Hobby
Fan
524
The
M59 "Long Tom" cannon is the post-WWII designation for
the 155mm Gun M1 on M1carriage introduced in 1941.
It
was served by an artillery crew of 14. This is the first of two
four-figure sets from Hobby Fan that, while designed to accompany
AFV Club's Long Tom, can be repurposed for other artillery pieces.
In fact, due to the absence of web gear, they can be adapted for
other settings, such as a Quartermasters unit unloading supplies
or a graves registration detail.
Two
soldiers are grasping the "gun hoist" (carrier) that holds
the round for the gun, while the other two men stand ready with
their ramrod.
The
figures wear a mix of early and late uniforms that will place them
in an autumn 1944 setting or later. The only additional gear is
a lone canteen. You could add a few more canteens (and M1 carbines
if these boys are near the front) to dress up your setting if you
desire.
The
sculpting of these figures offers an excellent level of detail.
The only quibble is that they all have the same tall, thin body
type. It would be nice to have a little more variety in height.
There is virtually no clean-up necessary once the casting blocks
have been removed from the figures. Hobby Fan has the practice of
setting the mold plugs for the helmets on the bottom of the piece,
rather than the top. That means you don't have to worry about an
out-of-round helmet when removing the plug, but you have to take
care separating it from the rim of the helmet. The intricately shaped
carrier is cast, amazingly, as one piece. The ramrod is made up
of plastic rod and a resin head. There was no shell provided with
my set, even though the box art suggests it may be part of package.
This
very fine set offers a modeler with a good imagination and decent
reconfiguring skills that chance to explore options beyond a Long
Tom emplacement. The carrier and ramrod are essentially the same
type as used with other 155mm artillery; you could use these with
Italeri's 155mm howitzer or Academy's M12 gun motor carriage.
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