Italeri 135th US Army M-108 105mm Howitzer Step By Step Full Build

M108 Self Propelled Gun Scale Model

This one is a nice little weekend project, I’m not expecting the most detailed kit but I’m hoping with some weathering I can make the Olive Drab pop out a little bit.

scale model Italleri M-108 105MM Howitzer
Italleri M-108 105MM Howitzer 1/35th Plastic Scale Model
All The Parts Of The Italleri M-108 105MM Howitzer Laid Out On The Workbench
All The Parts Of The Italleri M-108 105MM Howitzer Laid Out On The Workbench

This kit doesn’t have a ton of pieces but for this one, I’m more interested in the painting. With it being a single colour it is going to take some work to make it stand out. Also, I have never painted rubber tracks before so hopefully, I can do them justice.

Completed The body of the Italeri US Army M-108 105mm Howitzer
The Hull Of The M-108 Is Completed Now To Move On To The Turret

The hull comes together pretty easily and the axles fit together very well. It is quite a clean fit so far considering it is a reasonably cheap kit. The wheels will take a little bit of time to clean up but that can be for another day.

m108 howitzer front and back of the hull finished
The Front And Rear Of The M-108 Hull Have Been Completed.

A few hours more work today and the hull is pretty much finished. There are a good few detail parts on the front and back. No major problems so far and the scale model is looking pretty good already. I will get on with the turret and then turn my attention to the wheels, and those rubber tracks!

Turret of the m108 scale model completed
The Turret Is Now Finished, Going To Paint It Before Sticking On The Tools
cleaned up the wheels of the M-108
I Now Find This Such A relaxing Task, Sanding And Cleaning The Wheels Ready For Painting.
Cheap plastic stencil used as a mask for painting tank wheels
Trying Out A Plastic Stencil To Paint The Road Wheels On The M108 Self Propelled Gun.
The M108 Is Pretty Much Completed Just Giving It A Coat Of Olive Drab
Giving The M108 A Base-coat Of Lightened Olive Drab Paint.
The decal have now been placed on the M108 scale model
Applying The Decals To The Model M108 Self Propelled Gun

On to the painting now. The Olive drab goes on nicely and a quick varnish and the decals have been applied. Another coat of varnish to seal them and I can get started on the weathering process.

The scale Model 105mm M-108 Painted Up
Paint On And Tracks Fitted Just Needs The Wheel Nuts And Some Gloss Varnish

A little tip for painting wheel nuts on scale models. As you are only painting one side of the nut, stick them to a piece of masking tape, then when you airbrush or paint brush them they stay all together and your spray arc will be smaller.

Painting The Wheel Nuts On A Scale Model
Nice Trick For Painting Wheel Nuts On A Scale Model
Scale Model Wheel Nuts Primed
Nice Quick And Neat, The Wheel Nuts Are Primed.
The Wheel Nuts Have Been Painted And Fitted To The Scale Model M-108 Tank
Easy As That The Nuts Have Been Finished And Fitted.
The Scale Model M-108 Had Been Gloss Varnished Ready For Weathering
Model Complete And Gloss Varnished So I Can Start On The Weathering.

So, on the Italeri GMC Cargo Truck Scale model, I used aftermarket washes and pigments, so to try something different I am only going to use oil paints to make my own washes/filters and chalk pastels for my pigments/dry shading. Let us see how they differ.

Burnt Umber Oil Pint Wash On A Scale Model Tank
First Wash/Filter On The M-108 Not Too Strong Now Some More Varnish To Set It And Another Wash.

The first wash was burnt umber oil paint thinned with white spirits, it has given the model some natural grime and picked out some of the raised features. Next, I want to use a mixture of colours to make some water streaks. Once the oils are on I use a clean brush damp with white spirit to blend in the rain marks.

Using oil paints to make streaks on the M-108 scale model
Oil Paint Washes Applied To The M-108 Model.
Applying Oil Paint Washes To The Tank
Applying Some Oil Paint Washes To Make Some Streaking Affects To The Body Work.

Finally on to some weathering using crushed pastels this time, Gone for quite a dusty finish on this one. See what you think below.

The Finished Finished And Weathered The Italeri 135th US Army M-108 105mm Howitzer Scale Model Weathered With Oil Paints And Chalk Pastels
The Finished And Weathered Italeri 135th US Army M-108 105mm Howitzer Scale Model Weathered With Oil Paints And Chalk Pastels.
Finished And Weathered The Italeri 135th US Army M-108 105mm Howitzer Scale Model
Finished And Weathered Italeri 135th US Army M-108 105mm Howitzer Scale Model.
Finished And Weathered The Italeri 135th US Army M-108 105mm Howitzer
Finished And Weathered. The Italeri 135th US Army M-108 105mm Howitzer
The Completed M109 Howitzer Model
The Finished M109 Self Propelled Gun Model.
The Italeri 135th US Army M-108 105mm Howitzer
The Italeri 135th US Army M-108 105mm Howitzer
Rear Details On The M108s Turret
Rear Details On The M108s Turret.
Rear Of The M108 105mm Howitzer Model
Rear Of The M108 105mm Howitzer Model.
Tracks And Bodywork On The M108 105MM Self Propelled Gun.
Tracks And Bodywork On The M108 105MM Self Propelled Gun.
More Turret Details On The 105mm Howitzer Scale Model
More Turret Details On The 105mm Howitzer Scale Model.
135th Scale Model Of The M108 Howitzer
135th Scale Model Of The M108 Howitzer.
Head On Photo Of The 135th Scale M108 Model
Head On Photo Of The 135th Scale M108 Model.
Close Up Details Of The M108 Turret
The M108 Howitzer Turret Up Close.
Close Up Of The M108 Tracks
Detail Work On The M108 Tracks And Wheels.
The Us M108 Howitzer Scale Model
The Us M108 Howitzer Scale Model.

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE ITALERI M108

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