RB Models

1/35 122mm D-30 L38 SPG T-34/D-30 For kits: Skif D-30 122mm Howitzer Maquette T-122 Egyptian 122mm Self-Propelled Howitzer Maquette T-34/D-30 Syrian 122mm Self-propelled Howitzer

Stock Number: RB Model 35B83

Reviewed By  Mark Aldrich, IPMS# 39295

MSRP: €8.58 EUR ($12.36 USD) Website: www.rbmodel.com If you are a tank builder then you know one of the most important pieces in the kit is the barrel. Getting the dang thing to line up right and removing the join seam has always been a bane to modelers. Jordi Rubio was an answer to many of us model builders back "in the day". Luckily, many kit manufacturers have pleased us by including metal barrels or using slide mold technology to improve the barrels that are included with kits. There are also many more barrel manufacturers out there to assist in barrels for kits that have not been revamped. Names like Barrel Depot, Armorscale, Model Point, and SMK are just few of the after market barrel makers. Some even give up a mantlet to go with it. RB Model is relatively new to the scene and offers some really nice barrels. I have heard that this company used to make the barrels for Armorscale before they went solo. I have bought a few things from them since I found out about them and their stuff is top notch. Until recently, if you wanted to build either of Maquette's D-30 guns, you were limited to only a few choices in gun and barrel design. You could use the stuff Maquette included in their kit. This was a resin barrel and solid cast muzzle brake. You could go (if you could find it for less than $100) and purchase Pit Roads 122mm gun and take the muzzle brake for your kit. You could also try resin casting your own (I did this and actually didn't turn out too bad). A few months ago, Tank Workshop made a resin master for use on this gun. RB Model I think is the best of all the worlds. You get a turned aluminum barrel, a brass muzzle brake, five brass collars, four brass washers, and a small photo etched sheet. The one down side is that you get no instructions. The barrel and its components arrive in a small zip lock baggy with a little sticker attached telling you what it is. Granted, some barrels are simpler than others and as long as you study your vehicle, you should have no problems. A word of caution on this particular barrel. Do not glue or weld the mounting recoil collars down until you thread the muzzle brake on. That's right….I said thread. The barrel and brake actually thread on to each other. Whether the threading is to scale or not, I have no clue. However, that is another neat feature to me. The barrel is also rifled, so taking the brake off might be an option for you. I personally think this is one of the best options for building your D-30. I would like to thank RB Model for making this barrel available, my wife Jerry for never questioning my purchases, and IPMS/USA for a place for us Tread Heads to be aware of all the neat new products out there in model land. You can purchase RB Model barrels just about anywhere on the net or at their own website www.rbmodel.com.