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Zwillingssockel 36 Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Mount (35714) 1:35


Mike

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Zwillingssockel 36 Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Mount (35714)

1:35 ICM via Hannants

 

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Zwillings is German for twin, and according to Google, sockel translates as “socket” or “base”, the former sounding vaguely suggestive.    In WWII Germany, it was a twin MG34 mounted on a frame and attached to the ground/deck via a conical base with a seat for the gunner on a cantilever frame.  It was often used to provide anti-aircraft cover on an S-38 S-boot in the midships position, and was also used as mobile anti-air cover in the flatbed of a vehicle.  The guns could also be used to strafe targets on the ground, as the mount was capable of a substantial range of elevations, and the sights would adjust position on their supports to remain useful to the gunner at all inclinations. 

 

The Kit

This is a new tool from ICM that you can just bet is also going to be seen again mounted to other kits.  Truthishly, I have one such example in the review queue already.  It arrives in a small top-opening box with the usual ICM captive inner flap, and within is a small sprue in grey styrene, accompanied by a sheet of A4 instructions with spot colour.  The mount can be built in either horizontal or anti-air positions by swapping out the sighting frame at the very end of the build.

 

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The ammo cans are made up first, joined to the twin frame, which then has the gun mounts fitted on top.  The guns are still fitted with their bipods, which along with the breech cover are moulded separately to the rest of the guns.  If you’re a detailer, you may want to drill out the muzzles very carefully with a tiny bit in a pin vice.  With the guns on their frame, the outer frame is fitted around it in two halves, slotting into the pivot points moulded into the frame, and supported by a cross-brace lower in the frame.  Another bracing strut fits across the front and has a canvas brass catcher curtain suspended beneath it that is attached to the tube by a series of rings moulded into the part.  The conical base is built from two parts and inserts into a socket in the underside of the outer frame, then it’s a case of making up the seat that fits at the very rear of the outer frame, and choosing the correct sighting part for your chosen pose, pivoting the guns to an appropriate elevation during the process.  A pair of scrap diagrams shows the two finished poses, and overleaf is a painting guide in greyscale that would be a tad confusing if it weren't for the box art, as it has no paint call-outs on the two profiles.  Oops!

 

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Conclusion

It’s a well-detailed kit of this unusual piece of equipment, and could be used in a diorama, or to replace a mount if you have an S-38 from Italeri, or put in the back of a wagon of your choice to add some interest.

 

Highly recommended.

 

Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd.

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Review sample courtesy of

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