1:35 PPD-34/38 and 40 Submachine Gun (4 rifles)

Soviet PPD submachine guns for 1:35 scale

An accessory set of small armament for modelers who build scenes from the eastern battlefield. The name carries the designations PPD-34/38 and PPD-40 and a count of four pieces. Further parameters, such as the material of the castings or the dimensions of the package, do not follow from the name.

What the PPD was in the armament

The series of submachine guns of the designer Degtyarev came about in the middle of the nineteen thirties and through successive modifications reached the version of 1940. The weapon fired pistol ammunition of 7.62 mm caliber, had a wooden gun stock and in the later form a drum magazine. Production was fairly demanding, so during the war a simpler successor pushed it out; in the first two years of the fighting in the east, however, the PPD served commonly with units and for a diorama from that period it is a characteristic element.

How to work the set into a build

Small armament looks best when it is painted separately and fitted to a figure only at the end. Build the wooden parts on a brown base and accentuate the edges with fine drybrushing; leave the metal surfaces rather dark, because shiny steel looks unnatural when reduced. A sling of thin paper or foil gives the weapon a natural shape and ties it to the figure.

Who the set suits

• builders of figure scenes from the first years of the war
• for completing vehicle crews that lack a personal weapon
• for a pile of equipment on a cargo bed or in a trench
• collectors who want their armament in a consistent execution