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MG15 WWII Machine Gun - Infantry Modification (P35030) 1:35 Special Hobby The MG15 started life as a development of the MG30, and was a common installation in German WWII aircraft, predominantly as a flexible mount that was crew-served, as its open-bolt design didn’t lend itself to synchronised firing through a prop. It fired a 7.92mm round, and could be either belt-fed or fed by a magazine of several different types. Later in the war, it was replaced in Luftwaffe service by the MG81 that used the same diameter 7.92mm round, and by the 13mm MG131, for its obvious additional punch. After retirement from the air, many of these weapons were re-purposed to infantry use, sometimes adapted with a water-filled jacket, and often fed by a twin “saddle” drum magazine, adding a bipod to the barrel and a sling for carriage. A cage was also developed to carry three of the saddle magazines on the back of a member of the gun’s crew. As usual with Special Hobby's larger 3D printed resin sets, it arrives in the familiar clear vacformed box, with the resin parts safely inside, and the instructions sandwiched between the header card at the rear. A Photo-Etch (PE) fret is separated from the resin parts by a clear piece of acetate to prevent scratching and damage during transit. The parts are all printed in Special Hobby’s signature orange resin that combines strength with flexibility, and their now familiar cage surrounds the part, including a canopy over the top to protect the delicate parts, which have been printed with seemingly impossible fidelity. Two MG15s can be made from the set, one with a perforated barrel shroud, the other with a cooling jacket covering the barrel, and making it look a little like a Vickers machine gun from the front. There are four bipods in open and closed positions that allow you to choose freely which you want to use, and there are four saddle magazines, two that can be plugged into the top of the breech, with two spares. The PE fret includes three ring sights, one spare in case you make a mistake, and a single two-part sling to attach to the jacketless weapon, as it’s the most portable of the two. Detail is exceptional, and when carefully painted will look as real as possible at this scale. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of