This set provides a replacement pitot tube for the Trumpeter Su-24 Fencer kits. The set includes two brass parts and one resin part. The brass parts provide the circular tubes of the front and back of the pitot tube and the resin part replicates the fine vanes and protrusions commonly seen on Soviet pitot tubes.

The packaging for the set is really well thought-out as the brass parts are in separate pockets from the resin part and the resin part is contained in a small foam square that is lined with good sticky tape on the back side to keep the resin part from floating around, which is good as the resin parts are very delicate.

Construction is very simple, with one caveat. The instructions have a small detail diagram indicating that the there is a step between the pitot tube base and the nose of the Fencer. According to the instructions, the brass pitot tube base should be larger than the kit nose at the mounting point, and advises the modeler to sand down the tip of the nose cone on the kit until it is smaller than the brass base part. However, in looking at the Trumpeter box art and several of my reference books, it appears to me that the nose cone is actually larger than the mount for the pitot, so there is no need to sand down the kit parts, as that is what you get out of the box. I recommend you check reference materials for the Fencer you are building and make your own decision as to whether or not the instructions are correct. I don’t think they are, but I have never seen a real Fencer either!

Once you have mounted the base part of the pitot, construction is simple as the nose tip slides through the resin part and then into the base. Check your alignment carefully as the thin shaft that slides into the other two parts is easily bent and may need to be gently straightened out. I would not glue the resin part on until you are able to set the model on its gear as the fins on the pitot tube have a specific orientation with the hook shaped antennas being horizontal and parallel to the ground. Once you have the correct orientation a small dab of thin superglue should be all that is needed to finish construction.

Master Model’s craftsmanship on this set is outstanding. The vanes and other things sticking out of the nose pitot are exquisitely molded and are a vast improvement over the kit part. Highly recommended!

Thank you to Master Model for the review sample and to IPMS-USA for letting me review it.