A deck gun barrel, a periscope tube and a torpedo body have one thing in common: their cross-section is a perfect circle, and that is exactly what a two-part mould cannot deliver. A moulded barrel carries a seam down each side and tapers unevenly; a lathe-turned brass one is round all the way round, thin-walled where it should be, and stiff enough to survive handling.
The range here is concentrated on 1:350 boats: sets of barrels and periscopes for the German Type VII and Type IX, and six-piece torpedo sets in German, British, American and Japanese patterns for open tubes, deck stowage or a dockside diorama.
1:350 Set of barrels and periscopes for german U-Boot type VII
7.96 €
1:350 Set of barrels and periscopes for german U-Boot type IX
4.76 €
1:350 Set of 6 German torpedoes 53,3cm G7
8.20 €
1:350 Set of 6 Japan torpedoes 61cm Type 93
8.20 €
1:350 Set of 6 US torpedoes 53,3cm (21in) MK.15
8.20 €
1:350 Set of 6 British torpedoes 53,3cm MK.VIII
7.56 €
Typically a small bag of machined brass components with a hollow muzzle already drilled, sometimes supplemented by a short photo-etched fret for the gun shield or sighting gear. Torpedo sets come as six identical bodies, which is enough for a full reload sequence on a loading cart or a row stowed on the casing. Nothing is pre-painted, so every part needs degreasing and priming before colour goes on.
Gun and periscope sets are cut for one hull type. A Type VII set differs from a Type IX in barrel length and shear arrangement, so read the designation rather than assuming any 1:350 set will do. Most of the range suits kits in 1:350; the larger torpedoes also work alongside 1:35 midget craft as dockside props.
Brass has no tooth and nothing to key into. Drill a shallow socket in the plastic and seat the part in it with cyanoacrylate or epoxy from the adhesives range; a butt joint on a painted surface will fail the first time you move the model. A pin vice and a set of fine bits from tools are the only extra kit you need.
Degrease the parts, give them a thin primer coat and paint them off the model. Keep paint out of the drilled muzzle: the dark opening is the detail you paid for, and filling it with gun metal undoes the whole effect.
Keep the torpedo sets in mind even if you are not opening the hull: a cart, two torpedoes and a short stretch of quayside turn a closed boat into a scene.
