M777

This is Luis Vargas' 1/35 3D-printed M777 howitzer, complemented by a US Artillery set also 3D printed by Holden8702. The kit comes in 30-40 parts on “sprues” consisting of 3D supports. Fewer parts than a plastic kit, since each part contains lots of intricate detail in itself. No sanding of mold lines or filling of ejection pin marks was a bonus.
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Assembly was straightforward, with only three minor issues: a) a support arm under the gun was too short for the 45 deg. angle and had to be lengthened; b) the left electronics screen is too low to allow fitting one of the adjustment wheels and needs to be repositioned; c) part of the barrel assembly (which isn’t visible) is a bit too short; d) the tires show a flat spot in the wrong place if posed in the elevated firing position.
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Instructions are different, consisting of 3D drawings with parts highlighted in color to show their locations. A number of pages are dedicated to placement of hydraulic lines, which I only partially added here.
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Overall a superb kit, even if having to use CA glue exclusively can be unforgiving. I used five minute epoxy on joints that required more strength. There are few print layer lines visible which disappear once primed and painted.
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The figures were well done and each came in a single piece of clear resin. I’m happy with the results and had fun putting things together.