1:35 Set of 2 standard barrels for U.S aircraft machine guns cal .50 Browning ANM2

A set of two standard barrels for the American Browning ANM2 aircraft machine gun, 1:35, Aber

The package holds two turned metal barrels of the American 12.7 mm Browning ANM2 aircraft machine gun in the standard form, in 1:35 scale. This is not a kit but a detail accessory. The metal barrels replace the plastic parts on models of aircraft, of armored vehicles and on weapons in dioramas. A thin long barrel is always a compromise in plastic, because it bends and carries a parting line, whereas turned metal keeps a straight axis and allows the muzzle to be drilled precisely.

The real subject

The Browning ANM2 was the aircraft variant of the 12.7 mm heavy machine gun used by the American armed forces in the Second World War. It was mounted in the wings and the fuselages of fighters and bombers and in defensive gun positions. It differed from the ground version in its lighter construction, its higher rate of fire and a different form of the barrel, which is a significant difference for modelers, because confusing the ground and the aircraft variant is easily spotted on a detailed model.

Usage and painting tips

Cut off the plastic barrel and, if need be, redrill the opening with a micro drill to the diameter of the metal part. Glue with cyanoacrylate glue; plastic cement does not hold on metal. Before painting, degrease the surface and use a base coat for metals. Weapons look best in a dark gray shade with a faint polished metal sheen on the exposed edges and with a dark wash where they seat.

Who the set is for

• builders of American aircraft and ground vehicles
• modelers bothered by bent plastic machine gun barrels
• makers of dioramas with weapons and their crews
• competition modelers detailing small armament

This is a detail accessory, not a complete model. The base kit, glue and paints are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.