Zvezda 1/35 Soviet DSHK Machine Gun with Crew

Here is some background on the gun in this set from the pages of Wikipedia:

The requirement for a heavy machine gun appeared in 1929. The first such gun, the Degtyaryov, Krupnokalibernyi (DK, Degtyaryov, Large calibre), was built in 1930 and this gun was produced in small quantities from 1933 to 1935.

The 12.7mm gun was fed from a drum magazine of only thirty rounds, and had a poor rate of fire. Shpagin developed a belt feed mechanism to fit to the DK giving rise, in 1938, to the adoption of the gun as the DShK 1938. This became the standard Soviet heavy machine gun in World War II.

The DShK 1938 was used in several roles. As an anti-aircraft weapon it was mounted on pintle and tripod mounts, and on a triple mount on the GAZ-AA truck. Late in the war, it was mounted on the cupolas of IS-2 tanks and ISU-152 self-propelled guns. As an infantry heavy support weapon it used a two-wheeled trolley, similar to that developed by Sokolov for the 1910 Maxim gun. It was also mounted in vehicle turrets, for example, in the T-40 light amphibious tank.

In 1946, the DShK 1938/46 or DShKM (M for modernised) version was introduced.

In addition to the Soviet Union and Russia, the DShK has been manufactured under license by a number of countries, including the People's Republic of China, Pakistan and Romania. Today, it has largely been phased out in favour of the more modern NSV and Kord designs.

They were also used in 2004, against British troops in Al-Amarah, Iraq. One Lynx helicopter was shot down in 1990 during The Troubles by two DShK deployed by the PIRA

In addition to the gun, there are four figures. One firing, two others helping with the loading and positioning of the gun while another, with binoculars, is the spotter.

As with all Zvezda figure kits, the molding is quite good and the instructions provide both assembly and painting information. It will make for a rather dramatic diorama on its own or placed in with other figures or equipment.