While the US Army widely used the standard 60 mm and 81 mm mortars in World War II, there was another model that also saw considerable use – the 107 mm (4.2 inch) M2. This was specifically designed for use by Chemical Warfare units to deliver gas (which was not done in World War II) and white phosphorus. The latter was used primarily to create smoke screens, which could hide troop movements from the enemy, and also effectively blind enemy tank crews, and this was very widely used in all theatres. First used in combat in Sicily in July 1943, a high explosive round was also manufactured for this mortar, and while the standard mortars also had white phosphorus (‘Willie Pete’) ammunition options, the M2 remained an important addition to infantry actions, particularly in areas such as jungle where artillery was very difficult to deploy.

The M2 is of course what we find in this set, and in many respects it is a pretty decent model. The size is about right, although with a total length of 16 mm (116 cm), the barrel is a little longer than it should be, though this is not noticeable. Detail is good, but with one glaring exception – the barrel is not supported. The M2 had a monopod rather than a bipod, and the top of this is included in the model of the barrel, while the base has the bottom of one and a hole for the main stem, but no actual monopod. On the 1/35th scale version of this set the mortar is complete, but here, it looks rather ridiculous just hanging in mid air like this. The barrel is a separate piece that fits into a larger hole in the base, and we found this hole had to be enlarged slightly to accept the large peg at the end of the barrel. However, this does mean the fit can be made nice and tight, so no need for gluing.

The mortar had a rifled barrel, which improved accuracy, and meant that the rounds did not require the stabilising fins normally seen on mortar ammunition. Instead, they resembled ordinary if oversized bullets, and this is exactly what we see being handled by the two crew figures next to the weapon. One man seems to be taking a round out of a box, and the other is either passing a round or preparing to place it in the tube. Both are decent poses, and with the rounds correctly sculpted, so make an acceptable crew. As shown on the box artwork, there is also a figure leaning away and covering his ears, which works perfectly as the man having just loaded a round, and anticipating the firing. So all told a really nice crew.

The rest of the figures are somewhat secondary, but nice to have. The man in the second row with his fingers raised is likely to be in charge of the team, and the man to his right is probably a more senior officer, consulting a map while the bombardment takes place. We also have a radio man, kneeling and using his radio, which is an SCR-300, and nicely done. Especially in areas with poor visibility like heavy vegetation, this serves to remind us of the need for communication between the front-line troops and their support such as this. Finally we have a medic kneeling in the top row, who is tending to the sitting soldier in the lower row, who has a bandage round his knee. While these are largely filler figures, and not directly related to the mortar itself, they are really nice additions and well worth inclusion.

Some of the poses mean the uniform is not clear, but everything looks to be in order on these men. Most wear standard jacket and trousers, although the man covering his ears has stripped down to his summer undershirt, which is a nice touch. Some wear the dismounted leggings, which were standard issue but not particularly popular with many, and of course all have the ubiquitous M1 steel helmet. The level of kit is very light, with most only having their water bottle and a pouch or two. The NCO has a Thompson slung on his back, and the appropriate pouches, and the officer is armed with an M1 carbine and a pistol. The radio man also carries a pistol, but the rest of the crew have no personal weapons visible. The man passing a round seems to wear some sort of bib which we struggled to understand. We wondered if this might be a mortar ammunition bag, which could be worn like a poncho as shown here, but if so then it lacks some key detail. Alternatively, it could simply be the back of a fairly early Parsons jacket (the rest appear to wear the M1943 field jacket). The medic is recognisable by the red cross symbols painted on all sides of his helmet, and he also has a red cross badge sewn to his left sleeve, though we would have expected this to be an armband instead. In addition, he wears the special medic’s yoke which supported large bags on either side, although we would liked to have seen him with two water bottles rather than the one he actually has, since this was common practice for medics.

On the 1/35th scale version, the sculpting of this set is excellent, and on these smaller models the detail is also good but not quite so sharp. Despite some quite challenging poses, the sculptor has made a good job of retaining detail and delivering believable and natural poses, but there are problems when it came to producing the mould. As a result we found some areas where plastic was missing from surfaces, causing some deep gouges which clearly detract from the look. On most of the seams the flash is quite minimal, but in more complex areas such as where both arms are in front of the body, there are huge pieces of flash which will prove tricky to remove. Some are in particularly difficult locations, such as on the face of the medic, where removal without damaging the facial detail will be very difficult.

White phosphorus could also be used in an anti-personnel role, and this was a more controversial aspect as it could stick to clothes and skin, burning through both, and be very difficult to remove. However, whatever form of ammunition was being used, this large mortar was an important element in the US arsenal, and has rarely been depicted in our hobby before. The missing monopod is clearly a disappointing feature of this set, and the sheer amount of work to trim all the unwanted plastic from these figures is not going to please any potential purchaser. This spoils what is otherwise a well-researched set delivering a largely overlooked weapon with good crew poses and some worthwhile extra figures.