ICM British Vickers Machine Gun (35712) 1:35

[Mike]

British Vickers Machine Gun (35712)

1:35 ICM via Hannants Ltd.

 

 

The Vickers Machine Gun was a development of original Maxim, the company Vickers had bought in the late 1800s, lightened and with an inverted breech to improve the type, which entered into British service at the outbreak of WWI in insufficient numbers due partly to the price being asked for each one, which was soon rectified by accusations of profiteering that resulted in a huge price cut per unit.  It was used first by the infantry, then by the newly formed Machine Gun Corps when the lighter Lewis gun arrived on the scene, and I’m proud to say my Paternal grandfather was one of the operators of this type, surviving the war despite getting gassed, and bringing home a medal for bravery into the bargain.  We’ve still got his cap badge that has been polished so much that the ridges on the cooling jacket have all-but worn away.  The gun remained in service throughout WWI and WWII, and was finally replaced by the General Purpose Machine Gun in the late 60s.  Quite a service run.

 

 

The Kit

At 1:35 it’s a small model, although it took a fairly large crew to operate it, mostly in carrying the equipment from place to place, as it had a prodigious thirst for ammunition.  The kit arrives in a small box with one sprue inside along with an A4 instruction sheet that is folded to fit the box.  You can build one complete assembly from the box, but there are two guns and two tripods, the former having options for the fluted and straight cooling jackets, while the latter are set up for seated or prone operation.

 

 

Construction is simple, with the breech details and firing handle attached to your jacketed barrel of choice, followed by the two arms that hold the gun in place and their central arm with adjustment wheel at the bottom.  A length of finely moulded ammunition slides through the breech, and the unused end is fixed to the ammo can with more moulded rounds in an insert that sits on top of the box.  The weapon is inserted into the hole at the top of your choice of tripods, then the aforementioned ammo can and the water reservoir for the cooling jacket, which is linked by a hose to the underside of the muzzle, but isn’t mentioned at all in the instructions.  Depending on how you will deploy your gun, you could use a length of lead wire or similar to portray this, gluing it to the can.  If you’re unsure of the correct locations, there are a number of good resources online.

 

Colour call-outs are made throughout the build using letters in boxes that correspond to a table on the rear that gives the paint names plus Revell and Tamiya paint codes.

 

 

Conclusion

It’s a useful item to have in any diorama or vehicle, and with its huge length of service it can fit into many different situations.  I’m looking forward to a set with figures, especially if it is WWI era.

 

Highly recommended.

 

Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd.

Review sample courtesy of