Introduction:

The Heckler & Koch HK416 is an assault rifle/carbine developed by Heckler & Koch for US Special Operations Forces as a major product improvement of M4/M16-type carbines and rifles. Using the HK-proprietary gas piston system found on the G36, the HK416 does not introduce propellant gases and carbon fouling back into the weapon’s interior, making it the most reliable of any M4/M16 type weapon.

The HK416 is in widespread use within different detatchments of US Special Forces, as well as many other elite units around the globe. The weapon was used in Operation Neptune Spear in 2011, where it earned its fame as the "gun that killed Osama bin Laden".

Review:

Heckler & Koch HK416 modular assault rifle, long and short barrel with/without Redi-Mag, Suppressor (LRE35129) is packed in a zip-lock bag safely secured between firm cardboard. The CAD box art on the front shows all the pieces supplied in this kit, while the one on the back displays Redimag assembly procedure and lists Live Resin offerings which could be combined with HK416 weapon sets: US Army scope sets (LRE-35007, LRE-35008 and LRE-35028), Insight's Technology AN/PEQ-2, AN/PEQ-15 (LRE-35010), Forward grip set (LRE-35011) and Harris bipod set/Surefire tactical Weapon Lights set (LRE-35012).

The kit consists of 16 parts: 6 HK416s and 10 ammunition magazines. The grey resin looks really good and the cast is absolutely wonderful; there are no air-bubbles, no seam lines… even the tiniest and most delicate details are perfectly rendered. Although casting blocks are pretty big, all the carrier stubs are thin and cleaning the pieces should present no problem. Some extra care is needed however not to break the delicate weapon barrels.

Live Resin offers number of slightly different HK416 variants in 1/35 scale. This particular kit consists of HK416 with two types of weapon differing only in the barrel length. All weapons in this set are fitted with an integral Picatinny-type accessory rail on the upper receiver and accessory rail forearm, Advanced Armament Corp M4-2000 silencer and E1 retractable rear stock. As with all Live Resin weapon sets, the level of details on these HK416s is absolutely amazing… digitally sculpted and developed using 5-micron resolution 3D printing technology, these weapons are a work of art. One thing to note though; the weapons in this set are depicted in their basic configuration and should be upgraded with various accessories available separately from Live Resin… addition of different magnifying scopes, forward grips, laser designators and bipods will make these weapons come to life. The best thing about adding extra accessories on the basic weapon setup is that it enables modelers to build almost any kind of HK416 system possible.

The weapons in this set are cast without their ammo magazines. A resin block carrying 10 magazines is included in the set and those can be fitted into a tiny opening in the HK416 lower receiver assembly. The selection of magazines includes: standard 30-round magazine (3x), Magpul PMAG 30-round magazine (3x), standard 30-round magazine in Redi-mag platform (3x) and Surefire 60-round magazine (1x). The Redi-mag can be fitted to the HK416 attachment point, as designated on the box art.

Conclusion:

The Heckler & Koch HK416 modular assault rifle, long and short barrel with/without Redi-Mag, Suppressor (LRE35129) features the weapon used by US Special Forces as well as many other Special Forces detachments around the globe. The kit includes 6 HK416 rifles in two slightly different setups and 10 separately cast ammo magazines. The resin cast is perfect and features incredibly well defined details. With the addition of optical sights, AN/PEQs, forward grips and bipods which are all available separately from Live Resin, these HK416s can be built into real 1/35 scale masterpieces.

References:

HK website

World Guns