Bottom Line

Perfect to-scale 15” (381mm) barrels for Littorio WW2 Italian warship class

The Italian 381mm/50 (15”) gun barrels, 1934 Model, were the largest produced in Italy, with 40 being manufactured. They were designed by Ansaldo in 1934 for the Littorio battleships, but most were made by OTO. They were mounted in triple turrets, three turrets per ship. These guns were considered as excellent as, and had better penetrating power than, similar guns from other countries. Rate of fire was 45 seconds and muzzle velocity was 850 m/s. Range was over 42,000 meters. Dispersion of shot was a chronic problem for the Italian Navy, and was due more to faulty ammunition than to gun performance.

Thanks go to Bronco models and Dragon Models USA for providing IPMS USA this magnificent kit! We appreciate your generosity!

Bronco’s Flak 88 kit incorporates elements of the actual “new” model (the cannon and lower frame) with additional parts from Dragon’s original Flak 88 kit in the form of the wheeled carriage assemblies that facilitate movement of the weapon between firing locations. This is a complex but relatively simple build; it only requires perseverance to complete, due mostly to the detail and care incorporated in the engineering of the kit.

The Aircraft

The Spitfire is the British fighter from World War II. Sure, there were Hurricanes, Tempests, Typhoons, Mustangs, Mosquitoes, and Meteors, but there were more Spitfires than any of them. More to the point, there have been injection molded kits in 1/144 of the Spirfire I and 5, but this is the first Mark IX. Kami de Korokoro has a resin Mark IX.

The Kit

You get two of every part, but there are two types of wing – one full-span, one with clipped wing. There are six marking options, three for clipped, three for full wings. These are shown on the back of the box and with 4-view drawings in the instructions.