6^th Airborne Division, Normandy, 1944.

The vehicle

“The Willys MB … commonly known as the Willys Jeep were highly successful American off-road capable, light military utility vehicles.” [1]

“The 75mm pack howitzer M1 was a pack howitzer designed in the United States. The gun saw combat in World War II with the United States Army (primarily in airborne units) and the United States Marine Corps, and was also supplied to foreign militaries. Initially designed to be moved across difficult terrain, the gun and carriage could be broken down into several pieces to be carried by pack animals, and this ability as well as its compact size allowed it to be used by paratroop and glider forces.” [2]

The kit

Airfix 1/72 kit [3].

This is a much newer kit than the others I have recently done and it shows. It comes together very nicely.

Assembly

Painting

The base colour was AK Interactive Real Colours “S.C.C. No.15 Olive Drab” (RC875).

Weathering

Usual things here – minor amounts of chipping at this scale, rust paints, oil wash (“Raw Umber” and “Starship Filth”) and pigments (“Dark Earth”, “Russian Earth”).

The base

I cut a base from 4mm thick MDF sheet. AK Interactive “Neutral Texture for Earth” (AK8023) was applied and, once dry, various paint tones. After sealing with a gloss varnish, an oil wash was added. This done, I flattened it all down with matt varnish and then dripped pigment fixer to the whole surface and dropped on pigment until the surface was covered. Basing glue was then painted along the sides of the track and 2mm grass flock dropped from a static applicator. All of these I got from WWScenics. 

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willys_MB
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M116_howitzer
3. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/airfix-a02339-willys-mb-jeep–1358121