Part 1: First Look

MSRP: $41.95 Distributed by: MRC, 80 Newfield Ave. Edison, NJ 08837-3817 Web Site: www.modelrectifier.com The American self-propelled artillery vehicle produced during WWII was officially called the 105mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M7. It was given the nickname "Priest" when it went in British service, due to the pulpit-like machine gun ring. The M7 had a crew of seven, and was powered by a Continental R-975 with either a 340 or 400 hp engine. The main armament was its 105mm M1/M2 Howitzer with 69 rounds and secondary armament was 300 rounds for a mounted .50 MG. The Priest was able to reach 40mph, and had a 193 mile range. The Kit: Upon opening the box the modeler will find a new tooling of a mid production M7. AFV experts will be able come to terms with overall accuracy issues, if any. There are 318 parts give or take a few and depending on the version that is built, there will be road wheels left over for the ol' spares box. Optional road wheels are provided - both spoke style and solid wheels. Eight of the ten sprues inside the box are sealed two sprues to a poly bag and literally fill the box. The tracks and vehicle body are loose in the box. The kit is molded in dark olive green plastic. The tracks are of the one piece vinyl style which, good or bad, this modeler prefers. However I did notice some dimples in the track pads that will have to be taken care of. There seems to be very little flash on the parts but characteristic mold lines appear on the road wheels. The decal sheet measures 3-1/2" by 4-1/4" and includes marking for: U.S. Army 2nd AD, Sicily, 1943 11th Regiment Horse Artillery, 1st AD, El Alamein, 1942 Battery B 14th AFAB 2nd AD, Normandy France, 1944 31st Firing Battery 64RADB French 2nd AD, France, 1944 Academy produced an 8 page instruction manual with very clear drawings to follow. Having built several Academy armor and aircraft kits, I find the instruction sheets are well thought out. I appreciate Academy armor kits as they really attempt to provide the modeler with good, accurate material and let's face it, we have not seen a M7 Priest since the Italeri kit years ago. And that wasn't all that bad. This kit features a movable 105mm howitzer, a newly tooled suspension and detailed transmission and interior drive station. Extra accessories include tools, jerry cans, driver's instrument panel, and extra track links and encased artillery rounds. In Part 2, I will come to grips with building the kit. This is one project that I am looking forward to. There is a gentleman in my area that was with a M7 Priest unit of the 20th AD. I shall be speaking more to him.

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