Master Model out of Poland, well-known for producing high-quality, precision after-market products, has recently released a German 2cm L50 KwK 38 Gun Barrel. This barrel is made to replace the ubiquitous AA and infantry support weapon found in a variety of 1/35th scale kits.

The barrel comes in two pieces of turned brass; a shaft and a delicately perforated cone that slips over the end of the shaft. The shaft is shorter than the standard 2cm L50 KwK 38 barrel and must be cut-in to the plastic using super glue.

I looked across my stash and found the following three comparison barrels:

• (DML) Dragon 6590 Flak 38(t) Ausf. M Late Production
• (TAS) Tasca Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. L “Luchs”
• (ITAL) Italeri 380 Opel Maultier with FlaK 38

I decided to upgrade my Tasca “Luchs” kit for this article. It came with a barrel that, coincidentally, was the narrowest of the three.

Assembly

Assembly of the brass barrel is a snap. The cone slips tightly over the shaft and only requires a dot of super-glue to keep it in place.

Cutting and drilling out the Tasca barrel to accept the Master Model end was more of a challenge since the diameter of the end of the brass barrel and the shaft of the plastic barrel were nearly identical. After carefully drilling a hole in the ‘female’ end using a 1.0mm drill (per the instructions), I had to file down the brass ‘male’ end so that fitting them together would not split the plastic.

Mating the two pieces using super glue worked fine and produced a perfect replacement for the original equipment.

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 glue.

I wish that the attachment end of the brass shaft would have been slightly smaller in diameter so that attaching it would have been easier, but in the end all went well.

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.