1:35 MG34S (Short) With Belt Drum

The shortened form with a belt drum

The designation in the name refers to the development branch that shortened the barrel and raised the rate of fire. The accessory shows it with a drum attached to the side, that is in the form ready to fire. The name also carries the word describing the shorter length, and so the set is easily told apart from the base form. The size of 1:35 is part of the name of the item.

A little known development branch

The shortened version came about in an effort to get a still higher rate of fire out of a proven design. It stayed at a limited quantity, though, because faster fire meant greater strain on the components and faster consumption of ammunition, and the army had meanwhile headed toward solutions that were cheaper to produce. For a modeler it is exactly this marginality that is attractive: in a display case it is a piece a visitor will not easily see anywhere else.

Working with a very tiny part

A shorter barrel means a still smaller object than you are used to with ordinary weapons. Work over a mat with a raised edge, so that the part does not fly off, and use tweezers with smooth jaws for holding it. Apply the color in thin coats; a heavy coat would cover exactly the shapes the accessory is bought for.

Whom the set will appeal to

• modelers with an interest in marginal variants of weapons
• builders of display arrangements from small equipment
• those who want an unusual element in a scene
• collectors of accessories in 1:35 scale