The Danton class of predreadnoughts was, to say the least, quite unique looking, with five funnels and a total of eight turrets. A relatively esoteric subject like this
would be something that a resin kit producer would tackle, which
Combrig did several years ago (Steel Navy review of the Combrig kit). No one would have ever
expected that this ship would be available in an injection-molded kit, yet Hobby Boss did just that in 2016 (
Steel Navy review of the Hobby Boss kit). Now with wide
availability of kits, it would make sense to have a brass barrel set to enhance your build.
B&D Barrels stepped up to the plate and hit a home run.

B&D Barrels set for the Danton class is comprised of four 305mm barrels and twelve 240mm barrels. Now this set is really designed for use with the Hobby Boss
kit, since the barrels are long and designed for the hollow turrets. I have the
Combrig kit and my photos compare the brass barrels to the resin barrels and as you can
see the
B&D set are much longer. This is because the Combrig turrets are solid resin and the kit barrels are made to fit the shallow openings. You will have to drill
out the openings significantly to fit the turned brass replacements. But based on the photos, the extra effort will be worth it as the brass versions are more refined, to
scale and accurate. Also the resin barrels have a tendency to warp, which is starting to happen with the 305mm barrels.
The Danton Brass Barrel Set (BDB35074) will run you $45.00 with free shipping in the United States (a minor fee for shipping everywhere else). No matter which
side of the plastic versus resin kit camp you fall into, your model will benefit from this set. My thanks to B&D Barrels for providing the review sample.
Felix Bustelo
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