Introduction

Legend Productions has dipped their toes and now jumped in the deep end when it comes to 1/35th scale small arms weapons systems. These small arms offerings are 3D scanned and then cast in resin in order to provide highly accurate representations for the modeller to satisfy their need for accurate and well detailed elements on their models or with their figures. The item I am looking at here from Legend Productions is the M3 Dragon .50 Cal HMG on Universal HG Pedestal Mount with Transparent Gun Shield.

Review

This offering from Legend Productions and titled ‘M3 Dragon .50 Cal HMG on Universal HG Pedestal Mount with Transparent Gun Shield’; that is a long title. This offering from Legend Productions is packaged in one of the end opening card boxes; in my case this is further protected by a stiff plastic that is shrink wrapped on the box making it stiff and improving its strength overall. Inside is a single sheet of glossy paper that covers the contents and construction of the elements of this model. There are two separate Ziploc bag containing the clear parts in one and the rest of the resin in another. An examination of the parts did not reveal any major issues with the mouldings, but I did find a small air bubble trapped in one of the clear windows, This is very small but if it does concern you Legend Productions has always been very good about replacing damaged parts as they rate customer satisfaction highly.

I am going to tackle this release in three portions starting with the M3D Dragon .50 Cal. It is my understanding that the M3D dragon .50 Cal has not been accepted into service as yet; There was quite a good number of comments on this in a previous review. It is my understanding that this is a Central Wisconsin Armoury product that has a higher rate of fire and lower weight than the version currently in use and can also be fed from either side. Having examined this aspect of the set previously I do know that Legend Productions has done a good job or replicating the weapon itself in all respects.

The sighting device is an aspect I have spent many a day looking for without success, but it is a sight replicated by more than one model manufacturer and so I am reluctant to say it is wrong or inaccurate. The barrel really needs the muzzle to be drilled and it would have been nice if Legend Productions had provided a recess to make this task easier. The ammunition box is well replicated on this release and has also been provided with two short lengths of ammunition which are shaped to avoid the need to alter them when fed into the gun. In addition to this a small number of individual rounds have been provided, if you cut the tips off you have spent rounds.

The pedestal mount has everything you could ask for as regards detail. The device for locking the height that the weapon fires at has been very well replicated. The floor mounting plate has six support veins and while I only managed to find one with four. The adjuster for altering the height of the stand is well replicated; I would have liked the ability to choose the height myself rather than it being set.

The element that brings everything to go together is the cradle and this is a common mount used with a number of supports. The detail present is excellent and should meet the expectations of everyone. I have to say here that there is no such thing as bullet proof glass only ballistic resistant glass. The ballistic glass guard is a great item in use as it enables you to shoot at a target visually while protecting you from counter fire. This particular shield had me searching for ages and even then I only came up with similar offerings and so again my searches let me down; I have included the images I found for you to assess. The bracket supporting the shield and attaching it to the cradle is in two parts and so will require a high level of care when putting it all together.

Conclusion

Looking at this offering from Legend Productions I am impressed with the product as regards detail and finesse of the parts. The mount looks a good meaty offering for the mounting of various weapon systems. I like the effort put into the adjuster for setting the height that the weapon fires at. I do question the use of a .50 Cal that as far as I can ascertain is not currently in use and may never be due to spending controls. As a package this does look very nice and will provide the modeller with a nice set up.