INTERMEDIATE BUILD
AMW’s Joe Turner tackles Tamiya’s newly tooled and highly detailed 1/35 M40 self-propelled artillery kit
SELF-PROPELLED M40 GUN
Self-propelled artillery has a comparatively short history, with its first use during World War One, but it took on greater importance during World War Two, due to advances in armoured warfare.
The US Army’s main heavy bombardment weapon during the latter and several subsequent conflicts was the 155mm Howitzer. In a bid for greater mobility, it was mounted on an M3 Lee tank chassis and designated the M12 Gun Motor Carriage. This design formed the basis for modern heavy self-propelled artillery and proved very effective, despite just 100 models being made.
The M12 used an older French 155mm gun and, as supplies were exhausted, a new body was required for the heavier and more powerful US 155mm ‘Long Tom’ weapon, with a modified M4A3 Sherman chassis selected, with stronger suspension, widened hull and re-positioned engine. It was formerly designated as the M40 155mm Gun Motor Carriage, and while just one vehicle was deployed before World War Two ended, it was used extensively in the Korean War, where it proved invaluable. The M40 had a top speed of 23.6mph (38 k…
