20mm KwK 38
Barrel
armorscale 1:35 Set #B35-048
Review by Terry Ashley

The aluminium barrel includes the front section of the gun housing and large pin for attaching the barrel with the separate brass flash suppressor which includes four larger holes around the collar section and four rows of six smaller holes in the suppressor cone.

The KwK38 barrel length matches the 1:35 plans in the recent Panzer Tracks No.13 Panzerspaehwagen Armored Cars Sd.Kfz.3 to Sd.Kfz.263 book exactly and it is known there are different designs of the flash suppressor in regards to the different number of gas holes in the suppressor cone but photos show there are six or eight larger holes around the collar and not the four as on this barrel.

There is a small etched fitting for the top of the gun housing section and you have to bend one end of this over itself for the 3D effect and care is needed when handling this small part while bending but thankfully armorscale give you two parts in case of disasters.

For this exercise I fitted the KwK38 barrel to the gun from the recent Cyber-hobby Sd.Kfz. 251/23 Ausf.D Reconnaissance Vehicle kit #6293 which is quite straight forward by cutting off the barrel housing section from the kit gun, drill a small 1.8mm locating hole and attach the armorscale barrel, all very easy.

Conclusion:
This 2cm KwK38 barrel from armorscale has the correct length barrel but the four larger holes in the flash suppressor collar are noticeably larger than if there were the correct six holes but this but other than that the barrel shapes up well and is very easy to assemble and fit to whatever target kit you choose.

Highly recommended.

Panzer Tracts No.13 Panzerspaehwagen Armored Cars Sd.Kfz.3 to Sd.Kfz.263 ISBN 0-9708407-4-8

Thanks to Robert from armorscale for the review set.

Page Created May 30, 2006