Darren Baker takes a look at the 17cm Kanone Geschützwagon Tiger Barrel by JB Model's, an aluminum and brass affair in 1/35.

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Thanks!

Darren thanks for the review, and a good evaluation it is.
I bought 12 barrels from JB a month ago and I couldn't be more impressed with these RB barrels! I got this 170mm barrel for $10 US and all I can say is I am blown away. If Jordi or Aber did this barrel it would easily be $30, $40, or more. The quality is excellent. It's easy to figure out where the locking rings go, as they only fit in one place! All of the barrels I got were just as good as Aber ones I have, but the price is 1/2 to 1/4 of Aber! I just got an Aber 75mm L/48 from Luckymodel for $9.99, the same barrel from JB was $2.75! And identical in quality!
They use flat rate zone shipping; it was $12.00 to the NE US. I hope these guys don't stop because they are offering a great product at absolutely untouchable prices. Value? I haven't seen a better model value in decades. Considering the price I would have given the 170mm barrel a 99%.

Matthew thank you and I agree with everything you have said but I feel my review is a fair review of the product. As soon as you give a product over 90% the viewer rightly or wrongly becomes skeptical of the review as a whole, and I feel 85% is a fair mark considering the lack of instructions. I did I hope cover all the areas that JB Model products score highly without resorting to comparisons of other manufacturers products, which is not the purpose of a review and can also be unfair on another company when picking and choosing which aspects to compare.
I do believe that JB Model will be a company to watch in the future, and if they can continue to provide products of the quality and value of this barrel will continue to grow. Two areas I considered including in my review and decided against was customer service and speed/cost of delivery. I left them out as speed and cost of delivery is reliant on an outside service over which JB Model have no control, and covering customer service is more a review of the company than the product it supplies.

Thanks for the in depth review Darren. It's great to have options, especially for such a large project as this one.

Nice work, Darren, you trumped me! LOL! I was just talking to Jerzy about reviewing some of his stuff. I have some barrels being posted I intend to review.

I just hope he doesn't raise his prices to Armorscale/Aber levels!

I agree, great review Darren...thanks! As far as rating, that score is what you feel it deserves, I wouldn't think in terms of if it's 90 or above that people will dismiss it. As far as customer service being included, in this case it would be perfectly acceptable, as it is JB Model's name on the product. Case in point, I reviewed a DML product that had a defective part, which I purchased from Sprue Brothers. Customer service was based on DML, SB had nothing to do with the review.

Darren, your review is fair, accurate, and complete. I wouldn't change a thing. I was not disputing your rating in the least. I was just trying to convey my high enthusiasm for this product line and this dealer.
I wanted to add a satisfied customer commentary. I mentioned the shipping cost because too many times I have found an exciting product at a great price overseas, only to find out that their shipping charge negates the value. What good is a $10 super deal on a barrel if they charge $30 to get it to you? $12 for 12 barrels was a steal. And it only took 11 days from date of order to my door, Austria to USA, so great service, too.
Everything about this company was a win-win-win.

Matthew no harm no fail, I did not take your comments as anything other than praise of JB Model. Thanks Jeff, and sorry Bill.

just for the record, from what I heard here and there RB Model (as it is the real producer of those barrels) was (maybe still is) the subcontractor of Aber... It's even more possible as both companies are based in Poland.

I have purchased many barrels since they appeared and must say that jb model has one of the finest client service.

spit

RB model produces all turned and milled brass parts for Armorscale
see http://www.armorscale.com/

Where is use this detail?

yrq i believe it sits on the underside of the barrel and replicates some moulded detail on the plastic barrel, if I find that is the case I will be updating the review.

That's a VERY important point, Matt. I have been told nothing can be done about the high shipping costs from the EU, but I wonder. Eduard, for example, is simply not worth bothering with because of the ridiculous shipping charges that cancel out their occasional sale offerings.

I predict a "shake out" for some of these AM makers in the current, including Royal Model, whose prices are now so far out-of-line for some of their offerings that it's just not practical for all but the insane among us.

Hey, I resemble that remark!

You can find these tiny, tiny, microscopic PE parts on just about every AM German gunbarrel. It is the locker for the muzzlebrake.

These are added to the base of the muzzlebrake. Extremely small "screws" that are nigh impossible to get out of the fret without sending them flying away.

Check this Aber instruction for a Tiger-E barrel: http://aber.net.pl/pdf/a7b6f945f31d4098721081a6f3b55137.pdf

Darren, did you actually fit this barrel to the Grille II kit yourself? Any indication as to how barrelheavy it is?

Herbert I am afraid not as I have not had the time to return to the kit with everything else I have made myself a target for, If I do get a chance I will PM or E-mail you as the kit is partially built.