Master Model has a line of finely done brass parts which upgrade the kit they’re designed for. These parts are great if you have an accident and one of the cannons breaks off. The other possibility is AMS, as the machine guns are far superior in detail to the little nubs provided on the kit wing. See the parts comparison below.

The Spitfire IXe had a pair of 20mm cannons in the wing. These had been moved outboard to allow more ammunition for the Browning .50 caliber machine guns. The cannons stuck pretty far out from the wing, but the Brownings barely showed. The “fix” for the Brownings was to put the muzzle inside a tube which extended from the wing.

The kit contains six parts, two cannon barrels, two .50 muzzles and the wing tubes for the Brownings. The cannons for the early e wing were conical in shape. The later e wing had a more elliptical shape for the cannon fairings. This kit has the “late” cannons.

Assembly

I started with an Eduard Spitfire LF IXe which I had previously finished. The first part of the project is to remove the kit guns. I did this with a sprue cutter. This left me with two pretty easily seen spots on both wing leading edges. I used a #11 blade to make a dimple which would guide the drill. I used my .25 mm drill to make pilot holes. I then finished the drilling with a larger drill, although smaller than the .8 mm Master recommends. Once the holes were drilled, I had to clean up the edges, as the drill left some residue. While I did this, I used my finest round file and a #11 blade to better center the holes top to bottom.

I used gel-type CA to hold the cannon and guns in place in the wing. I used accelerator, which caused the glue to turn white. Painting fixed this.

Painting

I used a fine brush with Model Master paints to match the previously painted Spitfire wing.

Overall Evaluation

I marvel as Master Model’s ability to turn out such fine parts. I am also amazed at how well the gun muzzles fit into the tubes. Recommended.

Many thanks to Master Model for the review item, and to IPMS USA for allowing me to review it.