Bottom Line: Perfect to-scale 6” (152mm) barrels for Littorio and Garibaldi WW2 Italian warship classes

The latest secondary, or anti-torpedo boat, armament for new construction (Littorio battleship and Garibaldi light cruiser classes) was the 1936 model 152mm/55 caliber gun. This new gun was derived from the earlier 1926 and 1929 versions in use on then-current Regia Marina light cruisers. Two different versions were made – a monobloc construction by the original designer, Ansaldo, and heat-forced tubular element construction from OTO (used only in Vittorio Veneto and Roma battleships). Twin and triple turrets with independent cradles for each gun were made. Rate of fire was one round every 14 seconds. The guns were considered as satisfactory, but dispersion at long ranges was wide, attributable to the ammunition.

The Parts

Each set comes in a small plastic bag with the paper header stapled to the bag describing the contents, and a cardboard backing with a picture of a large curling wave on the background. Twelve brass barrels are inside a smaller plastic bag, along with a small Instruction sheet that only shows a drawing of a barrel but lists which ships carried these guns. These barrels are small, very detailed, and very close to scale. They look exactly like photographs of the real guns, and appear to have the correct length and taper. Each barrel has a mounting pin at the base, and the barrel opening is drilled out with a lip (not found on kit barrels). Each set has enough barrels to finish one battleship or one Garibaldi class light cruiser (with 2 left over).

The Build

I chose to replace the resin kit barrels on my Regia Marina Vittorio Veneto battleship built in 2004. The kit barrels were molded with the turrets, and several were received broken and were carefully glued back in place. Kit barrels looked like they pointed off center a bit, and because they were molded with the turrets, there was no easy way to change the elevation. After some more research, it was obvious the barrels were attached to the turret face too low. As such, they barely cleared the railing. The molded-on blast bags were fine. In short, they were decent but not as good as they could have been.

I cut off each barrel with a nail clipper, leaving some of the blast bag. I then sanded the stumps, leaving a small raised area that closely mimicked the gunports, and leaving a flat spot to drill the mounting holes more easily. I used a pin vise to drill out the mounting holes by hand, being careful to line up the holes with proper positioning. I took the opportunity to relocate the barrel insertions close to the top of the turret faces, and to vary the elevation of gun barrels among turrets and within turrets (since each gun had its own cradle). This allowed for some extra customizing to help the overall appearance of the model. CA glue was used to attach the barrels to the mounting holes. A little extra CA glue started to replace the blast bags, but most of the new blast bags were carefully added from white glue manipulated with a sharp pin. The new Model Master brass barrels were an improvement over the kit barrels – the brass longer (more accurate) and noticeably drilled out muzzles.

I used the original paints to color the barrels and turret face (Polly S acrylic Reefer Gray 410012) and blast bags (White Ensign Model enamel Grigio Scuro WEMCC RM01) with fine-tip brushes. The muzzle tips were filled in with India ink from a Koh-i-noor pen.

Summary

Master Model Italian 152mm/55 brass barrels were an improvement over the resin kit barrels. Their repositioning and varying elevation made the model look more accurate and more attractive. The drilled out muzzles were noticeable, making for a realistic look. They are relatively easy to attach with a pin vise, a steady hand and an eye for straightness. Their cost is a good value. These barrels are highly recommended for Littorio and Garibaldi class Italian WW2 warships.

Thanks to Iwona & Piotr Czerkasow at Master Model for this review set, and thanks to IPMS/USA for the review space.

References:

• Bagnasco E, de Toro A. The Littorio Class. Italy’s Last and Largest Battleships 1937-1948. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 2011, pp. 78-80. ISBN 978-1-59114-445-8
• Bagnasco E, Grossman M. Regia Marina. Italian Battleships of World War Two. A Pictorial History. Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Missoula, MT, USA, 1986. ISBN 0-933126-75-1
• Campbell J. Naval Weapons of World War Two. Conway Maritime Press, London, UK, 1985, pp. 342-343. 0-85177-329-X
• Fraccaroli A. Italian Warships of World War II. Ian Allan, London, 1968, 18-21.
• Fraccaroli A. The Littorio class. Part 2. Warship Volume 1, Number 3, Preston A, ed., Conway Maritime Press/Naval Institute Press, London/Annapolis, 1984, 2-13. ISBN 0-87021-975-8
• Garzke WH, Dulin RO. Battleships. Axis and Neutral Battleships in World War II. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, USA, 1985. ISBN 0-87021-101-3
• Giorgerini G, Nani A. Gli Incrociatori Italiani 1861-1964. Ufficio Storico Della Marina Militare, Roma, 1964, 605-632.
• Preston A. The Littorio class. Part 1. Warship Volume 1, Number 2, Preston A, ed., Conway Maritime Press/Naval Institute Press, London/Annapolis, 1984, 2-7. ISBN 0-87021-975-8
• Preston A. The Littorio class. Part 2. Warship Volume 1, Number 3, Preston A, ed., Conway Maritime Press/Naval Institute Press, London/Annapolis, 1984, 2-13. ISBN 0-87021-975-8

Figures:

• Figure 1: Master Model package – WW2 Italian 152mm/55 (6”) Model 1936 brass barrels for Littorio and Garibaldi class warships.
• Figure 2: Instructions for Master Model WW2 Italian 152mm/55 (6”) Model 1936 brass barrels.
• Figure 3: Close-up of brass barrels – they are very small and accurate to 1/700 scale.
• Figure 4: Comparing turrets with new brass barrels and resin kit barrels. Notice the correct, higher positioning of the brass barrels – alone an improvement.
• Figure 5: Overall appearance of Vittorio Veneto before and after replacing 6in turret barrels. Also notice the replaced 90mm AA turret barrels from Master Model (described in a previous Review).
• Figure 6: Close-up photo of turrets before and after brass barrels.