1:72 BK.5 Barrel for Messerschmitt Me-410 A-1/U-2 & U4 (for Airfix kits)

A fifty-millimeter cannon under the nose of the Me 410

The German Messerschmitt Me 410 heavy fighter came about by reworking an unsuccessful predecessor and was deployed above all as a bomber destroyer. So that it could break up a formation of four-engined machines before coming within reach of their defensive fire, one of the versions received in its fuselage a Bordkanone 5 cannon of fifty millimeters caliber, derived from a tank gun. The barrel projected far forward under the nose and gave the aircraft an unmistakable silhouette; the same weapon later appeared on a jet machine intended against bombers as well.

The set contains a replacement barrel printed by 3D technology in 1:72 scale. A hollow bore and a perfectly circular cross section are exactly what a long thin part molded from plastic most often lacks.

The part is intended for Airfix kits, whose boxing covers both weapon variants of this series. Fit the barrel only after the paint on the fuselage is finished, or you risk breaking it off while handling the model. Apply the metal shade in a thin layer, so that the edge of the muzzle stays apparent, and leave the rest in a matte tone, which takes subsequent accenting better.

Long barrels tend to be the first thing a viewer notices on a finished model, and at the same time the place where haste shows: a bend, a visible parting line or a glued-up opening. Printing gets around these troubles and the result looks convincing even seen from close up. The precision of a thin part also shows in a photograph of finished work.