Armory 1/72 M45 'Meat Chopper' Kit First Look

By Anatoly Sushon

First Look

During World War 2, the US Army required a mobile air defense system that could bring firepower to bear upon low-flying threats. The Maxson Corporation produced the M45 quad-mounted gun system which mounted four Browning M2 heavy barrel machine guns which had a combined rate of fire of around 2300 rounds per minute. The machine guns were mounted on either side of a turret which was electrically-powered for azimuth and elevation. An operator sat inside the turret and was able to control the system with a control stick and gunsight. The turret itself was mounted on a trailer platform which could be towed behind a Jeep or truck, and was serviced by several additional soldiers who replaced expended ammo cartridges. The M45 was also mounted into the cargo bed of an M3 halftrack and that combination became the M16 GMC. The system was so versatile that it remained in service through the Vietnam war, about 30 years.

Here's a nice kit for the 1/72 armor modeler - the M45 quad gun system. Molded in styrene, the kit is presented on two trees of gray parts and one fret of photo-etched parts. As you can imagine, this isn't a large system since the turret only houses one person, so when assembled, this is going to be a tiny model. Given that some of the key parts of this kit are photo-etched, you'll need to have experience not only with cyano adhesives, but in their use in confined areas.

If you're looking for something unique to add to your scale motor pool, this would look great hitched up to a Jeep!

My sincere thanks to Armory for this review sample!