5cm KwK 39 L/60 Gun Barrel
Kit # 72B47 Preview by Doug Chaltry - 172tankmodeler(at)comcast(dot)net
One of my most anxiously awaited accessories, this is also one of the most disappointing. In the scan above, the turned brass barrel from RB Model is shown on the top, above the plastic barrel from the Roden 234/2 Puma model. You can see the size differences. The Roden barrel is mostly correct, and the RB barrel is much too large and over scale. Very disappointing, as it looks to be a beautiful piece, with a smooth surface and gorgeous muzzle brake (which comes as a separate part; it is attached to the gun barrel in the above scan).

I used this barrel on my Italeri Puma model. I replaced the Italeri gun mantlet with the Roden piece, carved to a more realistic shape, and then inserted the RB gun barrel from the rear, so that most of the barrel is hidden within the mantlet, and only the straight portion is visible outside. This makes the total length of the barrel much closer to correct, however the change in barrel taper that you can see on the above piece is no longer visible. Although I think this is an acceptable work-around to the size problem of the RB barrel, it's unfortunate that I had to do it.

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Article Last Updated: 1 December 2009