This is the tenth item that I have reviewed from Master Model, a Polish company that specializes in brass detail parts, typically in the form of gun barrels, antennas, and pitot tubes. This new 72^nd scale release is designed for the Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) Kfir (lion cub), and replaces the kit supplied Pitot tube as well as providing an angle of attack (AOA) probe missing from the kit. No kit is mentioned for installing these parts onto, so for comparison purposes, I have put the Testors/Italeri release (kit 630) to use. As with the other releases from Master Model, these parts will dramatically improve the appearance of your plane.

The IAI Kfir was developed as an all-weather, multi-purpose aircraft based in part on the French Dassault Mirage. The same General Electric J79 engine used in the McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II, which conveniently, Israel had a license to manufacture, powered the aircraft. My interest in the plane came in the late 1980’s as I was living in Virginia Beach and saw the F-21A variant in the skies from time to time. The F-21A was a modified Kfir C.1 leased to the US Navy and Marine Corps for use in aggressor squadrons for dissimilar aircraft training.

This new release from the Air Master line of Master Model detail sets comes with two pieces of brass consisting of a pitot tube, and an angle of attack probe. The Pitot tube will replace the plastic kit part, but the AOA probe will be an addition for an item not represented on the kit. As with the previous Master Model items that I have reviewed, these are very impressive parts, and their addition will make a 1/72 scale Kfir a truly impressive showpiece. The detail is very crisp with the brass items, and the work required to install them will be minimal. Directions are on a single sheet of folded paper, and they are relatively easy to follow.

For my hits of this detail set, I again will mention that the parts show great detail for this scale, and that they are a nice upgrade to the plastic Pitot tube provided in the kit, and provide an item typically overlooked in this scale. The Pitot tube will be a one-for-one replacement, requiring that the kit part be cut off and a small hole drilled, whereas the AOA probe will simply require drilling a hole. The Master Model directions provide adequate detail to the builder, and this includes the recommended drill bit sizes.

I have no valid miss for this release itself. I would suggest using a photograph of the real plane to double check the exact position of the AOA probe if using the Testors/Italeri kit as the kit panels do not match the drawing in the instructions exactly.

Overall, I would highly recommend this detail set to anyone wanting to improve his or her 1/72 scale Kfir. The only challenges that I could see in using this detail set would be the removal of the molded Pitot tube. Due to the work required as well as the small and intricate nature of the parts, I would recommend that a person have some previous experience with small detail items.

I would like to thank the folks at Master Model for providing this set to the IPMS-USA for review, to Dave Morrissette, who runs the review corps, for selecting me to assess this detail set, IPMS USA and to you for taking the time to read my comments.