Phil and I are deciding the M60 gpmg sculpts.
We have the M60 gunner & crew advancing
We have the classic prone using the attached barrel bipod.
Now I must admit I never saw the tripod used in Cold War deployment, indeed it was not until I lectured in the US, I saw the tripod used by Tennessee National Guard. It was fired from the prone position.
Question: Do 1983 gamers want the M60 with tripod in the sustained fire mode? All votes counted.
Neit!
Not needed for me
Yes please
Yes please
Even split so far. I assume that in the US infantry, sustained gpmg fire is a Support Company tasking?
No it's part of the rifle platoon. Armoured Infantry carry the tripod in their vehicle.
Which would mean a 3 man team with the No3 carrying tripod with extra 7.62.
Ian, the tripod I saw with National Guard was low set and the gunners prone. Was this the usual firing position? The stock was ofcourse still attached for the prone gunner.
In BA we unscrewed the stock when tripod mounted, but the firing was position higher.
Sounds like two options needed! :P
Quote from: Sunray on 27 January 2022, 09:04:45 PMWhich would mean a 3 man team with the No3 carrying tripod with extra 7.62.
May be when used, but normally in the 113/Bradley so no extra crew. From memory the US light platoons only had 2 M60s in their 3 sectiions.
My question would be, does the range need an M60 team on a tripod? As far as I'm aware the M60 was used primarily as an LMG in the 80's (acording to all the TOE's I've seen). My first ultramodern army was the US in the early 1980's and this thread is the first I've ever seen that the M60 could be used as an SFMG and I'm not sure I'd be keen to do it.
from a more important point of view (ie the cold hard commercial one), if the 3 man team is sculpted, how many are people going to buy? And more importantly, what other figures could you do if you didn't sculpt it (more infantry poses?).
I'll just note that I will not be buying figures from this range as I already have the 1st brigade of the 3rd Armoured division in 1:300 (plus a few armoured cavalry squadrons).
Quote from: Rhys on 28 January 2022, 09:26:47 AMMy question would be, does the range need an M60 team on a tripod? As far as I'm aware the M60 was used primarily as an LMG in the 80's (acording to all the TOE's I've seen). My first ultramodern army was the US in the early 1980's and this thread is the first I've ever seen that the M60 could be used as an SFMG and I'm not sure I'd be keen to do it.
from a more important point of view (ie the cold hard commercial one), if the 3 man team is sculpted, how many are people going to buy? And more importantly, what other figures could you do if you didn't sculpt it (more infantry poses?).
I'll just note that I will not be buying figures from this range as I already have the 1st brigade of the 3rd Armoured division in 1:300 (plus a few armoured cavalry squadrons).
Rhys, thanks very much for this post. It confirms my mature memory of the dynamics of observing the US troops deploy in the 80s.
In the end of the day its Leon's call.
I'm not sure that anything I say should be taken as usefull. My knowledge was aquired from what we could find on the other side of the planet in the early 1980's(which was the old TTG army lists).
Its a forum Rhys- all opinions welcome. Pendraken's mission is to make the best 10mm on the market in poses & with kit that wargamers want.
Phil's US & Soviet early 1980s era sculpts are outstanding. We just need to gauge the demand for the various support weapons.
I would agree with Rhys on this one, the US in 1970s-1980s only had 2x M60 per platoon in infantry units and were normally used with bipod. In my early 1980s 6mm US army that is how they are used at any rate.
A more useful heavy weapon would be the 90mm M67 recoilless rifle teams, Redeye SAM and M202 incendiary rocket launchers (1 man standing firing an M202 would be epic), I presume these are on the to do list? The 90mm M67 were standard issue at squad level up to 1977, when they were replaced by Dragon ATGW, but many National Guard units and the Berlin Brigade retained them into the 1980s.
Mark, yes the light infnatry only had 2 M60's per platoon, think they operated as a fire support section. Armoured infantry had 3 + 4 50cals on the tracks. Reason is the weight of the thing - it was/is not known as the pig for nothing. As to tripods it is a GPMG so can operate in both rolkes. Not played with one but have with the MAG and yes they are both used in the SF role. I don't know about the US army but the British fit the same sight as the 81mm mortar to allow for indirect fire.
I agree about the Redeye and 90mm RCL, but the M202 was not general issue.