Challenge Entry: Long Toms and a few Flames of War odds and ends.

One of the things you have to get used to as a historically minded player of flames of war is the presence of artillery on the table.  This is especially true of big guns like the 155mm "Long Tom." Lets be honest in most cases if your Corps artillery is taking direct aim at a Tiger Tank... you as a commander have screwed up big time.

That said they look really cool... and the Long Tom can handle most German tanks if it gets a chance to fire at them.  I picked these up recently with some Christmas money and they have already had their battle field debut (the less said about it the better but you can look on my blog, I record my defeats as well as my victories)

While I was very happy with the guns themselves I was less than thrilled with some of the support staff.  I modified the fellow with the clip board so his arm hangs down rather then pointing because multiple pointing figures on the same stand look silly.

The observer with the binocular was fine but his partner looked like he was giving hand signals and that is not how you get artillery on target.  So I swapped him with another figure with a radio from by dead lead box.

 The staff team looks great and I am pleased with how my little hand painted map came out.

 One man pointing at the map while the other is pointing off in the distance is OK.

 Rear shots of the command and observer stands

 Rear shots of the guns them selves. I really wish they had modeled one of these with an open breach it would have looked much better with all the men trying to load powder and shells.

If I pick up more of these I may try to do that on my own... though it would be a pretty risky protect.

 The last of those plastic Battle Front figures i had gotten with the Ranger program

Mortar team of Airborne troopers.

 The 60mm mortar is one of those often over looked but very effective weapons of war. These may see service with my Cavalry Recon platoon.

 An extra command stand that why let the figures and the base go to waist.

 All together I have two 15mm Artillery pieces for 8 points 5 crew per base for 20 points (if they count for the full 2 points each), then another 9 figures on for the staff team, observer and command stands for another 18 points. the Mortar stand is another 6 points (3 figures but I am not counting that little mortar as a crew served weapon, adjust if you think it warranted Curt) and another 6 points for the extra command stand.