1:700 German 15cm/60 SK C/25 Metal Gun Barrel (9 pcs)

Metal 15 cm SK C/25 barrels 1:700 (Flyhawk, 9 pieces)

A set of nine turned metal barrels in 1:700 scale intended to replace the plastic barrels on models of German light cruisers. It is not a model of a ship but a detailing addition. A metal barrel is perfectly straight, has a sharp muzzle edge and the muzzle drilled out, which are exactly the details that cannot be held in injection plastic at this scale. The number of pieces matches three triple turrets.

The real subject

The 15 cm SK C/25 gun with a barrel length of 60 calibers formed the main armament of the German light cruisers built between the wars. It was mounted three to a turret, and the arrangement of the turrets on these ships was unusual and became their recognition feature. It is precisely the slender long barrels that give a cruiser's silhouette its characteristic look, so rendering them faithfully has an unexpectedly large effect on the overall impression of a model.

Building tips

Cut the plastic barrel off as close as possible to the face of the turret, true the surface and carefully drill the hole out with a micro drill to the diameter of the pin on the metal barrel. Degrease the metal before gluing and glue with cyanoacrylate, ideally the gel version, so that there is time to align it. Fit the barrels only once the turret is painted, and spray them with a primer for metal before the paint goes on, otherwise the paint will not hold on the smooth surface. Check the alignment of all the barrels by eye from the front, as a small deviation is very visible on a model.

Who the set is for

• Builders of German ships in 1:700 scale
• Modelers who object to the mold seam and the blunt muzzle of a plastic barrel
• Builds completed with photo-etched parts, where plastic has worse detail than the rest of the model
• Display models where the sharpness of the detail is judged

The box holds only the metal barrels. A model of the ship, glue and paints are not included.