Introduction

The Geschützwagon Tiger für 17cm Kanone 72 (sf) (Grille 17) made by Trumpeter in 1/35th scale, reviewed here, has been on the market now for over a year and is a large and impressive AFV model. One of the favourite AM items for the AFV market is replacement barrels in turned aluminium and brass. Now, JB Models.eu have stepped up to the plate and offer a turned aluminium barrel with brass flash suppresser.

The product is supplied in a clear zip lock bag with the item number, description, and the manufacturers details on white labels attached to the bag. Inside there is another zip lock bag containing the additional pieces for the barrel.

Contents

• 1 turned aluminium barrel
• 1 turned aluminium base plate
• 1 turned brass muzzle
• 3 brass rings
• 1 small PE fret

Review

I was unable to locate any useful reference material for this barrel, and because of that I resorted to comparing the metal offering against the plastic version in the kit. The length appears to be an exact match, as is the diameter of the lower half of the barrel. The upper half of the barrel is fractionally slimmer than the plastic version and the taper less pronounced. As I was unable to find reference material as stated earlier I cannot vouch for which is the most accurate, however as Herbert Ackerman has purchased this barrel and was impressed with it I am inclined to believe the metal offering is accurate.

The turned brass muzzle is a much improved offering over the plastic version, it is much finer with greater detail and has all the holes pre-drilled. The kit offering is marked as to where the holes need to be, however they all need to be drilled out and I feel the brass muzzle looks much better. The remaining pieces are the additional brass parts to finish the muzzle, and a turned aluminium base plate which connects the barrel to the plastic of the kit.

Conclusion

This product, in my opinion, is a far superior offering than the kit supplied barrel, both in terms of finish and detail, and I believe it offers value for the money which is a rare commodity these days. The packaging in which the product is packed is not good enough to protect the product through the postal system, although this has been overcome by the supplier as the product is shipped in a jiffy bag and the samples I received all arrived in perfect condition. The one weakness that could be difficult to overcome by the consumer depending on their knowledge, is the lack of any instructions. While most will not have any difficulties with this omission, it is an area of weakness that is easy to resolve.

I have been asked to make clear that sales within Europe incur a 20% VAT charge, this will make this product a little over 10 euros.