Lion Roar

WWII US Navy Single 5" Mount II with Blast Hood For most 1/700 US Navy DD, DE and some escort vessels.

Stock Number: LE700086 1

Reviewed By  Luke R. Bucci, IPMS# 33549

MSRP: $15.00 Thanks to Dragon Models USA for supplying the kit. Web Site: www.dragonmodelsusa.com Bottom Line: Accurately detailed, best barrels, but turrets look a little small. PHOTOETCH SET REVIEW: This multimedia set includes six highly detailed and accurate double-knuckle 5in single turrets used mostly on US Navy destroyers, destroyer escorts and some auxiliaries in World War 2. The set comes packaged with black foam to protect the pieces. You get an instruction sheet, six white resin turrets, six brass gun barrels, a brass photoetch fret with six two-part bases, and another brass photoetch fret with six ladders and turret hatches. The pieces are beautifully cast and highly detailed. The instructions show how to assemble a turret, but offer no help for where they go on ships or what ships they go on (although this should be obvious to anyone who needs these). These turrets are a large improvement over the standard kit pieces of single 5in38 turrets found in 1/700 scale US Navy warship kits (Skywave, Tamiya, Trumpeter). The brass barrels are close to true scale size, avoiding the clunky look of oversized plastic barrels. Plus, the barrels are bored out, almost impossible to do convincingly with plastic pieces. No other aftermarket US Navy 5in single turrets have this feature.

There are only three caveats with this set. First, the turrets are smaller than other aftermarket offerings. I have not checked the official dimensions of these turrets yet, and knowing that Lion Roar pays attention to details, it may be accurate. But they will look smallish on all the available US DD and DE kits, especially next to kits with other brands of turrets. I think this is more accurate, and the models look more like photographs of the real ships. Second, Lion Roar does not tell you that these are the double-knuckle 5in turrets, used on deck-mounted turrets (other turrets on deck structures had single-knuckles, which Lion Roar has as USN 5in Single 5" Mounts I, LE700085). So technically, you should only use these for the lowest turrets on Fletcher-class destroyers, for example. They also do not tell you that for early war turrets, you need to sand off the cupola on the turret top, and replace it with the hatch provided in fret 2. They just show a picture in the instructions on how to do that. Thus, this set is designed for the serious modeler who checks references. I am not going to address the dreaded off-center gun barrel issue for USN single 5in turrets here - Lion Roar turrets look right down the middle to me. The Competition Third caveat: value. There are several companies producing aftermarket resin and metal single 5in38 USN turrets. PaperLab has 10 superb metal double-knuckle turrets with bases for $10 per set, Niko Models has five resin turrets per kit for $8.00 (look like single-knuckle), and there are the plastic weapon sets (which are much less detailed and oversized and have no knuckles). Voyager Models makes a set of five single and double knuckle 5in resin turrets and blast bags with brass barrels for $10-16. For images of the PaperLab turrets on a Skywave Fletcher-class model, see the IPMSUSA recent review on Lion Roar Railings II and Figure 10. Based on SRP, Lion Roar turrets are about $2.50 each, Voyager Models are $2.00-2.50, Niko Models are $1.60 each, and PaperLab turrets are $1.00 each. For value, PaperLabs wins hands down in my opinion, especially if you have a squadron of US Navy destroyers to outfit. However, Lion Roar barrels look better and more accurate than the other brands. If you want the best, go with Lion Roar. The Build In order to do these turrets justice, they need to be put on a finished model. Since I glued the PaperLab turrets on my only 1/700 Fletcher-class model, I needed a new build. Rather than do that, being an older modeler, I had five models of the horrid 1/670 scale Hawk late-war, Kamikaze AA fit Fletcher-class built about 20 years ago just sitting there begging to be updated. At least I had the presence of mind to replace the ugly kit weapons with other ugly weapons scrounged from battleship kits, but these models were full hull. I cut the bottom off one model, but it sat lower than the Skywave Fletcher. I chose this model to refurbish using the Lion Roar 5in turrets. OK, I know that three of the turrets should be single-knuckle, but I need to review these double-knuckle Lion Roar turrets, and almost nobody can see the difference anyway. So I set out to re-do this old kit that I had sanded off all the remaining detail (a good thing so I can put it back right). I will not get into rebuilding this kit, but the expression a silk purse from a sow's ear comes to mind. The Lion Roar 5in turrets look small on this model, especially on this slightly oversized kit (even though I cut off some of the stern). Do not hold that against Lion Roar - the turrets look more accurately sized than other kits. On this refurbished Hawk Fletcher, outfitted as the late-war Dortch DD670, these turrets look wonderful. I am pleased with the overall appearance of the turrets, and they should be fine for any WW2 USN destroyer kit. During assembly, you will have to thin the pegs under the turrets and remove the triangular connector piece so the turrets would fit flush with their rings, and sometimes re-drill (with a pin vise and #80 drill bit) the hole to attach the brass barrels to the turret.

Summary You can only finish one destroyer (or three DEs of the appropriate class) with one Lion Roar LE700086 set. Lion Roar's value is less than PaperLabs for comparable quality, and the quality is better than Niko Models set or plastic pieces. The Lion Roar barrels are the best around in 1/700 scale for 5in38 guns. That makes this set the ultimate 5in38 turrets on the market today. If you only have one model, this is the set for you. If you have a fleet, you may want to consider other options if you have limited financial resources. Recommended for advanced modelers that want to super detail US Navy warships with an ultimate double-knuckle single 5in 38 turret. References: Abbey L. Fetcher Class Destroyers. Shipcraft 8. Classic Warships Publishing, Tucson, AZ, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84415-697-6 Harmon JS. U.S.S. Cassin Young (DD-793). A Fletcher Class Destroyer. Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Missoula, MT, 1985. ISBN 0-933126-58-1 Raven A. Fletcher-Class Destroyers. United States Naval Institute, Annapolis, MD, 1986. ISBN 0-87021-147-1 Ross A. Anatomy of the Ship. The Destroyer The Sullivans. United States Naval Institute, Annapolis, MD, 1988. ISBN 0-87021-617-1 Scutts J. Fletcher DDs in Action. Warship Number 8. Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrolton, TX, 1995. ISBN 0-89747-336-1

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