top, glued together, seams filled and sanded:

1:35 M42A1 Duster - part of the upper armor of the mount

Mount's components before dry-fitting:

1:35 M42A1 Duster - components of the armament mount

Partly fitted main armament mount:

1:35 M42A1 Duster armament mount

1:35 M42A1 Duster lower armament mount

Armoured "wings" of the mount with lifting rings and scratchbuilt square antenna bases:

1:35 M42A1 Duster armored wings of the mount

Again: dry-fitting of the mount: This time the complete armour:

1:35 M42A1 Duster armament mount

1:35 M42A1 Duster armament mount

Gunners' seats that I scratchbuilt, re-used from my old model:

1:35 M42A1 Duster gunner's seat

1:35 M42A1 Duster gunner's seat

Computing sight with photoetched speed rings:

1:35 M42A1 Duster computing sight

Rear of the mount base with spent brass chutes, grenade boxes and gunner's seats:

1:35 M42A1 Duster - rear lower armament mount

Machine gun ammo can holders - kit's parts (foreground) and scratchbuilt with flashlight holders and the flashlights themselves (background):

1:35 M42A1 Duster MG ammo box holders

After painting - fire extinguisher, 7,62mm machne gun ammo cans, their holders and the flashlights:

1:35 M42A1 Duster - fire extinguisher, 7,62mm MG ammo boxes, their holders and flashlights

Parts from above photo after their installation in the mount:

1:35 M42A1 Duster rear lower armament mount

Tools for servicing the 40mm guns installed in their holders on the top rear armour plate of the mount:

1:35 M42A1 Duster - 40mm guns' tools in their holders

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Part 1 - Suspension and hull

Part 2 - Main armament and its mount

Part 3 - Scale plans

Part 4 - New suspension and hull

Part 5 - New main armament and its mount

Part 6 - The crew

Part 7 - Final assembly and painting

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