I have been working on a Spartan model and I have been struggling to work out whether it has a movable cupola/turret, specifically as regards to the MG mount.

From the (admittedly mostkly poor) photos I have found, it looks like the MG mount isn't on a pintle except for up/down - it looks like the elevation/depression mouting unit is fixed solidly to the side of the hatch unit. There is a bit of a line in the hatch it is mounted on the side of, but I can't work out and have found no pictures to indicate that the hatch is a proper cupola.

(Best photo I've found below.)



If isn't, it would suggest that the Spartan's MG is a fixed mount. (Granted, that would make it easier to model, but seems a bit odd.)

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Hi Alex,

Yes the cupola does traverse. Basically everything above the prominent line just below where the wiper arms are mounted rotates. Thats the hatch , vision blocks, GPMG mount and sight, everything. There is a small traverse gearbox inside on the left with a handwheel for the commander to move it. On the right is an elevation gearbox and handwheel for elevating/depressing the GPMG. It is surprisingly accurate once everything is adjusted and tightened. This set up is used on Spartans and Strikers with a pintle mount being used on Samsons and Sultans.

Ah, excellent, thank you! I had my suspicions when I looked at the MG mount, but I couldn't find any photos showing it rotated.

That makes is a fair bit easier to deal with than a pintle mount. And a little easier than the FV432's turrets, even, as the cupola is a little bit chunkier (both in terms of height off the deck and width); at my scale (144th), every little bit counts!

Much appreciated!