History of the "12.7".
Developed in 1921, with a practical range of 1,800 meters when mounted on a tripod (the maximum range being 7.4 kilometers), weighing—in infantry use—38 kg plus a 17-kg belt of cartridges and a 20-kg tripod, it remains in service today in militaries around the world…
While perfectly effective against German light tanks during World War II, it lacked the firepower needed for aerial combat, despite being mounted on virtually all American aircraft…
It is an improvement over the BROWNING M1917—designed to fire 12.7 x 99 mm ammunition.
It is air-cooled, belt-fed, and fires with the breech closed using the short-recoil principle. The barrel and breech remain integral during firing and both move backward. After a short stroke, the breech unlocks and continues its rearward movement while the barrel remains stationary. The breech opens, ejects the spent cartridge case, feeds the next round from the belt, and loads a new cartridge as it returns.
The rate of fire ranges from 450 to 550 rounds per minute. The WWII-era aircraft version had a rate of fire of 600 to 1,200 rounds per minute, whereas the twin M2s are synchronized and fire 300 rounds to sustain longer bursts.
All of this is theoretical, however. Continuous fire would destroy the barrel after a few thousand rounds. In actual ground operations, it can hardly fire more than 40 rounds per minute…
The 1-euro coin clearly illustrates the size of this highly destructive ammunition...
McFarlane has produced a 180-mm .50-caliber gun with a gunner—mounted on a tripod—and, although it’s more of a collectible toy than a figurine, it’s very well made and just needs a few minor improvements...
First, the warped base and the twisted tripod (made of soft resin!?) were remade. I used brass tubing and a metal criterium handle for the main part. The edge of the base was covered and filled with putty...
Testing the machine gun on its tripod—simply placed on it—which explains why it's tilted. A few fasteners were reattached...
Primer coat on the metal and painting the base and sockets...
The replica of the weapon is very accurate; only the sight has been drilled, and a manufacturer's plate has been added to the right side... The body of the weapon is painted Humbrol black and finished with graphite powder...
The figurine
The figurine
The machine gunner—after the primer coat—has been completely repainted...
The little scene was finished after a few hours of work...
