PMMS
Schatton Modellbau

28cm K5(E) 'Leopold' Barrel
1/35 Machined Aluminium Barrel

Trumpeter

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.

K5

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.

K5 K5

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.
K5
K5

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:

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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