1944 Browning !

1944 Browning 1.1 scale !
While checking out my photo album, for my next thread on a model build up.....I thought you might like to see these ‘models’.
I was chatting with one of my pals who is in the NE Military Vehicle club, and he told me about the new law regarding owning decommissioned weapons. Apparently, they are essentially banned. The current members can continue owning their decommissioned Enfields, Thompsons, Mausers, etc., but they can’t sell them on, or swap between members - and once they die, the weapons must be destroyed. The only guns allowed are fakes, with absolutely no working mechanism. At the time, just over a year ago, my pal was negotiating to buy a 0.50 calibre 1944 Browning M2HB machine gun to mount on his ‘44 Willys Jeep - but the new ruling stopped that. At this point, I said I’ll make you one, it’s just model making, but to 1.1 scale.....so it started.
After checking out all the dimensions, original photos, and making up full size drawings, I proceeded with my promise.....and I’d make one for myself too.
Here are some of the photos of this process......

And four weeks later, I had finished, bish-bash-bosh, that’s how I work.
With only timber, pvc plumbing pipes, Diebond composite sheet, a bit car filler, and various bits and bobs from my garage, I had a pair of passable Browning machine guns. Passable if mounted on a turret of a passing Sherman tank in the background of a movie, but not good enough to pass muster for a Military vehicle collector, or reenactment group.
To the keen eye, the errors are there to see. The rivets are all there in the right places. Dimensions are spot on. They have sliding and returning priming action....even has an opening breech......but they say quality Is in the detail, and working with rudimentary materials that’s not going to happen - but it was a fun month trying.

Wowza Ron, they look absolutley brilliant mate. They may not fool an expert but they look totally convincing to my eyes. Well done.

I have a friend that lives in Seghill, Northumberland who has a top notch restored WWII Willis Jeep with a Broning mounted on it.

Don't suppose your pal and he could be the same??

Hi Ron,

I have to say that these would certainly past muster with me, they are beautiful...    

Excellent work Sir...

Andy...

Sure looks like a nice project.

Thanks for the replies.

Sorry, not the same chap Al, but he probably knows Tony Marshall - he lives in Darlington, who I’ve know for years....he was my best man at my wedding 50 years ago.

I started the build knowing it was unlikely to turn out as well as it did, but knowing my pal Tony, it was going to be a big hill to climb to get right. These chaps who restore WW2 era vehicles are sticklers for things being correct. Tony and I were extras on the film ‘Yanks’, way back in 1979, and even then the uniforms had to be spot on. I was rebuffed for wearing Vietnam era boots, and my metal frame glasses were too modern to wear, so I had to do scenes without them - blind as a bat !
I still have these two ‘guns’ in my loft, because they didn’t quite match the exacting characteristics of the weapons - the real barrels taper, the iconic double handle grips are chunkier, but could be replaced by someone who has a lathe, and I used the later barrel handle when it should be a wire affair - but I have offered them to anybody who wants them, if only to use for a base for alteration.
Mind you, to others - if I carried them out into the street, I’d soon find myself surrounded by Armed Response Police.

Hi Ron,

Well bugger them, they don't deserve all your hard work, for all they know, these could have been prototypes, something that does actually happen, not all are recalled back to the factories, especially if it is working well...

Andy...

It really doesn’t bother me Andy - it was only a ‘tongue in cheek’ remark to my pal that I’d build him one, and I never thought it would go beyond a few basic sketches.
I really enjoyed the challenge, and surprised myself at what can be achieved with the junk I have in my garage. I’m well and truly retired, so I didn’t have much else to do with my time - it was either that or decorating.....no contest !

I'm late to the party, but they look great!

Thanks a lot - surprisingly fun to build, and a change from plastic.