This is another of those little parts from Master Model of Poland which can save your model. In this case, it’s the refueling probe on the 1/144 Vulcan. The kit part is plastic. It sticks out there most of an inch in front of the rest of the aircraft, just inviting someone to bump it and break it off. With this metal replacement, you won’t have to worry about that. In fact it could cause injury, as it’s finer than a straight pin, and if you hit it, it could hurt.

The Part

What you get in the package is a small piece of finely turned metal. I’m not sure if this is brass, as it’s silver colored.

The instructions say to remove the kit probe from the base part and drill the hole in the base part. Since I had already finished this Vulcan, I didn’t think I could do that. But when I cut the kit probe off, the base was loose. So much for my gluing skills.

Installation

I used a #11 blade to make a starting point for the drill. I then drilled out the hole. I used a .25 mm drill, and it was big enough. If I had used a .40 mm drill, it would have been as big as the part I was drilling into.

After I test fit the hole, and it was big enough and deep enough, I put a dab of gel-type CA on the end of the metal probe and put it in the hole. I used accelerator to get the part to stay.

Evaluation

Highly recommended. This part will stand up to just about any 12-year old who fails to read the “Do Not TOUCH” signs. The metal part is more detailed than the kit part, so it adds to the model.

Many Thanks to Master Model for the upgrade set, and to IPMS USA for allowing me to kid proof my Vulcan.