AFV Modeller - Issue 02 - 7 - M-7 Priest

L

et us pray

M-7 Priest 11th Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, El Alamein, 1942 A tale of discontinued models, hard to find accessories…and luck. By Vince Pedulla 52

This model has its genesis in the Jan./Feb.

this vehicle. Although I normally build

for any aftermarket parts that might help.

1986 issue of Fine Scale Modeller, when

German armor, I kept my eyes open, to no

Kendall Model Company once made an M-

avail, for this discontinued model at swap

101 Howitzer update and conversion, as

meets and sales.

well as a maintenance and tool set for

author D.P. Dyer described how to convert the then-available Italeri Priest

this gun. These had also become

(N.206) into an early version, as used When the kit became available last year

unavailable until I found a dealer who had

1942. The article included two three-view

via the net from a dealer in England, I

a few (thanks, Jim’s Hobbies!) I also picked

drawings comparing early and late Priests

immediately snapped it up. My excitement,

up the Eduard PE set (35140), as well as

and several photos of British M-7s in

quite frankly, lasted for about five minutes

some other items.

desert service. What immediately caught

after opening the box. True to form for

my eye was the interesting hard-edged

early Italeri offerings, the model was a bit

The Italeri kit represents the late version of

camo scheme and well lived-in look about

soft and lacking in detail. I started looking

the Priest, with its solid tranny cover and

by the British forces in North Africa during

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heavy VVSS suspension. The conversion

Both the Tamiya and Italeri tracks were

starts by replacing the running gear and

basically jokes, so I picked up the new

transmission from the Tamiya M-3 Lee

M4 T-51 track set from AFV Club

(35039) or Grant (35041) model

(35026). Nicely detailed but a real pain to

(fortunately re-released), which represent

assemble! The end connectors are slid

the early VVS over-the-bogie return

onto pins on the track shoes, like the real

rollers and bolted transmission cover.

things, and they can remain workable.

These kits also provide headlights, gas

But the fit is loose and I did the “floor-

caps and other parts. I used the Lee kit.

crawl” numerous times to find dropped end connectors. But the look you end up

The suspension was detailed with a cast

with is worthwhile.

texture using a mix of Squadron green

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putty and liquid cement, stippled with a

The British Priest featured field-made

short brush. The same was applied to

sand shields, which I made from .15

the transmission cover, after it was

sheet plastic, detailed with bolt-heads

trimmed to fit the Italeri model. I

from the punch and die set. Also, the

also added PE numbers to represent

Brits added supports on the hull sides,

casting numbers, and replaced the Lee’s

apparently to add a canopy, which when

tow loops and mount with those from the

deployed would make the vehicle look

Academy M-12 (1394).The idlers were

like a truck.

also replaced with the M-12 parts. The

mostly to hang gear from.

drive sprockets are the Tamiya offerings.

Plastruct “L” and “U” shaped stock for

I suppose one could use resin items for

the supports.

the running gear and tranny, but these

The superstructure sides were sanded

looked fine to me after a little work.

smooth to remove the molded-on

It apparently was used I cut down

M-7 Priest M-7 Priest M-7 Priest canopy supports, and the late-version

removed. I added a sheet plastic intake

armor hull plates were trimmed away. The

inside the screen, as the Eduard part is

Italeri kit features the late MG pulpit, and

nicely etched and allows one to see inside.

had to be cut down, and the resulting

The Lee kit provided new gas filler covers,

missing section of superstructure filled. The

detailed with PE chain and rod.

engine deck was also sanded smooth, with

stippling of the putty/cement mix added

the bolts replaced with punched

texture. New lines were scribed into the

bolt heads, and the molded-

rear stowage boxes to create the side-

on engine screen was

opening versions, adding hinges and

A light

latches from Grandt Line, and PE locks from Royal. Tools were replaced with those from the Academy M-12, secured with lead foil straps. The tow cable is a Greif product with the ends from the M-12 kit.

The hull front was also sanded smooth and textured, after filling the locating holes for the headlights, which are much lower on the late version. I used the Lee headlights and horn parts, hollowed out to accept MK lenses. I know, in the desert the glass would invariably be covered, and was in every picture I saw of British Priests, but I liked the look..

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M-7 Priest

I ended up using relatively few parts from the Eduard set, mostly due to it being made for the late version. It did provide a nice engine deck screen, an equipment cover for the interior, instrument panel and gauges, and a few small fittings here and there. This set will be really useful for the

supports, but it worked out nicely. The rest of the gun is all Italeri, detailed with some bolts per references. I could have added a lot of detail to the drivers compartment, (and kind of wish I had) but it would have been hard to see.

late version, which is now available again! (Like every other model I’ve ever really searched for and finally acquired, it’s either re-released or a better one is offered.)

