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The Contents
What you get is a set to convert the RPM Canon de 155mm GPF/K419(f) (kit no. 72602) into the German 12.8cm K 81/1.
Inside the plastic blister are 4 pieces cast in light
grey resin. Instructions consist of only a minuscule picture of a built RPM kit with the Modell Trans pieces in place.
The molding quality of the set is very poor to say the least.
First, the barrel was warped slightly. This was something I had anticipated, since I've yet to see a long barrel not come warped
from any other resin casting I've received so far, so I also obtained a Aber turned metal barrel (kit no. 72 L-19).
Next was a large bubble in the recuperator, plus a piece of its mount is missing (and wasn't found in the package, so apparently it was not damaged during transit).
Remedying these two problems will take a deft touch.
Another disappointing point was the presence of an amorphous blob of resin inside the elevation arc support.
It would be rather odd if the Germans had done something like this on the real gun, so to me it appears that Modell Trans got lazy here and
decided it was too much trouble and effort to give this as a separate part. So you either ignore this blob or go through the extra effort to rebuild the support.
But most disappointing of all was the barrel collar. It has a large step running right through the fine detail. Fixing this and restoring the inevitable loss of detail
will be a regular pain in the a**.
So with all this said, it might well be easier to take my lumps, learn from this purchase, and buy an Ace 12.8cm K 81/2 kit just for the parts needed to replace the
crappy pieces in this set. It's going to make this an expensive build, but it's either that, or admit defeat.
Conclusion
Save your money. I can only shake my head in dismay with the quality of this conversion set. How it made it out
the door past quality inspection is puzzling. I contacted Modell Trans to obtain a replacement set, but have not even received an acknowledgment about even receiving
my replacement request. Based upon my experiences with this set, Modell Trans has now been added to my personal manufacturers blacklist.
Preview sample purchased by the author.
Modell Trans products are available at
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