USN 5/25 Cal Single AA Gun
Mount Mark 19

SO 700185

Shelf Oddity, 1/700 Scale, Printed Resin

Reviewed by Devin Poore, March 2022

First appearing in the mid-1920s, the 5"/25 was the first purpose-designed, heavy caliber anti-aircraft weapon. It was only after gunnery officers decided to give them a try in surface warfare tests to impressive results that the weapon was considered and truly utilized as a dual-purpose mount.

The 5"/25 appeared mainly on capital ships such as carriers and battleships, but a few heavy cruisers did mount the weapon as well. The gun was considered for the main armament on new destroyer classes in the 1930s, but the Navy went with the then new 5"/38 mounts that would be produced in scores. After the start of the war as ships were repaired and upgraded, the 5"/25 mounts were often replaced with the newer 5"/38 mounts, but many of the older battleships carried the older weapons until war's end.

This version of the 5"/25 from Shelf Oddity is differentiated from other offerings by the Mark 19 mount. From the NavWeaps website: "The Mark 19 was the first ship-borne mounting and added a loader's platform, raised the trunnion height to 66 inches (168 cm) and used the Mark 10 Mod 2 and Mod 3 guns which added a loading tray and pneumatic ramming."

The set comes with parts to make four complete mounts. The main components are 3D printed resin, two parts per mount, made up of the base of the mount, and the breech/block assembly. The pieces are attached to the printing block by minimal supports and should remove easily. Detail is excellent for the scale, with cleanly depicted treads on the base of the mount, and rounds in the fuse setting mechanism. The rest of the components are supplied as brass. The gun barrels are turned brass, hollowed, with a machined relief that fits into a hole in the breech mechanism. A tiny brass PE fret is included, which contains the two railings for the gun platform, as well as a piece that slides over the gun barrel, which depicts the sights and other details.

Instructions aren't included with the sets, as they'd have to be sized for a fortune cookie to fit inside the plastic tube, but they can be downloaded from the Shelf Oddity website HERE.

The prints are high quality and the brass barrels are very nicely done. The only issue I initially had was that in my photos the PE sheet looks a bit soft in detail, but when viewed with the naked eye, they more than look the part. These parts are tiny, so care must be used during assembly, but the results should result in highly detailed, drop-in items for 1/700 scale USN capital ships that mounted the 5"/25.

Thank you to Shelf Oddity for the review sample. You can buy this set, and their other accessories, directly from their website.

Highly Recommended.