DONE +++ A no-name secret project: early Israeli mortar

[loupgarou]

I still have no idea how this could be called, but I have started the build.
Mandatory parts photo with newspaper to date it:



and state of advancement:

[MiB]

Interesting newspaper... 

[zenrat]

Is that a gun barrel mounted on the arm?

What scale?

[Gondor]

Not a Character from Spirited Away from Studio Ghibli then ?

Gondor

[loupgarou]

Is that a gun barrel mounted on the arm?

What scale?

1) Of course
2) The only  real  scale: 1/87 

[loupgarou]

Not a Character from Spirited Away from Studio Ghibli then ?

Gondor

No, no, it's a real-world whif. 

[loupgarou]

I haven't forgotten my build, but had to visit my northern base for a few days so it had to wait.
Out of kindness,I have spared you the pink primer, but you get the base yellow coat, and the first camo. I am afraid it's not the best pattern for urban fighting  .
I should maybe study another solution, but have (as always) some airbrush trouble...

[loupgarou]

The GB seems a little bit sleepy lately, not many new posts. It's the Christmas crisis ? 
At least I have completed mine:

Even painted the interior, that as usual will hardly be seen.



During  the independence war, Israeli used home-made mortars in real life.


source: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Artillery_Corps_(Israel)

In order to have more firepower in urban fighting, an Haganah unit commandeered an excavator and fitted it with an humongous calibre barrel.
The mortar was muzzle-loading, but without the usual firing pin of lesser calibre arms.
With the excavator arm in horizontal position, the shell was inserted in the barrel and slid backward as the barrel was raised.





An external trigger (easily seen it the photos) was used to fire the mortar.




The baseplate was carried separately and positioned while the barrel was raised.



A machine gun was added for close protection. The hastily added camouflage(applied over the original yellow)  maybe wasn't too much appropriate in an urban setting, but the choice of colours was limited to what had been "liberated" from a RAF base.
While this contraption remained an one-off prototype, it proved useful in the early days (and battles) of the Israeli army.
The enterprising young man that had assembled the "thing"  continued his career founding Soltam, a firm specialising in mortars still active in Israel.

[perttime]

 
That thing should be able to lob a pretty good sized shell. Even to some distance, assuming there's a method to aim it accurately enough to hit something.

Soltam got some ideas from Tampella, for their mortar designs.

[sandiego89]

fantastic!  this is great

[buzzbomb]

I like the entire concept of a Field Expedient super mortar

Nice work 

[Old Wombat]

Approved Steps for Firing the Unnamed Mortar:

1) Tie string to trigger lever
2) Get behind excavator (plus small building if possible)
3) Pray that the mortar doesn't explode
4) Pray that, if it explodes, you're far enough away to be safe
5) Pray the mortar doesn't misfire
6) Pray that, if there is a misfire, someone else is "volunteered" to check it
7) Pull string

[Dizzyfugu]

Cool and creative.  I also like the paint scheme.

[scooter]

Approved Steps for Firing the Unnamed Mortar:

1) Tie string to trigger lever
2) Get behind excavator (plus small building if possible)
3) Pray that the mortar doesn't explode
4) Pray that, if it explodes, you're far enough away to be safe
5) Pray the mortar doesn't misfire
6) Pray that, if there is a misfire, someone else is "volunteered" to check it
7) Pull string

[loupgarou]

Approved Steps for Firing the Unnamed Mortar:

1) Tie string to trigger lever
2) Get behind excavator (plus small building if possible)
3) Pray that the mortar doesn't explode
4) Pray that, if it explodes, you're far enough away to be safe
5) Pray the mortar doesn't misfire
6) Pray that, if there is a misfire, someone else is "volunteered" to check it
7) Pull string

Yes, I think this is the correct procedure.
And I think it was more or less the same with the - smaller - real life home made mortars Israeli used in the early days, from what I have read in books written by Haganah veterans.