Also in the interior, I trimmed the ammo boxes to show the early, short configuration, made two new seats and

The Italeri gun is kind of soft and would be hard to fill, I felt. With no metal replacement available, I turned to the KMC set, which offers a resin recuperator, two barrels, a breech and breech block, and some PE parts. The parts are kind of a challenge, as you have to remove the plastic recuperator while leaving their

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detailed it out. The MG was replaced with the Verlinden .50 cal, while the mount is from Tamiya’s 2.5 ton truck accessory set. The fire extinguishers from the M-12 replaced the Italeri versions. I don’t ever paint hard-edged camo schemes, but the M-7 called for it. I learned something very important…when

the bottle of liquid mask says “not for use on water-based paint”

to use in an airbrush, so I picked up some of the new Testors

THEY ARE SERIOUS!

enamels, and although loath to run them through my Aztec, they

More on this later…

worked very well and cleaned up easily. This time I sprayed the I started with something new, the Tamiya lacquer spray cans. I

base coat, then masked the yellow and sprayed the brown and

used white as a primer, and it went on smooth and dried hard as

grey. The mask peeled off easily this time.

stone! I followed with a base coat of Tamiya desert yellow, then oversprayed soft patches of red-brown and panzer grey.

After

After drying for several days, I lightly washed the whole thing with

they dried for several days, I brushed on liquid mask over the

Raw Umber oils, and drybrushed with Humbrols and oils, picking

brown and grey, intending to spray the yellow to create the hard

out details as needed, such as the tools and fittings, gun breech,

edges. HOWEVER…when I tried to peel of the mask, it would

etc. I am trying to avoid too much wash lately, as several of my

not budge. Crap, that’s when I actually read the bottle. I

recent models have ended up too dark and dingy. Instead I pick

broke out the alcohol and a toothbrush and started

out details and keep the washes very local. I also use artist’s

scrubbing the paint off. That’s when the mask came off.

colored pencils to add scratches, metal wear, and other small

However, that Tamiya lacquer stayed put.

marks, which would be hard to paint.

I had to turn to enamels, which I normally only use for

I wanted a beat-up look, and with the recent interest in chipped

drybrushing. The Humbrols I felt were going to be difficult

and battered paint jobs, I decide to try my version of it, which was

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to actually chip the paint with an X-acto

One of the attractive (to me) features of

distance markers came from the KMC M-

knife, and repaint or pencil the chips dark

the British M-7 is the plethora of gear that

101 accessory set, as did the rope and a

brown and Burnt Sienna. This often

the crews carried.

few other bits. There’s a lot left over.

revealed the lacquer base coat, and has

from Verlinden, Custom Dioramics, Plus,

Finally, Tamiya’s British Infantry on Patrol

led to an idea for weathering a future

Greif, and some I don’t even know where

(35223) set was used for helmets, packs,

model…More on this another time. I tried

they came from. I actually painted and

rifles, tiny metal cups, and gear.

to strike a balance between a functional

finished much more gear than I ended up

well-used machine and a wreck, and was

using, because all that gear covered too

A dusting of pastels for that well-traveled

partially successful, probably going a bit

much of my hard-fought paint job. I try

desert look was added, and I now have a

too far. Live and learn.

hard to make sure that all gear looks like it

very different model for my German armor

has been secured, not glued on, and

to glare at on the shelf.

I used accessories

Markings for the M-7 came from two old

makes sense where it is placed. I used

Verlinden dry transfer sets, British Division

lead foil straps and very thin cable, which I

This model was several years in the

Markings (349) and British Armor Markings

culled from Grieif tow cables. These are

searching and planning, and the first Allied

(348), also now unavailable. Luckily, I found

amazing, actually thin copper strands

armor kit I’ve done in a decade. I was very

these at two different shows. I marked it as

woven like real cable. If you twist them

lucky that all of the elements and items I

a Priest from the 11th Regiment Royal

apart, then become smaller woven cable,

needed to complete it seemed to

Horse Artillery, El Alamein. Could have

looking just like thin rope. Two Verlinden

eventually fall into my hands. I love it when

used markings from Archer instead, as

105mm Ammo sets were painted up and

a plan comes together!

they have several British sets.

placed. The lovely cleaning rods and

M-7 Priest M-7 Priest M-7 Priest

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