1:72 Hotchkiss M1909 (2 Items)

Hotchkiss M1909 1:72 (GasPatch models)

A resin detail accessory in 1:72 scale from the manufacturer GasPatch models. It is not a model of an aircraft but castings of the Hotchkiss M1909 light machine gun to be fitted into a model under construction. According to the name the package contains two pieces. The set answers the situation in which the plastic part from the base kit does not have fine enough definition to stand up in a cabinet.

The real subject

The Hotchkiss M1909 was a light machine gun of French origin, derived in design from the heavier models of the same range. It used air cooling and fed its ammunition from rigid strips. Besides ground use it also appeared in the First World War period as airborne armament, where its lower weight was valued.

Building and painting tips

Count on the thin sections of the casting being fragile. The barrel, the sights and the frames are only a few tenths of a millimeter thick in this scale and will break before you notice. So never hold the parts in your fingers with force, work on a soft surface and leave self-closing tweezers aside, as they will nip a detail off before they hold it. If the barrel does break even so, it can be replaced with a piece of fine brass tube or a hypodermic needle, and the result tends to be more durable than the original. Fit the finished parts at the very end of the build so that they are not broken during further handling.

Who the set is for

• Modelers of 1:72 aircraft and ground models of the First World War
• Patient builders used to small and fragile parts
• Anyone interested in French armament of the period
• Builds in which the armament is seen from close up

The accessory is supplied unassembled and unpainted as resin castings. Glue, paints and the base model are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.