Dragon has just broadened its range of 1/6 scale weapon kits with the release of a Maschinengewehr 42, better known as an MG42 machine gun. As the name suggests, this 7.92mm general-purpose machine gun entered German service in 1942. It was designed to supplant the older MG34, though in fact both weapons were manufactured till the war's end. Compared to the MG34, the MG42 reduced production time by 50% and cost by 24%. Perhaps the greatest strength of the MG42 was its rapid rate of fire at around 1,200 rounds per minute, which gave rise to its nickname Hitler saw or bonesaw by its users. More than 400,000 MG42 machine guns were produced and saw service in World War II. Such was its success that it served on until 1959, and its direct descendant, the MG3, is still in use with the modern Bundeswehr today !Dragon's 1/6 scale kit depicts a tripod-mounted version of the belt-fed MG42. The real gun-and-tripod combination weighed around 32kg and was 1.12m long, but modelers will find Dragon's miniature version is much more manageable in terms of size and weight! The Lafette tripod saw widespread use in World War II and coincided with the weapon's introduction in 1942. This mount provided a stable platform for sustained fire on the battlefield. With this kit, model-makers can assemble their very own plastic tripod. While the design is robust, the tripod is also versatile enough to fold away into its transport mode. This means collectors have the choice of displaying their miniature machine gun in either firing or transport configurations. The model's size means it would make a suitable desktop decoration. This is a famous German automatic weapon from World War II, and Dragon's model is an exacting miniature replica of the original.