Master Model of Poland has come out with brass barrels in 1/72 scale for the P-47 Thunderbolt. This is the second issue in the Air Master 72 series and a handy one it is! These brass barrels are small at only .0315” in diameter and .4055” in length, yet each front end is drilled out to a depth of .020”. One simply has to cut off the original plastic barrel, drill a hole using a #67 drill (.0320”) and insert the brass barrel and use cyanoacrylate adhesive to bond it in. The instruction sheet provides a drawing to help in getting the length of the protruding barrel correct. I took out my Tamiya P-47 Thunderbolt kit and tried these barrels out on one set of wing guns. Drilled out and inserted one barrel at a time and I had no problems (see photos).

I can highly recommend this P-47 brass barrel set for anyone who is looking for the most realistic appearance for their model. I want to thank IPMS/USA and Master Model for the opportunity to review this product.