1:16 Early Gun Barrel Muzzle Brake for Panzer IV H / StuG III G and PaK 40

An early muzzle brake in 1:16 scale

A replacement part for the muzzle of the barrel for three German weapons of 7.5 cm caliber: the tank gun of the Panzer IV Ausf. H, the gun of the StuG III Ausf. G assault gun and the towed PaK 40 anti-tank gun. According to the name this is an early type of muzzle brake, a turned metal part that takes the place of the plastic one.

What a muzzle brake is for

A muzzle brake directs the propellant gases leaving the barrel to the sides and backward, which takes away part of the recoil. On guns of 7.5 cm caliber that was a condition of seating the weapon in a cramped turret, or of the carriage of a towed gun withstanding firing without being repositioned. During the war the shape of the brake changed, and it is precisely by it that a machine can be placed in time; the early form is therefore not detail for its own sake on a model but a dating mark.

Building and painting tips

• The metal part takes the place of the plastic one, which tends to have the muzzle only suggested or blanked off.
• Before gluing, try the part on dry and even out any play.
• Wash and degrease the metal before painting and use a primer, otherwise the paint will not hold.
• Glue the metal part with super glue; liquid cement for polystyrene does not work here.
• At a large scale the wear of the muzzle stands out, where oxide scale and scorched paint give way to bare metal.

Who the part is for

For builders of large models of German equipment who want the muzzle of the barrel faithful and matching the early form. The fitting is simple, but it calls for precise alignment, so that the brake does not sit crooked.

The package holds the stated part. The model, the paints and the glue are not included, unless stated otherwise.