This set of finely turned stainless steel gun barrels for early U.S. Navy 8” gunned cruisers and carriers is the latest in a long line of superb replacement parts for 1/350 naval vessels. Each of the open-ended barrels is slightly tapered with very finely defined segmentations. The short stubs at the end of the barrel allows for easy insertion into the kit’s turret or blast bag. The accompanying comparison photos show the Master metal barrels next to the 8”gun kit parts from the Trumpeter Saratoga. The Master barrels are noticeably longer and, no doubt, more accurate than the kit parts.

This 48 page booklet is the answer to a maiden/builder’s prayers! There are ten parts to the book that cover all that the casual to dedicated builder can desire.

1. A survey of all the parts in the box.
2. A D.Va “quick” build for those not so inclined, to an in-depth build for those who are.
3. Step-by-step instructions accompanied by a plethora of very useful photographs.
4. A “walk around” section of photos of the actual aircraft.
5. A “décor” part with 12 alternate color schemes! However, decals are not provided in the kit for any of these.

Part 7 has info for what I would call super-detailing. Again, great photos accompany it with adequate instructions.

Part 9, Decals and Accessories, provides all the material needed for that super-detailing! I’ve already purchased the Pheon decals and the RB Productions rigging turnbuckles!

Here’s another of those little add-ons that can really make your project look good. It’s just one part, but with very little fiddling you can replace the kit part with a really good looking brass part. Airfix, Hasegawa, Heller, and Zvezda all have 1/72 MiG-23s, but I’ve only built the Hasegawa Flogger. Twice. Once as DDR (East German) and one Czech.

After I pulled the DDR plane off the shelf and washed all that dust off of it, I checked the pitot. I had replaced the Hasegawa plastic pitot with part of a straight pin, much more durable than the plastic part.

It was the work of only a few minutes to pull out the pin, ream the hole slightly, and insert the new pitot. It fits nicely, and with just a dot of CA, it stays in place.

After an application of flat black, the new pitot really looks good. I might say it looks sharp, as the point really is sharp. Be careful handling the plane, as you can puncture yourself with the new pitot.

This bimonthly magazine is a must for modelers (and aviation enthusiasts) interested in World War One aircraft. The magazine is published by Albatros Productions Ltd. in the UK, who also publish the great line of Windsock Datafiles and Specials.

The headline article in this issue covers an overview of various reproductions of actual World War One Aircraft. These include the OEF D.III, built in Austria, and the RAF RE8, the Albatros D.Va, the Fokker E.V, the RAF FE2b, and the Sopwith Pup, all built in New Zealand. Lots of great color photos of the aircraft are shown, including some valuable detail shots.

The next major article covers the scratchbuild of a 1/72 scale model of the Dornier RS.III Giant Flying Boat. This is a big, complex model with lots of rigging and struts, but the article does a great job of explaining how everything was done.

I have built several 1/32nd scale Phantoms, both Revell and the Tamiya versions, and have found the weakest and most fragile of all the parts are the pitot tubes and the tail probes (AOA). Thankfully, Master Model has come along with a very nice set of finely cast and turned items to replace these items.

In the short nose version set, you get three replacement detail parts to fit the F-4B, C, D, J, N, S, and all British versions of the Phantom. You get a pitot tube and RAM air inlet for the tail and an angle of attack (AOA) probe for the port side of the front fuselage. All appear to be turned brass of the highest quality.