1:16 Cal 50 ammo boxes

Ammunition boxes for a heavy machine gun, 1:16

The set captures the sheet-metal containers in which the ammunition belts for the American .50 caliber heavy machine gun were carried. Casting in polyurethane resin of the finest quality has produced parts intended for large models at 120 mm. The ribbing, the hinged lid and the handle are all visible on the boxes, that is features that get lost in smaller scales.

What was stored in the boxes

The 12.7 mm machine gun is still in American service and since the Second World War it has served on armored vehicles, trucks and aircraft. Rounds were fed into it by a metal disintegrating link belt stored in exactly such a box, which the gunner hung beside the weapon. Empty containers then rolled about on truck beds and were used for anything from tools to personal belongings.

Painting and placing

The base is an olive shade of American equipment, over which wear on the edges in a silvery tone and rusty maps on the bottom work well. Markings can be suggested with thin light lettering, but only as a hint, so that they do not look like a decal from an office printer. Arrange the boxes asymmetrically, open as well as closed, because only that brings them to life.

Where it fits

• on large models of American vehicles with a machine gun on the turret
• in a firing position or on a storage pile in a diorama
• as a small load on a bed or a fender
• for collectors who build weapon positions at 120 mm

Neither the machine gun nor the belts are included; these are the containers alone.