IJN 12.7cm Barrels
(without blastbags)
Reviewed August 2016
by Dan Kaplan
Reviewed August 2016
by Dan Kaplan
| Background | |
| The standard main battery for Imperial Japanese Navy destroyers leading up to and during the Second World War was the Type 3 12.7cm/50 cal gun. It was typically mounted in an enclosed twin barreled turret. Some were mounted in single mount turrets. This was essentially a low angle weapon used most effectively against surface targets, and not to be confused with the dual purposed Type 89 12.7cm/40 cal gun. | |
| MAIN GUN BARRLES | |
| These CNC machined brass barrels are more realistic in appearance than their plastic injected counterparts. Eight brass barrels come supplied in a small cellophane and plastic package. All the barrels are tapered, with a center drilled opening at the front, and mounting pin at the rear. The barrel should be glued into a corresponding hole in the plastic facing of the turret’s gun port. The hole will need to be drilled out. CA glue is recommended. These barrels come as advertised without blast bags and, as a result, are longer then might be expected. |  |
 |
|
| INSTRUCTIONS | |
| It consists of a simple sheet with illustrations. There is no instruction aside from using a 0.5mm drill bit. |  |
| Final Thoughts | |
 To
be honest, this offering threw me a bit. Master Model actually makes two
versions of this barrel, one meant for use with blast bags, and this version
for use without blast bags. A Japanese destroyer without blast bags would
be an unusual circumstance, as destroyers of the IJN typically wore blast
bags on their main guns all the time.
There are a handful of photos that show some of the Fubuki types on their builder’s trials (Ayanami and Shikanami), but that circumstance was brief. Another photo of Isokaze (Kagero class) in early 1943 shows the barrels of her #1 mount without blast bags, but this photo was taken after incurring considerable bomb damage and the bags were removed for replacement. So, I would recommend this particular version of the barrel for very specific fits or dioramas, not general appearance. That said, a hole can be drilled down through a kit’s plastic blast bag to fit this barrel if need be. I’ve done it in 1/700, so I’m confident it can be done in 1/350. This is set # SM-350-083, which typically retails for well under $8.00 US. Check the list of stores that sell the line on the Master Model website. |
|
