Takom- PLANAVY H/PJ45 130MM NAVAL GUN

To read the First Look review of this kit click on the following link: https://www.amps-armor.org/SiteReviews/ShowReview.aspx?id=15334

If you are a fan of large scale (1/35) navel guns this kit is for you.  It is the latest in TAKOM's growing list of kits in this genre.  To my count there are 11 naval gun/missile launcher kits available.

This large kit was simple and easy to build with all parts being up to TAKOM's usual high standard.  There was no flash and all ejector pin marks were located where they are not visible after assembly.  In general the parts fit was excellent and there was no need for any type of filler.   The total construction time, excluding glue drying and paint time was about five hours. 

The build begins...   

Step 1 builds the base and bottom of the turret (A total of 6 parts including 4 lifting brackets, 2 on the front and 2 on the back of the turret base).  It also adds the ladder steps at the base of the turret.  This is where I varied from the suggested construction steps.  I did not add the ladder steps to the bottom of the turret until turret was fully assembled in step 8.  The steps  are large, thin and just waiting for a chance to break off.  I also did not glue the bottom of the turret to the base for ease of handling when installing the sides and top of the turret.

Steps 2, 3 and 4 have you add the hand rungs and lifting rings to the top, front and back side of the turret.  The hand rungs constitute the majority of the parts in the kit.  I again elected not to add these delicate parts until the turret was completed in step 8 to avoid breakage. 

Step 5  begins with the construction of the gun mount.  This is simple wheel assembly consisting of 5 parts that is attached to the underside of the turret roof.  There is a large mold seam on the centerline of the "wheel" that needs to be sanded smooth. 

The wheel is directional when installed the cradle.  Be certain that the 3 holes are at the top and the 2 holes are at the bottom otherwise the gun will install upside down.   The instructions don't make this clear.

The actual turret is assembled by mating the remaining 4 sides to form a box structure.  I attached the "box" to the base at this time to help ensure proper alignment of all sides.  The instructions would have you do this in step 8.  There was no issues in performing this step other than ensuring everything was square and level.  I did have to fiddle with this as it dried to ensure everything STAYED square and level.  Once the glue had dried overnight I sanded the mating edges with progressively finer sanding sticks to produce sharp corners on the joins.

Step 6 builds the basic subassemblies for the lower barrel and recoil system.  Step 7 mates the subassemblies and builds a 5 part photo etch (PE) sensor array that mounts to the top of the barrel.  The PE required a bit of work to bend and assemble accurately.  There is also a PE conduit/pipe that runs from the sensor to the rest of the subassemblies.  I could not get this to conform to the path along barrel so I replaced it with a length of fine lead wire.

  The lead wire isn't attached yet.

Step 8 adds the gun to the turret.  It was at this time I added all the hand rungs and ladder steps.  When adding these carefully remove them from the sprue to avoid any breakage, they are fairly thin and have a substantial sprue attachment gate. TAKOM does not supply any extras. I elected not to remove the gate remnants until the rungs were installed on the turret and the glue was dry. I then gently removed them with a sanding twig.  

It took about half the total build time to cut clean and add the rungs to the turret.  They have tiny attachment points and you have to align each rung's mounting angle by eye.  This step also has you add two PE conduits to the top of the recoil assembly.  I replaced these with lead wire for the same reasons I did earlier, I couldn't get the conduits to conform to the barrel.

It's time for paint...

This was a very simple paint job, basically 2 shades of grey and no masking.  I used Testors Model Master RAF Ocean Grey enamel paint for pre-shading and Testors Model Master Light Sea Grey for the overall turret color.  I find that Model Master enamel paint covers well and adheres well enough to the plastic so that a primer coat isn't required. 

I pre-shaded around all the doors, the base and the edges of all large flat surfaces as well as some random mottling on all the sides and top.  I sprayed a couple of thin coats (50/50 paint and thinner) over the entire model concentrating on the centers of each flat panel while still allowing the pre-shading and mottling to show through.

I didn't do any weathering.  All the pictures I could find showed the gun to be spotless and perfectly maintained.

One of the lead wire conduits can be seen on the side of the cylinder on top of the gun.

Conclusion:

This was a simple and a great change from the overly complicated kits I tend to build these days.  It was fun and quick to build.  Its simple construction would make this an excellent choice for beginners and a nice change of pace for more advanced modelers.

Highly Recommended for Beginner to Advanced builders.

Thanks goes out to TAKOM for this review kit.

Reviewed by Brian Campitella

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