Do any AM parts exist for the above kit or is there a better quality kit of this gun (preferably with a crew)?

Thanks

Eudard make a photo etched set.
Dragon do a nicer gun, with crew.
Sorry don't have the numbers handy at this time.

Thanks Dave, if Dragon has a kit of this gun, I check their site for the number

Just so you know, Dragon adapted their crew from a heavy m/g crew. As a result, the uniforms may be of a later style than you require, 1943 or later when its likely it would only be used by second line units. Also IIRC, the Dragon kit is originally of Russian manufacture, maybe Alan or some other company, and from what I recall its not a great improvement on the old Tamiya kit and costs quite a bit more.

A review can be found here http://www.track-link.net/reviews/k982

I checked out the Dragon kit and I suspect you are correct in your evaluation. If I use the gun (either kit) I am planning a late war scene. I know that by the late war, this gun would have been little more than a pea shooter, but that's the point.

Royal Models has announced a PE and Resin update set which is I believe for the Tamiya kit, #381. Here's a link:

http://www.greatmodels.com/~smartcart/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=RO381

Of course, you can get 6 or 7 of the kits for the price of the update set, but what else is new?