# Revell/Renwal reissuing the Atomic Cannon



## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXBGVR&P=7

$48 isnt bad...


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## Steve244 (Jul 22, 2001)

ye gods I thought this was a modeling fantasy. The thing actually existed. In numbers!

Here's a link to someone's build that has some stats about the actual device.

and a wiki.

How charming!


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

There are several good Atomic cannon sites. Wim Wenk has a super build of the Renwal kit on a dutch modelling site. And there is a site featuring a great scratch built 1/72 kit, plus several reference sites.


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## Rondo (Jul 23, 2010)

Wow, didn't see that coming. Pretty cool and I agree, the price is reasonable. Must be similar in size to the German Leopold railway gun. Needless to say, I must have one. :thumbsup:

This time of year my focus usually shifts away from models but some of the resin and styrene makers keep pulling me back with releases like this.


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

What a cool diorama that would make with the cannon on a base and the picture as a back drop.


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## Ian Anderson (Jan 24, 2011)

Saw a really cool video on this thing a few years ago, "The real one that is", it was on a show called, _GUNS OF THE WORLD_, I think on the Recovery channel. 
The nick name for this THING was called *"Atomic Annie", *As far as I know it was fired in anger they say, but Who knows if certain people get here hand on it...
Some of the specks on this thing are, The gun is a 280mm Cannon, Cost 2.2 Million Dollars And had about a 15 Megaton Impact to it ...
And I agree Pete, Would make a great Diorama with that back drop for this kit...50 miles If I'm not mistaken was it range, Give or take a mile that is, and then, *"BOOM", *..."GOOD BUY BAD GUY",...

_
Ian_


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Approximately 20 of these guns were built. They were in service in Europe and Korea for about 10 years, being retired in the 1960s. There are a few around today on public display. While Atomic Annie was an unofficial nick name, some individual guns had names painted on their barrels like "Big Mo" stationed in Germany. The gun fired an atomic shell only once during testing in the desert... range is about 7 miles.


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## Ian Anderson (Jan 24, 2011)

I see that now, it was only 7 miles distance, Not 50 miles, SO I HEARD IT WRONG, it has been a while sense I seen the show, and only A 15 megatons payload as well NOT A 50,.....



‘Atomic Annie’ 

Nicknamed Atomic Annie, the atomic cannon was a 280 mm cannon capable of firing nuclear warheads. In total, 20 atomic cannons were produced, each weighing over 83 tons, with cannon and carriage, and more than 80 feet in length. The first went into service in 1952. They were the largest pieces of mobile artillery ever built and according to the National Nuclear Security Administration, each cost $800,000. Crews could set the cannon up and be ready to fire in less than 15 minutes, but the atomic cannons were never used in nuclear warfare. 

During May 1953, the DOD held a series of weapons tests at the Nevada Test Site called Operation Upshot-Knothole. More than 20,000 DOD personnel participated in the tests and in total there were 11 detonations, including air drops, tower shots and probably most importantly, one nuclear warhead fired from the cannon. 

At 8:30 a.m. on May 25, 1953, the atomic cannon fired a MK-9 artillery shell as part of the Grable Test. The shell was projected seven miles and detonated more than 500 feet above an area known as Frenchman Flat. The shell exploded with a yield of 15 kilotons and was the first and last nuclear device to ever be fired from a cannon. 

The Army deployed the atomic cannons to Europe, but they never fired a nuclear warhead again. The cannons were difficult to maneuver and because of its weight, it could only be driven on normal roadways or packed ground. The tractor carriages that transported the cannons were driven much like those of a fire tiller truck; the drivers communicated using a telephone system. 

Jim Michalko served as a crew member of one of the cannons in Germany in 1955. "They couldn't turn well and the streets of Germany were narrow so we had a hard time moving it around," Mr. Michalko said. He said he remembers that several buildings were destroyed at one point when the cannon had no where else to go. 

The atomic cannons were deactivated from service in 1963. The Atomic Annie cannons had become obsolete due to the weight of the equipment, the difficulty of moving the cannon and the development of smaller calibers of artillery. 

Of the 20 atomic cannons constructed, eight remain today. The one residing here will eventually be moved to the site of the new National Atomic Museum on Eubank Boulevard, which is soon to be renamed the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History.




Ian (Post taken from Goggle)


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

How would you like being less than 2 miles away?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_(nuclear_device)

"Both recoilless guns proved to have poor accuracy in testing, so the shell's greatest effect would have been its extreme radiation hazard. Even at a low yield setting, the M-388 would produce an almost instantly lethal radiation dosage (in excess of 10,000 rem) within 500 feet (150 m), and a probably fatal dose (around 600 rem) within a quarter mile (400 m)." -Wiki. 10-20 tons of TNT...

Or how about a backpack nuke?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Atomic_Demolition_Munition

Something similar was done by the Russians, which after the fall of communism more than 130 simply "disappeared". More than likely sold to the highest bidder for a war to be named later.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

The US Also had the Davey Crockett, a nuclear armed , jeep mounted, bazooka type weapon.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/27/66569667_c0b7f321f5_z.jpg


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## Ian Anderson (Jan 24, 2011)

.....lol...*OMG*


Ian


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## Ian Anderson (Jan 24, 2011)

The things man comes up with, IT'S STAGGERING TO SAY THE LEAST, but impressive all the same, I'm pretty sure WHERE ALL on a watch list just for talking about this guys,..lol...You know if those little green men we keep hearing about ever, REALLY DO come down to steal all are Fruit Loops Cereal, I really hope there's enough of these Jeep Combos to go around, should do the job nicely...THAT COLOR for the shell on the Crockett is PERFICT,...lol.....
Give that guy a Citation just for using it,.....lol



Ian


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