The 20mm Oerlikon gun is arguably the most ubiquitous piece of ship-borne armament. Because of this, there have been almost as many 1/350 scale versions of this gun from numerous producers. Now entering into the fray is North Star Models with two different sets: a tripod mounted version and pedestal mounted version. Originally the 20mm Oerlikon was fitted on pedestal mounts but they were heavy especially with the gun shield fitted. Tripods mounts were utilized as a weight-saving measure when this was a factor.
The North Star pedestal mounted version is a multimedia set with photo-etch guns parts and resin pedestals. The photo-etch parts include the actual guns, the cradles with the shield supports, the shields and hand wheels. There are some rings included, the purpose of which is not clear as they are not referenced in the instructions. However, after looking at some photos, I think they may be the base rings for the pedestals. Assembly looks to be a bit tricky. The actual gun part requires a lot of folding –first the two halves of the guns are folded together. The circular ammo magazine needs to have the faces folded at 90° and the cover folded over. The shoulder rests are folded into position as well as the gun sight. There is a good amount of relief etching but the guns sights on a couple of the guns didn’t etch through completely. The resin pedestals are adequate but I think they could have been done a little better. Enough parts are provided to make twelve pedestal mounted guns.
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