Mike Posted October 18, 2023 Posted October 18, 2023 3D Printed Small Arms (P350012/14/15/16/19) 1:35 Special Hobby 3D Print Guns are a central component in any military engagement. They’re everywhere, especially where there’s fighting. Special Hobby have taken to printing many of their upgrade and detail sets in attractive orange resin, and the detail is phenomenal. They’re bringing out a range of small arms as part of their range, for use in dioramas, to increase the detail of figures, and as personal items in or around AFVs and softskins. Each set arrives in a clear bubble pack with a cardboard header and instruction sheet at the rear. The 3D printed parts are secured in foam inserts that are cut to suit their shape, and there are small Photo-Etch (PE) frets of brass separated from the resin by a piece of clear acrylic, adding straps and other small parts to the models. This collection of sets is spread over different eras of warfare, and should be chosen for their suitability to the models you are making, not just because they look great, although it is tempting. MG42 German WWII Machine Gun Early (P35012) The basis for many modern machine guns, the MG42 was a development of the MG34, intended to reduce the cost and increase ease of production as the war progressed away from Germany’s favour. Its formidable rate of fire garnered the nickname ‘Hitler’s buzz-saw’ amongst others. There are two of these guns on the printed base that also contains four drum magazines and a pair of bipods. The PE sheet contains slings and a length of spent link that is glued to the open breech opposite the magazine. M1 Bazooka (P35014) The word Bazooka has become the generic name for any shoulder-mounted rocket launcher in some circles, and it was reverse-engineered by the Germans from captured weapons at the beginning of WWII to become the more effective Panzerschreck. It utilised a shaped-charge to punch above its weight, and was rocket-propelled from the tube, with a limited range but the capability of penetrating more than 70mm of rolled homogenous armour in use at the time. The set includes the bazooka as one part, plus two rounds, one with a pointed M6 warhead that was a little prone to ricocheting, and the alternative domed warhead that was designed to reduce ricochets. An additional set of fins is included in case you wanted to portray one “up the spout” hanging out of the rear of the tube. A PE sling is also included to complete the package, and the detail on the weapon is excellent, including the frame around the rear of the tube, which is a dangerous place to stand behind, which usually led to a quick look behind before pulling the trigger that electrically launched the rocket. 3rd degree burns tend not to be popular with comrades. M1A1 Bazooka (P35015) The M1 Bazooka wasn’t perfect, so the engineers went back to the drawing board and improved it, working on the electrical systems, removing the blocky front handgrip, adding a blow-back diffusing ‘colander’ at the muzzle, and improving the rounds to achieve more kills. The revised Bazooka is printed as a single part, with two of the diffusers on the enlarged PE sheet with the sling, and a pair of conical grey resin jigs that are hidden in the rear to bend the part to the correct shape quickly and easily, taking all the worry out of the process. It would be good practice to anneal the part carefully over a flame to soften the brass, but being careful not to overdo it, as the part is etched to half thickness and could be melted or even burned away by too much heat. M18 57mm Recoilless Rifle (P35016) The M18 was a portable 57mm rifle that was designed during WWII and saw limited service at the very end of the war, going on to fight in the Korean and Vietnam wars before it was retired. It could penetrate around the same thickness of armour as the initial Bazooka rounds, and in Europe it was only capable of causing damage to vulnerable parts such as the turret ring, vision blocks, armour seams or running gear, unless the operator was able to get to the rear where the armour was thinner. In the Pacific however, it was a resounding success, as the Japanese tanks were lightly armoured and armed. The set includes three display options for this unusual weapon, the first being low to the ground, using the extending foregrip as a bipod, and the shoulder rest split in two to provide two more points of balance for the prone operator. The best mounting platform was the tripod from a Browning 1917 machine gun, which explains why I did a double-take when perusing the instructions. The weapon and breech are printed as a single part, the prone mount having the stands fitted as separate parts, along with the breech operation mechanism and sighting mechanism. The man-portable version can also be made by using different parts for the monopod/grip and shoulder pad, using the same parts for the breech and sight. The most impressive option is the tripod-mounted rifle, which involves trapping two printed parts between PE frames, adding an adjustment wheel and locking lever on one side, and the stud on the other, then mounting it on the three legs with the base in the centre, plus adjustment and locking levers from PE and resin. A PE strap is affixed to one leg to secure them for transport, then the rifle is built with breech mechanism, sight and foregrip, after which it is lowered onto the tripod locating it on a pin behind the foregrip. There are three of the 57mm rounds included on the print-base, which employed an ingenious method to reduce recoil to almost zero. The casing was perforated, with a protective plastic inner sleeve keeping the weather out and propellant in, plus a ring that has grooves machined into it to engage in the rifling, reducing friction and giving it a high muzzle velocity that increased penetration. For painting the rounds, just Google it, as there are plenty of pics around on the ‘net. AK-74MN Russian Assault Rifle Laminated Stock (P35019) This was the standard rifle with the Soviets and is still in service with their Russian Federation successors, plus many of their Allies, former satellite states and other customers. There are two rifles in a side-by-side protective printing base, and they are complete save for their slings, which can be found on the PE fret in the box. Conclusion 3D printing came of age after a surprisingly short gestation period, and it really shows in these weapons sets. Whichever one you choose for your next project, you won’t be disappointed, just remember to anneal the PE slings and straps carefully so they bend more naturally. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
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