I was just wondering who actually uses the kit’s barrel. I know there’s Jordi-Rubio and all those other companies that sell aftermarket barrels, but I wanted to know who actually uses the kit’s barrels. And if you do use the kit’s barrel, it would be nice to see pics of the seam job. I use the kit’s barrel and use super glue to seam it up because of the expense of the aftermarket barrels. Thanks everyone! [8D]
I use kit barrels-but I don’t have the funding for the AM barrels. also, it’s not all that hard to reduce seams-just use some fine sandpaper on it.
I build using kit barrels about 80% of the time.
The best way to make the seam disappear, is to use more glue on the halves than necessary. I don’t use CA but regular Testor’s. When you put the halves together, press them so the glue gets squeezed out.
I then let dry overnight and use a fine sanding sponge (not the ones that look like a brick but the thinner longer ones) I use these because they conform to the shape of the barrel and won’t flat spot it.
Once lightly sanded, TA-DA! A seam filled barrel. If your not sure you have the seam totally invisible, you can shoot a quick Grey primer coat on it and fill if necessary.
I can only ditto what Erock said.
The only thing I will also add is that when the glue trick is not enough, I use filler putty. It may take a couple of times to get the curve right and make the seam dissapear, but it’s not that bad. There is always something else to work on while the putty is drying.
I use the kit barrels, mainly because I’m not much of an AM fan, plus the price is allways a factor.
I just pretty much do what Erock said, then use my gf’s nail polishing sticks to sand it smooth
Oh, I’ll bet she loves that!! lol
I use AM barrels as much as possible (because I’m lazy!) and I think they look nice. But I use a kit barrel occasionally using the same method as Eric described.
Has anyone had any trouble with the Jordi Rubio barrels? This is the first time I bought one and the muzzle brake has flash and a parting line that needs to be sanded. The muzzle brake doesn’t even fit in the end of the barrel I need to sand that down. I might as well used the kit barrel.[:(!]
Joe
I have never used any AM barrels. Quite rare and expensive here in Manila. I have to do with what the box offers in my models.
Well, gotta make the best of what you have.
I use kit tubes about 90% of the time. I glue them together with Testor’s liquid cement and sand them down with a set of Flexi-files. The Flexi-files are the magic tool for this, they even solved my “square” tube problem on my T-55 from Linberg. Can’t show you any pics, my camera is a pile, but the Flexi-files are the key.
I would like to try AM barrels at some stage, but I haven’t had too bad a run with barrels as yet, and my methods are more or less as above. If I do a larger kit I may try the AM barrels. I am doing a Wirbelwind quad 20mm soon, and thought long and hard about getting turned barrels, but it would have cost 1 1/2 the price of the kit!
Matt
has anyone else ever tried:
taking the barrel (after gluing the halves together & letting it dry)
and wrapping a small square of sandpaper completely around the barrel,
then twisting the barrel inside the sandpaper ‘sleeve’ ?
i did that on my quickie T-34/85 and i thought it did a good job eliminating the seam
while leaving the barrel round.
EDIT
forgot to mention:
the Eduard turned aluminum barrel is simply amazing!
worth every penny!
ed.
I generally use AM barrels now ,( lazy here too !) but the kit ones are usually just fine , they just take more work , I usually glue em thickly like erock said and then use scotch tape wrapped tighly to hold it together until the glue sets up , I then take a small piece of fine sandpaper wrap it around the barrel and sand it , to avoid the flat spots .
has anyone else ever tried:
taking the barrel (after gluing the halves together & letting it dry)
and wrapping a small square of sandpaper completely around the barrel,
then twisting the barrel inside the sandpaper ‘sleeve’ ?
Yep, I have tried it. It is a great technique.
I forgot to mention that, you can pick these sponges up and any department store, usually in the paint-thinner-tape section. I have the fine and extra fine grades.
They also work well on larger, flat parts. I lay the sponge on the table and run the part over the grit. This way, the edges get sanded in uniform fashion.
If there’s nothing crazy wrong with the shape or detail on the kit barrel, I’ll use it. It doesn’t take much sanding at all (I like the sleeve method, too) to produce a smooth, round, seamless barrel.
Here’s the kit barrel (well, from the Maus kit!) on my ol’ Dragon E-100. Other than a lack of rifling on the inside of the barrel, I think it turned out just fine, and I only spent about ten minutes getting it that way.
E-100:
I did use an Eduard 75mm barrel for the coax cannon on this model, but that’s because I wanted a longer cannon than the short 75mm that’s in the kit.
But hey, if you hate sanding, go with the metal!
I’m very much looking forward to the Morser Karl from Trumpeter, so if ever, I think maybe that’ll be a good time to consider an AM barrel for me, although I imagine it will be worh a fortune.
The one thing I"ve tried before is to make my own. My father’s company manufactures all kinds of machinery, so they have all sorts of stock rod. I’ve given him dimensions and he has one of the mechanics there turn a barell for me. Only did it a few times for my larger kits, but they looked very nice, and it was great because it was FREE, unlike the AM ones, which are just too expensive
I just finished the barrel on my Trumpeter Leopold ( that is a large barrel ) and I pretty much gave it the treatment that Erock68 describes. After a coat of primer I filled any spots with putty, sanded it down and primed it. The result is good, time consuming, but good. Moddeling isn’ t about making it fast and expensive, its about having a good time while your doing it.
I use the kit barrels exclusively (i’m cheaper than I am lazy) and sand with the “sleeve” method. the seam never is much of a problem but the bent ones can be a bear.
Yep, I bought a JR Panther barrel and it was exactly the same. They turn the barrels, but use a white metal casting for the muzzle brake. Eduard’s barrels have turned muzzle brakes that are beautiful and are a part of the barrel so you don’t have to glue and align them. Take a close look at the barrel on my Pz II G (below). It’s a JR barrel and you’ll notice it’s “stepped”. Every picture I’ve ever seen of a Pz II, the barrel has a smooth taper, no steps at all. In this case, the kit barrel would have been much more accurate than the JR barrel.
I have always used the kit’s barrel due to price and I seam them up with super glue. I glue the barrel halves together with super glue and I let it dry. I apply super glue to the seams and then whipe most of it off so that there is a thin layer of almost dry super glue over the seam. I then take a sanding stick and sand the almost dry layer of super glue and keep sanding the barrel all around so the whole thing is round and it doesn’t look like a square when you look down it. Works pretty good.
jordi rubio are a major rip-off in my view!!![:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!]
all that money and you still have lots of flash! you gotta be kidding me!!![:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!]
i got a JR panther barrel and the separate muzzle doesn’t even fit the barrel!![:0][:(!]
yes i do actually like aftermarket barrels though, and have only one word to say on the matter:
EDUARD!!!
how anyone can buy anything else is just beyond me…they are all one piece and have no flash with awesome tooling…i just got the ISU-152 barrel and it’s a peach!!
[soapbox]
just my [2c]…
regards,
nick