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1/350 US Navy MK 44 1.1 Gun Director
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by Martin J Quinn |
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| Swordfish Naval Models Accessories has sent us some additional products to review. Among these is 35021046, 1/350 MK 44 1.1 Gun Directors (x4). This director was used in conjunction with the 1.1"/75 caliber anti-aircraft gun, which was the primary US Navy AA gun at the start of the US involvement in World War II. According to NavWeaps: "...the Mark 44 Director, which was the USN's first off-mount director for automatic anti-aircraft weapons. This was a simple "dummy gun" type director and was manually trained and elevated. The Mark 44 contained optics and a spotting glass, but did not have any lead angle computing elements such as were found in later directors for automatic weapons such as the Mark 51. The Mark 44 simply removed the operator away from the noise and smoke of the weapon, providing a clearer line of sight to the target. However, the Mark 44 did provide a basis for further development for the remote control of automatic weapons and influenced the design of the later and much more successful Mark 51 and other small AA directors." | |||||||||
Click to enlarge images |
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| THE PARTS | |||||||||
| As is the norm, the parts arrive in
a plastic clamshell container. Inside is one print raft, with four MK 44
gun directors. The directors are all printed in one piece.
There details look very nice, with seat and tiny hand wheels. The parts compare favorably with photos of the director online. |
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There are no instructions. If you go to the
product page on the Swordfish website, you'll find general instructions
on how to remove the parts from the print raft.
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| CONCLUSIONS | |||||||||
| Swordfish Models continues to release new 3D printed
accessory sets, including these US Navy 1.1 gun directors. As with the
other sets I've seen, these are a solid entry into the exploding 3D printed
accessory range, with good details. A plus is the fact that there are four
of these included in the set, making these a nice bargain. They are a huge
improvement over the Mk 44 directors included with the Very Fire Atlanta,
and better than those available from Veteran Models. Recommended.
This is Swordfish Naval Models Accessories' item 35021046, 1/350 MK 44 1.1 Gun Directors (x4). They retail for approximately $7.75 USD, and are available from the Swordfish Naval Models Accessories website. Thanks to Swordfish Naval Models Accessories for the review sample. |
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