I am looking to get the Trumpeter 1/35 JGSDF Type 87 AW to do a what if. Does anyone have the kit and can do some measurements for me? I am looking to add one Academy M163 (M61) Vulcan cannon on each side of the turret instead of the single barrel 35mm cannon. Hoping someone can measure the front end of the gun housing for me on the Trumpeter kit to get the height and width to see if they are big enough to fit the Academy M61 Vulcans. I want to make sure they will fit without major surgery before I get the Trumpeter kit. Any help is greatly appreciated.


This is the Trumpeter kit I am looking to get.


I need the Height and width dimensions for the front of the Trumpeter gun housing.


Here is the measurement for the base of the Academy M61 cannon. It is 3/10" diameter or roughly 7.5mm.


I plan on replacing the Academy kit barrels with the Master Model metal ones which are slightly shorter than the Academy barrels. Here is the length of the Academy kit barrels. Will the barrels stick out past the front of the turret or be even with the front or will they be shorter? The length of the Academy barrels with the mounting plate is 1 - 9/10" or roughly 47mm long.


Here you can see the Master Model barrels are slightly shorter than the Academy kit barrels. Image courtesy of the IPMS USA Review page.
https://web.ipmsusa3.org/sites/default/files/reviews/m61-vulcan-20mm-rotary-cannon/m-61_compare2.jpg

4.3 mm x 7.4 mm
The barrels in the Type 87 kit are 86.2 mm from the front of the housing to the front of the flash suppressor.
The distance from the front of the housing to where the centre of the barrel passes the sloping front of the turret with the barrel horisontal is approximately 41.5 mm.
The Vulcan barrels will stick out approximately 6.8 mm when they are horisontal (Edit: before you cut back the housings ... )

/ Robin

Thanks for the quick reply. Greatly appreciated. Looks like I will have to cut back the front of the Trumpeter gun housing a bit to fit the Academy parts. Shouldn't be too bad.


Thanks for the update on the barrel length. If I cut back the gun housing to fit the Academy parts then the Academy barrels will be about even or further back than the front of the turret. Looks like I have to scratch something to extend and fit the Academy mounting plate and Master Model Barrels so they aren't even or shorter than the turret.

Thanks again.

You probably should have cut back the housings anyway to get the breach for the Vulcan barrels in a suitable position for ammo-feed. Check the distance from where the front of the ammo-chute enters the breach up to the front of the barrel.
Then you cut back and/or redesign the housing to get the front end of the barrels at such a distance from the front edge of the hole in the turret side so that the ammo-feed can come through the hole in the turret side and reach the entry point in the breach.
It would look silly with AA-guns that can't receive ammunition .....
/ Robin

[/quote]

You probably should have cut back the housings anyway to get the breach for the Vulcan barrels in a suitable position for ammo-feed. Check the distance from where the front of the ammo-chute enters the breach up to the front of the barrel.
Then you cut back and/or redesign the housing to get the front end of the barrels at such a distance from the front edge of the hole in the turret side so that the ammo-feed can come through the hole in the turret side and reach the entry point in the breach.
It would look silly with AA-guns that can't receive ammunition .....
/ Robin[/quote]

It is just going to be a what if and the breach won't be seen. I am just using the Academy mounting plates to attach to the outside front of the Trumpeter gun housing. Being a what if, I can just say that the breach is long enough inside the housing to get the ammo feed. You won't see the ammo drums or ammo feed chutes.

The turret is going on a different hull too. I am thinking of placing the turret on the top of the Takom G6 Rhino. I have the Bandai M61A5 so wanted something sci fi-ish to go alongside the Bandai kit. The G6 Rhino with the Type 87 turret and two M61 Vulcans would be all what if sci fi. I just wanted to do something a bit different.

OK
It IS your kit after all
/ Robin