One of the perks about being a member of the IPMS/USA Review Corps is that occasionally you get pre-notification from a manufacturer on their latest releases. Along with this notification comes the opportunity to order, for review, any of those newer items. Such an opportunity was recently presented to reviewer corps members by Master Model of Poland.

Master Model of Poland is a company that was created by a passion for modeling. Their focus is on providing metal details to give the modeler the opportunity to build replicas of the originals. Their turned brass and aluminum items include gun barrels (naval, armor, and aircraft), antenna sets, ship masts, and aircraft pitot tubes. These items range in scale from 1/700^th to 1/24^th.

Direct Website:

• Cartridges: https://www.master-model.pl/product/gm-35-021.html
• Empty shells: https://www.master-model.pl/product/gm-35-020.html

Kit Made For:

• any 1/35^th scale application

Two of the newer Master Model items that I selected are from their Ground Master Series. These include 1/35^th scale Browning .50 cal. cartridges and 1/35^th scale Browning .50 cal. empty shells (casings). There are twenty-five pieces of each item in the packages. With that many items you should have plenty to scatter about on any diorama or vignette you wish to consider. One caution: Owing to the size of these pieces, be sure to take care opening the plasticine bag to avoid them becoming permanent fixtures in your carpet.

Both sets are 1/35^th scale shells made from brass and are exquisite. The Browning .50 cal. shells have an in-scale demarcation line between the shell casing and the bullet while the empty shells are hollowed out at the neck. My magnifying device couldn't provide any detail of the base of the empty shells, but I wouldn't be surprised to find dimpled primers. Both the .50 cal. shells and empties also have nice detail on the rim of the base of the shell case. That attention to detail from Master Model is evidenced even on such simple pieces as these. Something that the company should be proud of. All of their products, that I have ever examined, fall into that same category.

I have shown these items to a friend and we came up with one plausible explanation as to how these items are manufactured. Somewhere in Southeastern Poland lies a small, wooded hamlet populated almost exclusively by gnomes. The gnomes spend their work days hunkered over small lathes in a small machine shop on the outskirts of that town, merrily cranking out these 1/35^th scale Browning .50 cal. shells and empties. Or, it could just be some cool computer-driven, laser-guide tooling machine in the middle of Warsaw. But I kinda like the gnome story.... Either way these accessory items will be a welcome addition to your next modeling project.

My thanks to Master Model of Poland and IPMS/USA for these review samples.