This is a rather large 1:5 or 1:6 scale kit, from 4D Models of China, of the General Electric M134 MINIGUN 7.62×51mm NATO six-barrel rotary machine gun with a high rate of fire (about 2000 rounds per minute). It was designed in 1960 and entered service in 1963. Various versions remain in service around the world to this day. This gun has a range of about 1000 m, and a muzzle velocity of 869 m/s. It is called a minigun because it is MINI in comparison to the larger Vulcan guns from which it is derived; and it is a GUN in that it uses standard ammunition. The updated and the rebuilt versions are made by Dillion Aero Inc. of Arizona USA.
This is my entry in the April 2021 long weekend IPMS Ottawa Blitz Build. It started on Friday 02 April in the early morning, and was completed on Saturday by 13:50. Most of that time was spent in the drying box curing the gloss back primary coat. Overall the finished models is about 17 cm long.
The fit is only so-so, but there is a fair amount of detail. On the poor side is the ammunition belt. It is moulded from horrific ultra-soft plastic which does not have detail and does not want to hold paint. Sadly, the electrical cord is missing, as all of these guns are driven by an electric motor. The gun itself weighs up to 40 kg, but can be pared down to about 20 kg. There is no such thing as a man-portable version of this gun. That is a movie fantasy only. Where would you carry the battery pack, never mind thousands of rounds of ammunition?
Paint is a base of Tamiya gloss back, and an overcoat of Vallejo matted metallizer jet exhaust to bring up a more metallic look. Then it was shot again with diluted Vallejo matte. I used a chain to hang it from a model aircraft stand salvaged from the sprue box. The unbuilt kit itself is tiny and fit in an envelop. It came from AliExpress for about $3 shipping included.
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| General Electric M134 MINIGUN |
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Start of the IPMS Ottawa April Blitz Build -
nothing but a bag of parts and the plans for the
G.E. M134 Minigun |
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Base cpat of gloss black applied to all parts in the second build stage,
IPMS Ottawa April Blitz Build - G.E. M134 Minigun |
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First major sub-assembly completed in the
IPMS Ottawa April Blitz Build - G.E. M134 Minigun |
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All major sub-assemblies completed in the
IPMS Ottawa April Blitz Build - G.E. M134 Minigun |
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COMPLETED the model for the
IPMS Ottawa April Blitz Build - G.E. M134 Minigun |
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COMPLETED the model for the
IPMS Ottawa April Blitz Build - G.E. M134 Minigun |
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| General Electric M134 MINIGUN |
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| General Electric M134 MINIGUN |
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| General Electric M134 MINIGUN |
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| General Electric M134 MINIGUN |
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| General Electric M134 MINIGUN |
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| General Electric M134 MINIGUN |
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| General Electric M134 MINIGUN |
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| General Electric M134 MINIGUN |
