Master Model out of Poland, well-known for producing high-quality, precision after-market products, has recently released a set of .303 CAL Browning machine gun barrels for the recently released 1/32nd scale Avro Lancaster by HK Models. Each barrel comes in three pieces of turned brass; a shaft with hollowed out flash suppressor, a perforated sleeve that slips over the shaft, and a base ring that slips over the other end and into a (slightly drilled out) female receptacle in the plastic gun from the kit.

Assembly

Assembly of the brass barrel is a snap. The cone slips tightly over the shaft and the base ring only requires a dot of super-glue to keep everything together, and cemented into the receptacle of the HKM gun mount, which is just slightly smaller than the new barrel. This design allows the modeler the freedom to open up the mounting holes just slightly to insure a nice, tight fit.

I used Alclad II Gun Metal to paint the completed barrels, misting the lacquer paint on so the brass wouldn’t require a primer coat, preserving the fine detail.

Conclusion

I really love these Master Model products; they can turn your good model into a great one if you take your time and go easy on the adhesive. Too often brass and aluminum parts have a loose fit in the plastic they are supposed to mate with; not so with this product. You can carefully creep up on the ideal hole size with a circular file, until the barrel ‘chunks’ in. Perfect!

I would like to thank the good folks at Master Model for providing this product for review, and to IPMS USA for giving me the opportunity to review it.