Introduction
Armtec made two 1/35 sets of
German M.G.'s. This review examines their
M.G. 34 (set 9) and
M.G. 42 (Set 10).
Armtec was a cottage industry manufacturer and distributor from Enfield, Connecticut, that debuted c. 1971. This review is a trek down the track of nostalgia as one of my vintage kit celebrations. Since Armtec sets are not uncommon to find and still useful, I present this as a 'public service announcement' or an educational review, to just fill in the gaps - all of those are my reason for eclectic model reviews.
I don't know how extensive Armtec's catalogue eventually became. (I can check my 1970's Squadron Signal Magazines/Catalogues.) Along with these machine guns I did acquire the following 1/35 Armtec items:
* Tow Chain
* German 81mm Mortar
* Bren gun and Boys anti-tank rifle.
Armtec German Machine Guns
German M.G.'s M.G. 34 [sic] and
German M.G.'s M.G. 42 [sic] were, respectively, Armtec's 2nd and 3rd injection-molded 1/35 accessories set. (They are also Set 9 and Set 10. Sometime in 1976 they were renumbered but whether from 2/3 to 9/10, or 9/10 to 2/3, I don't know.)
These machine guns were made during the epoch of battle for what would be the standard military scale - 1/30, 1/32 or 1/35. Armtec marked them as 1/35. They are noticeably bigger than a Tamiya 1/35 MG 42. The MG 34 was 1219mm in length, or 34.8mm in 1/35. This model is 39mm; if I calculated correctly, that is about 1/31. Bandai and Nichimo made 1/30 armor models and there were many 1/32 models.
German M.G.'s sets are 6 and 9 pieces:
MG 34MG 34
Bipod, folded
Bipod extended
Spare barrel
50-round Ammo drums x 2
Panzer mount bars x 2
Panzer mount pintle
MG 42MG 42
Ammo box, 250 rounds
Ammo belt
50-round Ammo drum
Bipod, folded
Bipod extended
Molding is fairly good. Some detail is soft. Detail is basic. The 50-round magazines lack ribbing. The ammo belt was a nice idea but it is awful.
Instructions
None.
Conclusion
These machine gun sets were popular "back in the day". They were better than some kit guns and also very versatile with the different mounts and ammo options.
But these machine guns are not up to today's standards. They are lacking detail and detail is soft. They also are oversized for 1/35. Still, they can be useful. Especially if you have some old Nichimo and Bandai kits that need building!
Thanks to MoJo
at Scalemates for permission to use the images of the packaged kits!
Armtec...
...was founded by Mr. Ray Pape, offering modelers unique and superior accessories and weapons better than what were included in kits, as well as kitting full kits of subjects not offered by mainstream model companies.
The first sets were 1/76 - then the predominate braille scale for armor. Armtec expanded into 1/35 and 1/48, and a few 1/72 aircraft products. They also kitted both cast metal kits and vac-formed kits (conversions and full kits); Crest Reproductions manufactured "exclusively for Armtec" those metal artillery and vehicle kits.
Mr. Pape is also the founder of Craftec Hobbies, a hobby shop now located in East Windsor, Connecticut.
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