For ship modelers looking to improve the look of their USS Independence (LCS-2) or USS Coronado (LCS-4) in 1/700 scale, the folks at Master Model now offer a set that includes aerials and a replacement gun barrel that look fantastic. The folks at Cyber-Hobby/Dragon did a great job of representing the kits in plastic, and these brass detail parts add a very nice touch. Modelers with experience handling small items should have no issues with utilizing this set.

All of the items in this kit directly replace kit-provided parts, specifically parts 10, 26, 28, 31, and the gun barrel on part 27. All of the aerials will mount directly in place of the plastic ship parts, and the gun barrel will just require removing the plastic barrel and drilling a 0.3 mm hole to accept the replacement barrel. Master Model does a great job of setting up the packaging to hold the items in separate sections of the bag, and from the bottom working up, the parts are in order from 1 through 4 with the gun barrel being on top. Note that there are two parts numbered 3 in the set as well as three parts numbered 4. Be cautious when removing the items from the packaging, and when handling them (especially the tapered aerials) as it is very easy to bend the brass items.

My hits are that once again, the folks at Master Model have released some very finely detailed replacement parts for the 1/700 scale ship modeler. The fine taper is clearly visible on the appropriate aerials, and the ones that step down in diameter look great as well. The barrel is so finely made that the end is actually opened up (if you are an aging modeler like myself, you will need some magnification to see this). I have no miss for this detail set.

Overall, I would highly recommend this detail set to anyone wanting to improve his or her 1/700 scale LCS-2 or LCS-4. The installation of the aerials is a simple swap for the kit parts, and the gun barrel requires minimal preparation of the kit part to accept the replacement barrel. I am not certain why the set title includes “masts” as there are none provided. As you can see in the photographs, the replacement parts are a great improvement over the plastic items provided in the kit.

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, and to you for taking the time to read my comments.