1:35 Merkava Mk.4 MG set, V.3 (2 pcs) + Machine gun mounts (2 pcs) for HobbyBoss kit

The third variation of the same equipment

The range of accessories for this machine came out in three variations, which differ in the arrangement of the weapon, and this one is the last of them. The point of the division is practical: photographs of machines in service show that the equipment around the hatches differs from one piece to the next according to the unit and to the time when the picture was taken. A modeler building a particular vehicle from a particular photograph can therefore choose the form that matches his real subject, instead of making do with the single one that is in the kit.

The parts supplied

Two complete pieces of the weapon and two carrying frames to go with them. The assembly replaces the original plastic parts of the kit, and its base matches the shape of the turret roof as the HobbyBoss brand forms it.

Layers that can only be made by printing

The interesting thing about this technology is that it does not care whether the shape is simple or complicated. A steel mold is made more expensive by every additional parting line and every movable segment, so the designer tries to simplify the shape. A printed master costs the same whether the part is a smooth tube or a frame with ten open windows. That is exactly why parts appear in resin that nobody ever offered in plastic: pierced brackets, covers with a real mesh, or a chain whose links are really separate.

A sanded surface must not stay greasy. Wipe it with alcohol and let it dry, and only then spray the primer.

The same route produces supports that look as if someone had bent them out of wire. In 1:35 scale that is already a difference a camera picks up.

Take the set, then, as an accessory for anyone who minds that the turret otherwise looks empty.