Introduction

Legend Productions has got into 3D mastering in a big way and that has resulted in a large number of very nice resin products in the form of weapons and figures in two main scales. One of the latest releases from Legend Productions is an M2 Heavy Machine Gun on a Sag Mount in 1/35th scale. The Browning .50 cal has a long history with the US Military and it still appears to be the preferred heavy hitting machine gun on military vehicles in service with the US Military and a number of other countries.

Review

This offering from Legend Productions is packaged in the usual card end opening box favoured by Legend when the product is of a suitable size. This is protected by a stiff plastic that completely seals the box. Inside there is a single sheet of paper that has been printed on both sides as a guide to assembly of the product. The resin parts themselves are packed in a Ziploc plastic bag which ensures that all of the parts reach you even if they come off of the carriers.

The M2 Browning .50 cal has been cast as a single piece and finished with separate cocking handle and hand grips. The detail here seems accurate to me and the casting is of a very good standard. My only negatives here are the number of points that the MG is attached to the casting plug that will make clean up more difficult. The muzzle will also need to be lightly drilled to improve that aspect of the model. The M2 Browning has been further embellished with an infra red light source and a telescopic sight attached to a display screen.

The armoured shield has been well tackled with very good detail present. The bracket that secures the shield to the weapon mount has been designed in such a way that you will achieve a positive location for it. The mounting frame itself is quite complex and is surprisingly a single piece. The elevation connecting point is a weak area of the model, not in terms of the detail but the strength of the area will make it an easy area to break. The swivel point of the mount has been well tackled and allows the modeller to easily swivel the MG to the angle they prefer. The locking elements of the mount are all present and add a very nice level of detail that is often missed or simplified in injection moulded offerings. A final nice touch here is the elevating screw that enables the weapon to fire on a set horizontal setting.

The Ammunition box has been nicely done and while I thought the lid was missing I have noted it is folded down the face nearest to the MG. There are two short ammunition belts offered which look good but one part indicates that part of the mould is damaged and the rounds are stuck together at the casing end. Legend Productions has also offered 12 loose rounds with the offering for use as desired, one of these has been broken free of the pour plug and was not present in the bag: no great loss in my opinion. The skeleton frame that holds the ammunition box onto the weapon frame is another area that will need minor clean up.

Conclusion

I think this is a great little offering for modellers looking to lift the detail on many armoured vehicles. The detail is such that it should draw the eye of other modellers and will likely catch the eye of those who know no different. Assembly being guided by a photograph is a pain, but this example should be a fairly straight forward assembly. One area that is very nice is the sighting and lighting combination that I really like.