Master-Models

1/350 USN 5"/38 Mark 12 gun barrels without blast bags For most USN ship kits.

Stock Number: SM-350-017

Reviewed By  Rob Benson, IPMS#44038

MSRP: $ 21.95 Website: www.master-model.pl This is a wonderful little product that addresses a common challenge to all ship modelers. The repetitive subassembly construction in many ship model kits can steal some satisfaction in building, e.g., how many MG mounts are on an Essex class carrier? These after-market gun barrels will replace kit parts on a wide variety of 5" USN mounts in 1/350 scale and are very quickly installed. The many hours spent straightening and sanding white metal or plastic kit barrels are reduces to minutes! Twenty exquisite brass barrels are included in a very handy re-sealable plastic sleeve, further protected in a small re-sealable plastic bag with a stapled cardboard label. A small sheet of instructions is included. That's it! In fact, I had to look twice and shake the bag to make sure that I did indeed have some product in the pouch. On closer look, I was thrilled with the gem-like quality of the turned-brass wonders. There is nothing to describe about part fitting. To check the overall quality, I laid out all of the barrels to compare the dimensions. The brass was not tarnished at all, and had no obvious residue from the turning process. I took a micrometer to 10 barrels and found a maximum variance of ±0.002 inches in all dimensions. The barrel taper looks just right. The muzzle end is drilled out about 0.02 inches deep, with a perfectly centered hole. I did not try to measure the caliber, but it also looks right. Some small turning ridges can be felt on the barrels, but a coat of primer effectively filled them. A short mounting stub is provided on the end of each barrel for attaching to the kit breech or turret. The instructions call for drilling a 0.5 mm hole to mount the replacement barrel, but I found that a 0.022 bit (#74) worked just fine. The scale length of the barrel is slightly off. A 5"/38 gun spec has a barrel length of 190 in, which would be 0.54 inches in 1/350. The sample barrels are 0.437 in., equivalent to a 37 inch difference from the real thing. This difference could easily be explained by part of the barrel being inside the breech mechanism. Personally I really do not think that this variance is noticeable. Nonetheless, this difference might be something to consider depending on the application. I tested the application by replacing a barrel on the 5 inch gun provided with the Yankee Modelworks USS Gambier Bay. The included picture shows the bare brass and primed replacements ready to go into the original white metal gun breech. I am quite pleased with the results and will consider the Newport News (CA-148) in my "shipyard." The other products in the Master line of replacement barrels also look very interesting. Thank you to Master Model and IPMS/USA for providing a sample set to review! It was fun. I truly appreciate the willingness of Model Master to allow me a chance to review their products.