Lt. Col Creighton Abrams and Thunderbolt VI & VII

Here's a quick look at Battlefront's take on Lt. Col. Creighton Abrams for Flames of War!  Included in the box are 2 of Abram's rides: Thunderbolt VI (an M4A3 76mm), and Thunderbolt VII (an M4A3E8 Easy Eight with some custom work done to it).  Abrams can also ride in an M4 Sherman, but that is not included in this box.  Besides, who would put poor Abrams in such crap?

The box itself is pretty decent- it includes both tanks plus a decal sheet for the cool graphics on the hull, magnets, and a ton of accessories.  The M4A3 76 has a plastic sprue (I love the plastic sprues by the way) while the E8 has metal accessories.  I'm not quite sure why the box set is $35 US though- it comes with 2 tanks usually priced at $12.50 each... surely magnets and decals aren't worth $10?  Still, it's a fine box set if you plan to use Abrams - if not, the commander figure is great to use for a company command tank.

The only minor issue I had was that the tracks for his Easy 8 suffered from the teardrop shape issue.  I was fortunate with my box of Easy 8s, but my luck ran out here.  I decided to just paint it up anyway and honestly, once it's together, I forgot they even looked funny in the first place.  But remember, BF Customer service will replace the tracks if this happens to you.

Now let's take a look at Abram's rules, shall we?  Courtesy of Easy Army.


Lieutenant Colonel Creighton Abrams is a Warrior and Higher Command Tank Team rated Fearless Veteran. He is mounted in one of his "Thunderbolt" tanks as follows: 
M4 Sherman "Thunderbolt V" 155 Points 
M4A3 (76mm) Sherman "Thunderbolt VI" 210 Points 
M4A3E8 Sherman "Thunderbolt VII" 260 Points 
You may field Abrams in the Tank Company on page 23 or the Armoured Rifle Company on page 26.

That's the Shortest Way Home! 
A force led by Abrams may make a Spearhead moves (see page 261 of the rulebook) with up to two of your platoons at the beginning of the game.

Up Front 
Combat and Weapons platoons in a force led by Abrams use the German Mission Tactics special rule (see page 242 of the rulebook).

We're Going In 
A platoon led by Abrams may use the German Stormtroopers special rule (see page 241 of the rulebook).

Note that Abe's Easy 8 has 1 better armor front and side, AND has both a .50cal AA MG AND a regular AA MG.  Cool!

*Models Courtesy of Battlefront Miniatures