How do you want yourTOWS?

[Sunray]

We are designing support weapons for US Cold War(1980s) range.

TOW was an essential weapons system. If you had to choose which would it be?

Do you want it vehicle mounted - ie a MUTT ?

Or do you favour a ground mount with 3 crew ?

Which works best with CWC rules?

[Raider4]

How were they deployed in real life?

If mostly on foot, then ground-pounders.

If mostly on vehicle, then in a jeep (or maybe an M113?)

If roughly 50/50, then both!

Edit: Just found my copy of Cold War Commander - there are entries in the main US army cold war list for TOW in infantry, jeeps and M150/M901s.

Edit 2: Although no idea what an M150 is?

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

In real life Lt Infantry and airbourne woul use ground and Jeep mounts. Armoured units mounted it on M113 the M150 varient- initally on the open mount,the M150 varient. then on the hammerhead as M901. So both ground and jeep mounts will be needed.

[Sunray]

I knew you would want both! 

Ground mount will come first.

In fact it may require 3 sculpts -  ground with crew, jeep with seated figure and M113 with torso.

[Big Insect]

Just to be difficult (as always):

US airborne had TOW mounted on Mechanised Mules (4x4 quad bikes) fired whilst mounted to the 'Mule' but with 3 crew standing (or crouching) firing it. There was also a .50cl variant and a RCLR variant - although these latter were quickly discontinued as they were far from recoilless and tended to blow the 'mule' over when fired at the wrong angle (a great design fault!). Some of the images of the .50cl being fired are spectacular with the 'gunner' standing straight out at right-angles to the hull of the mule!

The 9th High Technology Light Infantry (a favorite of mine) also had TOW mounted on the frames of their Desert Patrol Vehicle (DPV), formerly called the Fast Attack Vehicle (FAV) - a fast-attack dune-buggy, also used by US Special Forces (in Gulf War 1). The TOW were designed to be fired mounted or dismounted, but as the FAVs had a tendency to roll over a lot (over enthusiastic crews being to blame), the TOW had special coupling devices that allowed them to disconnect with no damage in such circumstance. Like the 'mule' a recoilless rifle variant was also trialled but flipped the FAV over when fired (so was also abandoned - the Airborne & Infantry apparently didn't think to share their test experiences)

But I suspect that these will be 'special edition' sculpts for an additional development of the US range 

[Raider4]

The 9th High Technology Light Infantry (a favorite of mine) also had TOW mounted on the frames of their Desert Patrol Vehicle (DPV), formerly called the Fast Attack Vehicle (FAV) - a fast-attack dune-buggy, also used by US Special Forces (in Gulf War 1). The TOW were designed to be fired mounted or dismounted, but as the FAVs had a tendency to roll over a lot (over enthusiastic crews being to blame), the TOW had special coupling devices that allowed them to disconnect with no damage in such circumstance. Like the 'mule' a recoilless rifle variant was also trialled but flipped the FAV over when fired (so was also abandoned - the Airborne & Infantry apparently didn't think to share their test experiences)

DPV? Oh yes please. Although I wonder how hard they would be to make. Lots of empty space between the chassis & bodywork bars


Good for a Mad Max/post-apocalyptic wasteland setting as well!

[Sunray]

To quote Leon "all votes will be counted"

Meantime Techno has his sights set on sculpting the basic 1983 era range of  USA, Soviet, and a few possible additions to the Falklands Brits to equipt for Cold War.

We have not orders beyond that brief.

[Rhys]

Having played moderns since the 1980's was ultramodern I've used TOW from a ground mount in my US army (some of which is approaching 40 years old...yikes) exactly zero times.
Certainly in the early 1980's in western europe I would have thought a heavy bulky weapon would have been used from a mobile mount so that you could "shoot and scoot".

[sultanbev]

I don't recall using ground-mount TOWs either in 40 years of gaming, even though you get tons of them in the Heroics & Ros US heavy weapons pack. Isis and/or other factions used them recently in Syria so they are around.
Priority of production should be:
Landrover+ Vigilant (oops sorry keyboard slipped)
M150 (M113 + TOW)
M901 (can also double up as M981 FISTV FOO vehicle)
M151 Jeep+ TOW
ground mount
VCI+TOW (Dutch)
Kraka+TOW (West German Paras)
Landrover 110+ TOW/MAPATS (IDF Paras)
Landrover 88 or 109 with TOW (some Arab states I think)

[Sunray]

The Yanks - in my experience - like things mobile. They laughed at us humping the Milan. 

Now I have see TOW in prep positions, but the signature blast would counsel a mobile mount.

However, circa 1983 we don't yet have MUTT in the Pendraken MT section. and Phil wants to wrap up the figure sculpts- perhaps a head/torso figure for M113?

As I said its Leon's call.

[Rhys]

A quicksearch gives the mass of a ground mount with a TOW missle fitted is about 90 kg. each missle is 25kg (a bag of cement. not sure how far I could lug one of those).
I can't see a crew of 4 wanting to carry one of those very far. Thats what Dragon was for.

[Rhys]

For the M150 use the M125 from the vietnam range as the base and sculpt a TOW launcher on a pillar mount with a figure. If done right it can then be used on the back of a jeep when that gets done.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Good idea. Could be used on most 4x4 types as well

[Sunray]

Many thanks for this. Leon has responded by prioritising the MUTT. I have recommenced the only TOW sculpt will be vehicle mounted, and the M47 Dragon will be Phil's next project.

[Mako]

Mutts would be very nice.

Short wheelbase Landrovers too for the Danes, and I suspect others too:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0c/a7/15/0ca715fcf51e26e01c7c23b932eaf71d.jpg

The Landrovers with 106mm recoilless rifles would be appreciated too.