Was browsing online thru a pile of these and my main question are these done for a specific manufacturer (ie Tamiya, Dragon etc) or should one marked Tiger 1 Late work across the board? I recall seeing another companies listing on a different website and they were breaking it down further to mantle types, production runs and kit companies (I think). At an average cost of $15 each I just don’t want to order a whole bunch for future builds and not have the correct kit. Insights welcome, I know there are several fella’s here that have spoken highly of them and I just used an aluminum one on Tamiya’s Stug III B and it looks amazing. Thanks guys
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Aber will mark clearly on each product which manufacturers the barrel is compatible with, but they generally have a barrel for your kit.
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Aber barrels are excellent. If it doesn’t specify (i.e. “for Tamiya”) then the barrel will fit any kit. Most barrels are universal.
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Their barrels are great, though I got a late 30mm Bushmaster, and the muzzle brake was all sorts of mangled. I’m not sure if it was the shipping that did it, or it was like that from the factory, but I think I can use the muzzle brake from the kit, and the barrel from Aber.
Do you use them even if a kit includes a one piece slide molded one? I’m not thinking twice about kit w 2 half’s to a barrel, those I’ll swap out for sure from now on. I’m trying to slowly accumulate aftermarket stuff for the stash of future builds so I’m trying to prioritize add ons.
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Well? If the kit has a 2-piece barrel, I’ll use an AM barrel. If the kit has a 1-piece, like the Takoms, or a sectioned barrel. Like the MENG, I’ll stick with the kit’s barrel.
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Overall excellent ones and a must if the kit doesn’t include a one piece barrel.
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Since you used Tiger I as example.
This is how Dragon has designed their plastic pieces:
This is how Tamiya solved it:
A metal barrel designed to replace Tamiya parts A1 and A2 could be difficult to fit
into part A20 on the Dragon kit (MB4 by Dragon is a metal spring, recoil spring …sigh)
The real thing is only one design, different model kit designers will translate the real
thing into plastic in different ways.
AFV-Club is similar to Tamiya but the AFV-Club mantlet has a cylindrical hole straight through the mantlet part while Tamiya has a semicircle “key” in the bottom of the mantlet hole
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If a barrel is halved, I buy an aluminum barrel for it; today while they’re in production. If the kit barrel is one piece or round sectioned, I use the kit barrel.
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Thanks fella’s, makes my purchase list smaller and more refined. I’ve found no matter how long I carefully work them I’m never quite satisfied w 2 piece ones. And SSSToms, I like your advice there too…“while they’re in production”, very sound advice. Robin, I don’t mind doing some surgery or shimming if I inadvertently grab the wrong one (or it becomes an excuse to buy the right kit to match the barrel).
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“Have barrel, will buy kit”
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Exactly like i do.
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