Featured work - Dave Reasoner's Finnish Lahti L-39 rifle

With the vehicles side for my Finnish project starting to gain some momentum it is time that I started to put some more thought to the infantry element of my army. Key to this will be incorporating some of the unique weapons that the Finns deployed and there can be few as 'unique' as the Lahti L-39!

Picture source: Wikipeadia

I've been having some discussions on several model and wargame forums about how I might construct my little troops - given there are no 1/72 Finns in late war summer uniforms on the market. And while having these conversations David Reasoner - of Moonlite Modelwerkes fame no less - posted up some lovely images of his Finnish force and an excellent scratch build Lahti L-39!

Picture source: David Reasoner - more examples >here<

This 20mm elephant gun was used in counter-sniping as well as a light anti-armour weapon. The Finns were noted snipers and used this beast against bunkers, Soviet snipers and even against tank crews - sniping them through hatches and viewing ports.

I have to have a couple of these in my army - though I do not think that the Rapid Fire! rules on which I am basing my army incorporates any special guidelines for it's deployment or use.

Luckily there are plenty of reference photos and diagrams of this gun as well as several videos (very useful for gauging scale). Making a couple shouldn't be too much of a problem, I just hope I can make as good a job of mine as Dave has made of his!