Master Model

1/350 IJN Nagato Armament For the Hasegawa Nagato & Mutsu Battleship kits

Stock Number: SM-350-028

Reviewed By  John Lester, IPMS# 36807

MSRP: $29.95 Website: www.master-model.pl Hasegawa's IJN Nagato-class battleships are marvelously detailed kits. That doesn't mean they can't be improved, and Master Model - a Polish aftermarket manufacturer with a stunning array of turned metal barrels for all sorts of guns in all sorts of scales - has provided a set of turned metal barrels for these ships' main and secondary armament. The set includes 8 16" cannon barrels in aluminum and 18 140mm barrels in brass. Each barrel has the bore drilled out for some ways into the muzzle. The lengths of each type of barrel compare well with the kit parts - at least as far as my calipers can measure. The 16" barrels are (almost) 'drop fit' replacements for the kit parts (#N5); the peg at the breech end that fits into the blast bag piece (made from #N7+N8 or #N9+N10, depending on whether you want the guns elevated or not) is somewhat smaller than its plastic counterpart, so you need to bulk it up with a layer of tape or use thicker glue. The 140mm barrels require surgery to part #N2 to use: you chop off the kit barrel, drill a hole in the plastic blast bag for the end of the metal barrel to slide in to - easily done. I found it easiest to glue the complete #N2 to the turret #N6, let that set up, then chop of the plastic barrel and drill a small hole for the brass part's mounting peg. How about accuracy? The 140mm barrels look pretty much correct. They are thinner than their plastic counterparts in the kit, which agrees with the images I have been able to find of Nagato and Mutsu. (As an aside, the 140mm turrets as molded may not be correct. They (parts #N6) are presented in the kit as a solid cylinder with a representation of the breech of the weapon on the back, which would be an acceptable approximation of the turret if it had a roof AND you kept the breech end turned in towards the centerline of the ship. All the pictures I've found of these turrets - in museums, though - show the gun with a circular splinter shield and no roof. Photos of the ships in service, at least the ones I have found so far, don't show whether the turrets were open topped or covered. If they were open .... I will have some scratchbuilding to do.)

Mutsu blew up and sank at anchorage in 1943. Portions of the ship, including her main guns, have been salvaged, restored, and put on display in various museums throughout Japan. Images of the 16"/410mm guns show the barrel with a "collar" as it enters the blast bags/turret. This is captured nicely by the Master Model pieces. Photos of both Nagato and Mutsu show that there were three bands spaced evenly along this collar, topped by what looks a lot like oleo scissors on aircraft landing gear. The kit plastic barrels have the bands and a rather heavy-handed approximation of the 'scissors', but do not appear to have the 'collar' (see the comparison drawing accompanying this text). The Master Models barrels have a more restrained representation of the bands, but no 'scissors'. Given the choice between the kit part and the Master Models replacement, I'll take the Master Models parts. The 'scissors' are simple (but tiny!) shapes that may be replicated with bits of wire or fine styrene rod. The overall effect will be more convincing, I think, than the clunky kit parts.

Is this set worth the nearly $30US retail price? For me - the answer is yes. The main battery of any ship is what catches the eye on a completed model, and these parts are a clear improvement on the kit's plastic parts. Your mileage may vary, of course, but I recommend them without reservation. They're certainly easier to use than the fiddly photoetched ladders and railings I also got for this model...... Many thanks to Master Model for the review set. You can find a list of retailers and distributors carrying this and other Master Models upgrade sets at Master Models' website.