This metal barrel set from Voyager Models is designed for the recent Tamiya Russian Heavy Tank JS-2 Model 1944 ChKZ (Kit #35289) but could be used with any other JS-2/JS2M/JS-3 kits with only minor modifications if required.

The set is the simplest possible consisting of a single one piece aluminium barrel and has the tip contoured to accept the Tamiya JS-2 kit muzzle brake while the base is beveled to fit neatly into the kit mantlet with just the two inner locating ridges cut away, that's it folks.

The barrel length and contours match those of available data and the muzzle is hollowed out but no rifling is included not that you can see this anyway once the kit muzzle brake is fitted in place.

As mentioned all you need do to fit the barrel to the Tamiya JS-2 kit is cut away the two inner locating ridges inside the mantlet gun collar taking care not to nick the outer edges of the collar in the process with the metal barrel then fitting snugly into place.

The Tamiya kit muzzle brake also fits straight onto the metal barrel without alteration for a quick and easy update, the metal barrel eliminates the need to sand the kit barrel join seam to give you a perfectly round barrel with that being the only advantage over the kit barrel seeing as it uses the same plastic muzzle brake.

Single aluminium barrel in the set

Views of the hollowed out muzzle and the Tamiya kit muzzle brake fitted to the barrel.

Image showing the snug fit of the barrel to the mantlet after trimming the locating ridges inside the collar..

Overall view of the metal barrel fitted to the Tamiya kit.


This is as simple as update barrel sets go with the single aluminium barrel designed to replace the kit barrel while still using the Tamiya kit muzzle brake with the only real advantage being no join seams to sand and a perfectly round barrel.

Recommended 7.5/10

See comparison review of available 122mm D-25T Barrel sets

Heavy Tank IS 2/2M Model Detail Photo Monograph No.6 Rossagraph ISBN 88-916229-6-7	Heavy Tank IS-2 Ground Power Magazine #165 - 2/2008 GALILEO Publishing Co.,Ltd.	IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944-1973 Osprey New Vanguard 7 by Steve Zaloga, Peter Sarson ISBN 1 8552 3986 6
IS Vol.I Tank Power Vol.XLVII Wydawnictwo Militaria No.273 ISBN/EAN: 9788372192738	IS Vol.II Tank Power Vol.LXIV Wydawnictwo Militaria No.294 ISBN/EAN: 9788372192943	IS Vol.III Tank Power Vol.LXXII Wydawnictwo Militaria No.306 ISBN/EAN: 9788372193063
Heavy Tank IS-2 Modelist Konstruktor publications 3'98	Soviet Tanks 1939-1945 Russian text

Thanks to Hobby Easy and Voyager Models for the review sets.