US T27 Mortar

- U.S. 81mm Mortar, T27
and Mount, T21 -

World War II

The Kit:

There presently are no kits of this mortar available. Construction consisted of combining parts from two different 1/35th scale models. The tube and yoke assembly come from the Italeri M1, 81mm Mortar, and the base plate and bipod are from the Tamiya M2, 60mm Mortar.

The Details:

Are as described in the three photos below. The tube was cut down to the proper length. A shortened base plug and the bipod's elevation gear shaft were also required.



The Figures:
The figures are from DML and are two of the four figures found in their "U.S. Army Airborne (Operation Varsity, 1945)" figure set. Basic assembly was straight forward with the detail being up to the usual DML standards. Both figures used here are a combination of the four figures provided with modified hand positions cut to fit with the 'action' of this subject. Weapons and other accessories are included with this kit, and the extra details added are described in the accompanying photos:

The chin straps were added here for ease of assembly and painting. They were moved to the proper locations on the figure's heads after all painting was completed. Note: The folding stock's position was corrected prior to painting.

Painting, Weathering and Finishing:
Painting was achieved with acrylic paints and a small amount of a enamels used for the flesh undertones. I used acrylic flat coat to tone down any gloss.
The washes were achieced with artist oils thinned with an odorless brush cleaner and thinner.
I used colored pencils throughout to aid with the weathering, especially in the areas that need a metallic surface wear showing, or areas that need to be 'streaked'.

The Base and Groundwork:

The base is cut from 3/4 inch thick pine, stained with an oil based stain and then sealed with several thin coats of Polyurethane Gloss.

The groundwork is a mix of Sculptamold and water and to this, various types of static grass, stones and 'ground litter' were added. Dried flowers were also used. The stones etc. are white glued into position prior to the Sculptamold curing.

The tarp is a (US) government issue piece of cloth (?). This was soaked in diluted white glue for about an hour to soften it up some, and then applied on top of the static grass etc and set aside overnight to dry.

Decals and Markings:

The alignment stripe on the tube consists of a segmented Aeromaster decal and these were applied over a gloss coat Future Floor Wax. Once the decals were in position, I set them into place with Solvaset setting solution and allowed them to dry over night. A final covering of Future Floor Wax sealed the decals.



The mortar bombs are from the Tamiya M21 Mortar Motor Carriage kit with hand painted markings.
The uniform unit patches (17th Airborne Division) are from Archer Fine Transfers.

	The US flag and uniform rankings are from Quartermaster's Depot. They are wet transfers, and are also superbly printed. The "US" equipment markings are wet transfers from Hudson & Allen. I thought that those would be a little tedious to apply, but they worked out nicely and I do highly recommend them. They add a nice touch of detail that is not normally seen on 1/35th scale figures. Solvaset decal setting solution was applied over all transfers to force them to form to any contours underneath. There were no problems encountered with the setting solution being applied over either wet or dry transfers. A final coat of Future Floor Wax was then applied for the final 'sealing'.


General Mortar Info:
The T27 was developed to provide U.S. Airborne Forces with a lightweight indirect fire support weapon with the destructive capabilities of the 81mm bomb. Production of the T27 commenced in 1944, and subsequent testing was to prove that the weight and bulk of this weapon along with it's associated ammunitions, combined with ineffective ranging capabilities, determined that this weapon could not be deployed effectively within normal airborne operations. Eventually, this project was cancelled and production of the T27 Mortar with the T21 Mount terminated after 2,000 units were produced.
This weapon can be transported by two-man packboard loads consisting of the mortar barrel group and the base plate dismounted from the bipod and together with the tools and the equipment necessary for normal field operations.
(As of this writing, I am not certain if the T27 was ever tested or deployed under combat conditions in Europe during the later stages of World War II therefore, the showing of this model with figures representing the 17th Airborne Division, which was in fact deployed to Europe in late 1944, could very well be fictitious.)


Actual Mortar Data with Ammunition and Ranges:
Total Weight of Mortar and Mount: 64.7 pounds
Mortar: 26.7 pounds
Bipod: 28 pounds
Base Plate: 10 pounds
Length of Mortar: 25 inches
Elevation (approx.): 40 to 85 Degrees
Traverse, Right or Left, (approx): 115mils (one turn of hand wheel = 15mils)
Range:
M43A1 High Explosive round: 100 to 1,935 yards.
M56 High Explosive round: 100 to 1,360 yards.
M57 Smoke WP round: 100 to 1,030 yards.
M57 Smoke FS round: 100 to 1,005 yards.
Sight: M4, Carrying Case: M14
Aiming Post: M5 or M7


Sources:
Mr. Jerrill F. Janik - United States
Mr. Gordon Rottman - United States
"British and American Infantry Weapons of World War 2" by A. J. Barker.
M1 Carbine
M1 Carbine discussion group
M1C Airborne Helmet