28cm
K5(E) 'Leopold'
Barrel
1/35 Machined Aluminium Barrel
for the Trumpeter Kit No.00207
Review by Terry Ashley
Schatton Modellbau of Germany have produced a turned aluminium barrel
for the Trumpeter
280mm K5(E) 'Leopold' German Railroad Gun (kit
No. 00207).
The 48 Special Models site has an in depth guide to installing the aluminium
barrel into the Trumpeter kit and instead of re-inventing the wheel I will
briefly describe the barrel as it comes in the set and fitting to the kit but
refer you to the 48 Special Models article for the full story. This is basically
because I don’t have a digital camera and taking shots of the large barrel
parts is rather difficult but I can assure you that I have fully fitted the
barrel to the kit and while the photos are with the courtesy of 48 Special
Models the review is from first hand experience.
The barrel comes in two parts which fit together with precision and
only needs the application of some cyanoacrylate or epoxy resin to secure the
join. Both sections are hollowed out with the correct bore for the full length
of the barrel as well as having rifling for the first 15mm of the muzzle. The
barrel parts are finely machined with a blemish free surface that is perfectly
round and eliminates any hint of a seam as with the kit plastic barrel.
At the other end of the barrel is a long 'neck' which extends into the kit
barrel support (parts A3, A4, B23 and B24) all the way back to the breech end
plate
itself (part B25). This ensures the correct alignment of the barrel with the
barrel support assembly and also eliminates any thought of the barrel sagging
due to the weight.
Speaking of weight, the metal barrel weighs in at 400 grams which is considerably
more than the plastic barrel in the kit and the instructions suggest you fill
the breech end section (part B25) with lead shot or similar to act as a counter
weight to the metal barrel. The Trumpeter kit already has two 40mm metal shafts
at the pivot joins of the barrel assembly and the elevation mechanism so this
should be able to handle the extra barrel weight without any problems.
No alterations are required to the Trumpeter parts to fit the new barrel except
to slightly trim and smooth out the insides of the front sections of parts
A3 and A4 but this was all and the metal barrel simply replaces the plastic
barrel and can also be fitted after the plastic barrel support parts are fully
assembled, this also makes handling the parts easier during assembly.
As mentioned for an in depth guide
to fitting the barrel see the 48 Special
Models website, and while the text is in German this can be run through a translator
site and the images fully illustrate what is
happening.
A simple yet effective update set for the Trumpeter kit that will add a bit
of finesse and with an easy of assembly that should keep anyone happy.
References:
- German Railroad Guns in action
Squadron Signal in action #2015
ISBN 0-89747-048-6
- Eisenbahn-Geschütze
der welt (Railway Guns of the world)
by Franz Kozer published by Motor bach Verlag
On the WWW
Thanks to Thorsten Schrecke of 48
Special Models for the review sample.
Also see the Schatton
Modellbau website for the details of the full range
available.
Page created 21 February 2004
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