Introduction

The 4 inch/45 QF Mark V gun came into service around 1914. The original weapon was intended to be a low angle weapon but it was later decided to adapt it to a high angle (HA) weapon for air defence. This change over occurring towards the end of WW1. From the end of WW1 until the late 1930 the Mk V was fitted to the majority of Capital Ships and Cruisers in the Royal Navy. Those guns that were removed towards the end of the 1930s were later to be reused on many British Warships including all P and Q Class Destroyers. They were also use on some Dido Class Cruisers and early Battle Class destroyers.

I am not a Naval Historian so my knowledge of the weapon is limited and neither do I have accurate scale drawing to compare the kit to, therefore this review is very much an ‘in box’ one giving you an overview the parts and instructions. As best I can tell the CMK kit represents a Mk V QF HA Gun.

The kit

The kit comes packed in a sturdy box with a bright coloured paper top showing the product and manufacturers details. The parts are cast in polyurethane grey and come packed in 3 zip plastic bags. The parts looked free from any damage or cause for concern.

The instructions are on a 4 page A5 side sheet showing the part numbers and what looks like a fairly logical build sequence. There are 5 build steps to completing the kit. The instructions show just 63 parts to construct the gun therefore this should be a fairly quick build.

The detail on the parts looks very good. You will need a sharp razor saw to remove some of the pour plugs that are quite big and there are a number of small parts such as the handles on the hand wheel and breech assembly you will need to be careful not to loose to the carpet monster. There was some over spill form the pout on the turning handles and several of the small fitting that may need cleaned up so some small drill bits will come in handy. The barrel is pre drilled and the detail on the overall gun looks accurate.

A small PE fret containing aiming sights is included to round off the build and the dials and sights are very well done.

I had no major problems in the build, you will need to refer to the box art for placement of a couple of parts and there are some struts to add under the side platforms which could be better indicated in the instructions, so mine are where I felt they might be.


The biggest difficulty with the build were the side railings. I replaced these with bent brass wire, not for any other reason than the larger of the two fractured in two places as I was removing it from the pour stub. There was a bit of overspill that caused the problem and I though trying to stick it back together again and clean it up was more effort than trying to make a replacement. Other than that the kit goes together well. I left the small fittings until the last and the box picture is quite handy as a reference point although a picture of the other side would be useful also as I wasn't 100% sure at what angle the breech block opening handle was supposed to sit.

I've included a few pictures at the bottom of the review of the built kit with a figure for scale.

Conclusion

This would appear to be a very acceptable kit. Not that difficult a build until you reach the railings, but for those who deal with these all the time it shouldn't really be a problem.

I cannot comment on it’s accuracy but is should make for an interesting build and I was very please to see a manufacturer producing 1/35 scale items in this field.

As a stand alone kit it will make a nice unusual display, or it could be incorporated onto a part deck. There seems to be some indication that some were redeployed for coastal defence but this is still under investigation.

The kit doesn’t come with any ammunition so you may need to improvise there.

Normal safety precautions apply.

Further information can be found here:Tony DiGiulian Live links