Whilst the impact of the machine gun on the First World War is undeniable, in the following years designers looked to improve on the weapon, in particular to make it easier to move around, and more flexible in use. The Germans looked to several engineering firms to design an Einheitsmaschinengewehr, or universal machine gun, which could fulfil the roles of the heavy, light, static pillbox and anti-aircraft weapon with little or no alteration. What they came up with was the MG 34, and later the MG 42, both remarkable weapons which installed a justifiable dread in all those who found themselves facing them. Yet older models were also deployed, particularly as Germany found it could not produce enough new weapons to meet growing demand, giving their infantry such firepower as could not have been imagined a generation earlier.

Each sprue in this set contains three machine guns with a two-man crew, so we will consider each in turn. The first two figures pictured above are using the famous MG 42. While it is not easy to see, one man is firing the weapon while the other has the barrel resting on his shoulder, gripping the bipod in his hands and holding his head as far away as possible. Well he might, because he would have been deafened and shaken whenever it fired, so this was not a great way to use such a weapon. The gun should have been used with a bipod or tripod, not like this, and while it is true that this procedure appeared in the instructions for the gun, it was only for emergencies, and was probably seldom done. Nevertheless, this is a favourite grouping of several figure manufacturers over the years, so rare though it was, this is the latest in a long line of such figures. The gun itself has been nicely done, making it easy to identify, and has been given a saddle magazine rather than a belt for ammunition. The men’s clothing is not clear, but looks like camouflage smocks and over-trousers, with a cover on one of the helmets. Both have typical combat kit, including bread bag, gasmask container, cook pot and rolled tent quarter. The gunner also has a pistol as a sidearm, while his unfortunate comrade has a slung submachine gun.

The second pair of figures in the top row are operating the gun seen at the end, which is an MG 08 of World War I vintage. The classic Great War profile is here altered by the replacement of the old pistol trigger with a squeeze trigger, and set on a tripod rather than the old sled mount. While newer models were much better weapons, the MG 08 remained in service through to the end of World War II, so its inclusion here is reasonable. Here too the weapon is nicely sculpted, but it is virtually impossible to attach properly to the tripod. There is no hole in the tripod to accept the long peg under the gun, and instead there is a slot which does nothing to hold the barrel. Some fiddley work will be required to join these two parts together, although in other respects the tripod is nicely done. The gunner sits on a pile of boxes and material, and holds the trigger by just one hand (the other rests on his knee), and his number two is lying on the ground and holding the leg of the tripod to steady it. As a result, the gun is not actually being fired here, particularly as there is no ammunition being fed into it. Both crew have much the same uniform and kit as the first pair, although both also have an entrenching tool that the first pair lack.

The third and final machine gun and crew are to be seen at the start of our second row. This time the machine gun is like nothing known to mankind, having a barrel that is like a flat tongue and some extra bits extending below. Examination of the 1/32 scale version of this set reveals that this gun was sculpted as a ZB-53, a Czech weapon which was used by the Germans after they invaded, and was given the designation MG 37(t). However, as we say, something went badly wrong during the downsizing to 1/72 scale, and the bits underneath the barrel are supposed to be part of the heavy tripod, but are malformed like the barrel. This leaves the weapon looking rather silly, and quite impossible to mount on the tripod, which is properly done. The gunner is firing the weapon while prone, and his assistant is kneeling beside him feeding the ammunition belt. Like the other crewmen, the clothing is indistinct but suggests winter camouflage, and the kit levels are much the same too.

The last two figures are more generic ones doubtless observing the results of the firing, or looking for a target. Standing up whilst doing this is not a great survival strategy, but perhaps they are behind cover of some sort. The first man is looking through a rangefinder, which seems like overkill for a humble machine gun, but perhaps it did happen. In any event, the pose is useful for other scenarios too, so not a waste. The second man, wearing the officers peaked cap, is peering through binoculars, which seems much more likely when directing machine gun fire, though normally such an observer would not be of such a high rank as this man. Nevertheless, again a useful pose, as an officer using binoculars has many uses. The first man again has winter clothing including a hooded smock, while the second has standard officer garb, and both are armed with submachine guns. Kit too is the usual array, although the officer also has a grenade tucked into his belt, which is not a feature usually found on such figures.

The sculpting is superb – on the 1/32 scale version – but here it is not so good, with some aspects hard to make out. There is a good deal of flash in many places, and yet in other places, such as some of the guns and the ammunition belt being held by the second man in the second row, there are gaps where plastic should be. Clearly the original sculpts were much better than this, but much has been lost in making the mould, so the result is not something to gladden the heart, and will at least take a fair amount of trimming to make presentable. Only the standing figures have bases, though the rest do still remain upright, and also match the position of their weapons well. The impossibility of attaching gun with stand in two cases remains the most serious defect here however.

In a world full of models of MG 34s and MG 42s, this set promised something rather different, yet still authentic for the Second World War. The intent was good, but the reality, at least in 1/72 scale, fell well short of acceptable quality standards, which is a great pity, but does make the main elements of this set very hard to use. The figures can be used with weapons from elsewhere, and the MG 42 is fair, but the other guns are largely beyond rescue, making this a well-planned project that failed to deliver a good quality result.