1:35 French Soldier 13 (Trepied & Canon Remplacement Mag 58)

A tripod mount and a spare barrel for the machine gun with figure 13

Number thirteen of the French collection differs from the other numbers in that it adds a tripod mount and a spare barrel of the MAG 58 machine gun to the figure. A scene of a firing position thus gets the equipment a squad really carries with it.

Why a squad carries a second barrel

A machine gun overheats its barrel quickly in long bursts, which is why it has a quick-change system and the second man of the crew carries a spare piece in a case together with a glove, so that the red-hot part can be taken off at all. The tripod, in turn, changes the weapon from a mobile support for the squad into a precise instrument with a stable aim, which fires at a greater distance and also at points ranged in advance at night.

Building the small parts

The legs of the tripod and the barrel are the thinnest part of the whole set; separate them from the supporting structure of the print last of all, and with a saw rather than with nippers. When setting the tripod into the terrain, press shallow dimples under its feet, so that the position does not look as if it had been set up on glass. The barrel case gains depth from a dark shade in the stitching and light wear on the edges.

Where the set helps

• with a complete firing position for a machine gun
• in the gear of a crew spread out around a vehicle
• as an accessory to the gunner figure from the same collection
• in a detailed corner of a larger diorama

In the package you will find only resin castings. The painting and the placing into the scene stay with the modeler.