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1/350 3D Printed Mark 28 Gun Directors |
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Reviewed
by
Martin J Quinn |
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| A web search on the Mk
28 director says (this may be AI generated): "The
Mk 28 Fire Control Director was a U.S. Navy optical
director used in World War II to guide main battery
guns, particularly the 5-inch/38 caliber dual-purpose
guns on destroyers, cruisers, and other surface ships.
It was part of the Mark 37 Gun Fire Control System,
which combined the Mk 28 director with the Ford Mark
1A Fire Control Computer and gyroscopic stabilization.
The Mk 28 director was mounted high on the ship’s
superstructure for an unobstructed view of the target.
It measured range and bearing of the target using
optical sights, and these instantaneous measurements
were fed to the Mk 1A computer. The computer
calculated the firing solution—range, elevation, and
azimuth—accounting for factors like wind, temperature,
and gun barrel wear Wikipedia. The Mk 28 then
transmitted these corrections to the gun mounts,
allowing the guns to track and engage moving
targets."
Red Devil Designs offer numerous upgrades for US Navy ships in 1/350, including this set of directors, which were shipped aboard the New Orleans class cruisers. |
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| RED DEVIL NEW ORLEANS CLASS FUNNELS | |||||||||
| My directors were part
of a larger order, so they were package together with
other items, taped to the lid of an upside down plastic
container. These can be purchased separately as a
set from Red Devil, via their eBay store.
There are four directors funnels per print raft. The details on these are good - there are seats inside the director, and what I assume are the periscopes have much better definition than injected molded versions. These definitely better than the plastic versions found in the Trumpeter San Francisco. There are some visible print lines, especially under magnification when photographed. They are not as prominent to the Mk1 (modified) eyeball. Hopefully a coat of primer should hide them. |
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| CONCLUSIONS | |||||||||
| Overall, I like these
directors. Detail is good, and the print lines are
not really obvious to the naked eye. They are
definitely an upgrade over the kit parts, as you can see
in the photos above. These will be a nice addition
to a variety of older resin and plastic kits on the New
Orleans-class that used these directors.
This is Red Devil Designs, 1/350 3D Printed Mk33 Gun Directors (x4). They are priced at $10.95 USD per set, and are available directly from Red Devil Designs, via their eBay Store. That is where I purchased mine (along with a host of other items). Recommended. |
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