I'm in the market for a .1/35 50 Cal M2 by an aftermarket manuf.

I saw the Custom Dioramics and it seems pretty nice, BUT, is there one kit that is better than the others out there??

It will be used in a modern setting (if it makes a difference).

TIA.

Jim

I cannot say which is the best, because I don't have them all. What I've got is a set from Eduard that's just a PE enhancement set and another set from Verliden. I've used both of them and I'm quite happy with both. In the pics below you can see the Eduard one...





Ciao

Verlinden and Legends make them in resin/pe. Both are pretty nice and nearly identical when built up.
I'm not a huge fan of carving away kit detail to use the Eduard parts, as a gashed thumb (no stiches) and a ruined t-shirt ( from blood sopping, not cut. I'm clumsy, but not THAT clumsy..) prove, but I can't argue with Scoccia's results!
That's some darn nice work, Mr. !


Mike

Gotta agree with Mike on this one...that's some great workmanship Fabio! What do you use for the .50 cal barrel? That thing is a work of art without any paint on it.

Crank that Chargin' Handle back twice and ROCK AND ROLL!

That's an awesome piece of work there!!

Thanks for the nice words guys.
Sabot, the barrel has been done using a big hypodermic needle on which I soldered a tiny section of copper rod. All the copper parts are scratchbuilt, all the brass ones are PE and the MG body (the only plastic part) is from Tamiya.
Ciao

wow that .50 looks great, is there any difference between that one and modern .50? like the ones I ocassionally see on abrams MBT they seem to have three rods surronding the barrel, not sure but just asking

Bender

If I'm not mistaken the 3 rods surrounding the barrel are part of the "kit" for firing blanks...but there is a distinct chance I am WRONG! That's just what sticks in the back of my mind.

Jim

ahh that may be why you dont see them on all the .50s on the tanks, makes sence to me, are there any differences between the old and new .50s then?

Bender

The M2HB machine guns haven't changed much in the last 70 (yes 70!) years. The M2 on the Abrams is the same as the M2 on the Sherman, and every other US AFV. Many allied nations also use them too, and they are the same. The differences are in the cradles that hold them. A lot of kit manfacturers mold parts of the cradle into the gun in their kits, so you have to watch out for that.

The three rods and muzzle cap are indeed part of the Blank Firing Adapter for the M2. The do two things: first, it confines the recoil and gasses from the blank cartridge, so the mechanism of the gun functions to extract and reload the gun. Second, the Adapter also catches any tiny debris from flying out of the barrel to possibly injure someone.

Quite interesting, we always fired real ammo with the .50, I didn't know of a blank firing kit for it. You never stop learning...
Ciao

MAN! I ONLY SEE REXES!!! i want to see the art tooooo............

The blank firing kits become very common and neccessary after laser/MILES force-on-force engagement systems came into use. Now virtually every vehicle and weapon in the inventory will participate in a MILES exercise, so blank adapters and gun simulators exist for most weapons.

This is also the reason for the green velcro strip found on the turret and hull or body of many combat vehicles. The sensor harness for the lasers gets secured to this strip, which is glued to the vehicle more-or-less permanently.

Gosh, I'm getting old. I left the army something like 20 years ago...
Ciao

great info there, thanks arengca

Bender

The standard M2 hasn't changed in decades (except for the barrel). Most modern US vehicles still use the twin wood handles with butterfly triggers and wooden charging handle. Wood handle color varies from painted black to a dark brown stained color. In other words, the same Ma Deuce on an M4 Sherman is basically the same one on an M88A2 HERCULES.

The M2 on the Abrams tank differs from the standard M2 used in a flexible mount. Instead of the wooden charging handle, it has the M-10 charging handle. This is basically a cable pully that you can yank from the safety of the hatch in the protective cover opening. The wooden hand grips and sights are not present on the M1/M1A1/M1A2 .50 cal. The M-10 charging handle first made its appearance in the cupola of the M48 Patton tank. The M60 series tank used that lousy M85 .50 cal. How I hated that thing, but that's another story.

Anyway, an M1's M2 is virtually useless if placed in a flexible mount and a normal M2 will not fit into the Abrams' CWS mount (charging handle gets in the way, I've tried it).

About the rods, as explained, it is the blank firing device or BFA. The reason why you see it only mounted on a few M1s is because the design of the BFA makes the barrel of the .50 cal nose heavy. When maneuvering cross-country, the extra weight makes the nose of the weapon want to go up and down like a see-saw. That strips the brass gear that elevates and depresses the .50 cal. Once that gear is stripped, the .50 cal won't elevate or depress when you turn the elevation knob. Believe it or not, an inoperable .50 cal (or any machine gun) deadlines the tank. Smart TC's don't mount the BFA.