The USS Arizona is one of the most widely known and publicized battleships in US Naval history. As such, there have been many kits produced of the Arizona. Of those, one kit stands out. In late 2010, Trumpeter released the massive 1/200 scale USS Arizona. With such a large scale, it comes as no surprise that there have been numerous aftermarket detail sets released, including a set from Trumpeter.

• Main Armament – SM-200-001, $21.49
• Secondary and AA – SM-200-002, $18.99

Master Model has established themselves as the leader in turned metal barrels. Their attention to detail and accuracy has earned them a top spot in the aftermarket world. Recently, Master released two new sets designed for the 1/200 Arizona. I already had the base kit and the Trumpeter upgrade set (both of which contain metal barrels), so I was interested in seeing what Master had done. And I was not disappointed.

The first set from Master contains the Arizona’s 14-inch main turret guns. The Trumpeter kit comes with turned aluminum barrels, but a side-by-side comparison with the Master barrels easily shows the difference. The Master barrels are a bit longer, have the correct “flare” at the muzzle, and have the step down located closer to the middle of the barrel. A comparison with blueprints and photos show the Master barrels to be much more accurate.

The second set from Master is for the secondary guns and includes the 5-inch/51 guns, 5-inch/25 guns, and the Browning .50 cal guns [26 barrels total]. The Trumpeter upgrade set includes brass barrels for the two 5-inch gun sets; however they appear to be the same dimensions as the kit’s plastic barrels. The Master barrels have the correct scale length and diameter as well as the correct taper and flare. The Master .50 call barrels are a nice touch, as the kit barrels are molded with the gun and mount and need a little clean up. And of course, the metal barrels have crisp detail while the plastic is a little soft.

Overall, as a ship modeler, I highly recommend Master Model’s new barrel sets for the 1/200 USS Arizona. With a highly recognizable ship, and in such a large scale, detail and accuracy become a major issue. And the Master barrels have the detail and are much more accurate than anything else I’ve come across. My thanks to Master Model for providing the review samples and to IPMS/USA for allowing me to review them. Happy Modeling!!