Bronco 1/35 US 155mm Howitzer M1A1
By Rob Folden
Stock #CB-35073
MSRP: $31.99
HISTORY
The M1 155mm Howitzer was originally created in the early part of the 20th Century. The design was based on the French Schneider M1917. The carriage was updated in the 1930’s, and in 1941 just prior to the US entrance into WWII, the gun was upgraded to include a longer barrel and modified breech. The new gun was designated the 155mm Howitzer M1. Later changes lead to the M1A1 which served the US, as well as other allied countries, throughout WWII, Korea, Indo-China, and even into Vietnam. The gun was the primary field howitzer for the military. Towed behind mainly the M35 “Deuce and a half” and the M3 Half Track, and with over 10,000 guns built [1941-1953], the M1A1 has earned a spot as one of the most widely used howitzers made.
THE KIT
First and foremost, allow me to give a round of applause to the folks at Bronco on an exceptional model kit. Now, you may ask why I would say that, well, Bronco’s new M1A1 howitzer is nothing short of a modeling masterpiece of engineering. The kit comes on eight sprues of olive drab colored plastic. Also included are decals and a small fret of photo-etched parts. The parts are clean and well molded with a high level of detail and little to no flash or mold errors. The instructions feature large, clear, and easy to read diagrams showing construction of the gun and then the carriage. Areas to avoid gluing are clearly marked, and optional assemblies such as the open breech are shown in red while PE parts are shown in orange. 
A couple parts are shown in 3D CAD views. A full color paint guide is featured on the back of the instructions [spoiler, its green] while a smaller full color guide is on the back page showing the proper colors and decal markings [included] for the various rounds and ammunition carriers included. Speaking of decals, they are only for the ammunition; none were provided for the various “named” howitzers. Also included in the sample was a single sheet flyer advertising a recommended reference book on the M1A1. The ad does include a large color photo of a real M1A1, although it differs slightly from the painting guide with the model. 
Now, as to that comment made earlier, there are a couple points of detail worth mentioning on this model. First is a slide molded barrel featuring full rifling extending ½ inch down the barrel from the muzzle. The rifling is very well done, although I couldn’t tell if it had the proper twist. Also of note are the multi-piece wheels/tires. The tires are made from slices, which allow for greater detail while nearly eliminating any damage to the tread from the sprue attachment. 
Lastly, and this is the best yet, Bronco has used slide mold technology to create plastic springs for the elevation assist springs. The coil-over-coil system features inner and outer spring coils that are molded “open” thanks to slide molding. With almost no clean up, the springs are far better than anything done with bent brass, solder, stretched sprue, or an actual spring.
OVERALL
My final thoughts on this one are that Bronco has hit a major home-run with an exceptional kit. It’s clearly evident that the designers at Bronco put a lot of effort into this kit, and the quality is hard to beat. The only downfall I can see is that the decals do not provide any options for the various “named” guns that have popped up in photos throughout time. Additionally, the instructions make reference to an optional turned aluminum barrel, however none was present in my review sample. In conclusion, I highly recommend this model to any militaria modeler or anyone just looking for a good out of the box build. Thanks to Bronco, there shouldn’t be any need for aftermarket additions, well, except for maybe that aluminum barrel if Bronco offers it. My thanks to Dragon USA for providing the review sample and to the folks at Bronco for an excellent model.
