This was done in conjunction with the Platz 1/144 F-5E/N kit which I also reviewed.

This set consists of a brass pitot, two 20mm guns, and a fairing which can replace one of the guns.

The upgrade is pretty simple. You get a .3mm drill. Remove the kit pitot and drill a hole there. The guns require a little more work, as there isn’t a good place to start drilling. I began by using a #1 blade to dig the guns out, then drilled the .3 mm holes. Then I installed the pitot and the guns. I had to use a little filler under the guns to get them looking good.

I painted the guns area with the same gray I used to paint the model, then highlighted the guns. I used Testors “Burnt Metal” for these, as I find gun metal to be too dark. The pitot was painted Neutral Grey along with the nose area. The Master pitot is about 1/3 the thickness of the kit pitot, so it’s more to scale.

And the project was done. Looks good.

Overall Evaluation: Recommended. If your 1/144 F-5 needs a new pitot, and the guns aren’t up to standards, this is what you’ve been looking for. The pitot is much stronger and a lot more to scale than the plastic parts, and much more durable. Also, the brass pitot is far easier to straighten, and won’t break like the plastic version.

Many thanks to Master Models for providing this product, and to IPMS USA for allowing me to review it.