| MK
37 Director, Late
With MK 4 Radar
35021038 Swordfish Models, 1/350 Scale, Printed Resin Reviewed by Devin Poore, January 2024
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| PARTS | ||||
| The MK 37 directors were the default 5" gun
mount director on WWII US Navy warships. They could be used in optical
mode, and this later version of the director was equipped with a MK 4 radar
set. This radar set paired with the MK 37 allowed for both radar and optical
control of 5" gun batteries, searchlights, and in some instances they were
even coupled with the smaller 40mm gun mounts as a secondary duty.
3D printed accessories have exploded in popularity and availability over the past year or two, with many companies adding to the incredible selection of detailed items. Some of the offerings are very well done, some... not so much so. These Mk 37 directors from Swordfish are definitely in the former camp. Well-packed in a plastic blister pack to avoid damage, these have extremely fine printed detail, items such as hand rails and radar supports are rendered at only .010", or .3mm, in diameter. Detail of this level wasn't possible in recent years; such finesse speaks volumes to the advances in printing technology in the recent past. With such fine detail, the parts are printed as one-piece. Printing supports are fine enough and well placed so that removal should not be an issue. I took a few test clips off of the base, which showed that the resin is not overly brittle: no running cracks or splintering developed. Use a good pair of sprue cutters/nippers, and the parts should come away with little issue. The most impressive part of the set are the MK 4 radar screens. This is the first set I've seen where the resulting 3D printed mesh is fine enough to pass muster to my eyes. I still think that photoetched brass produces superior mesh, but the screens here are getting very close to photoetch results, without the need to deal with... you know... photoetch.
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| CONCLUSIONS | ||||
| These are exquisitely designed, very nicely rendered, and cleanly printed.
These are amazing drop-in pieces that do away with the need for the old
method of resin/styrene components detailed with etched brass in multiple
components.
Highly Recommended. Thank you to Swordfish Models for the review sample. |
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