Master-Model released these closely related aftermarket barrel + pitot upgrade sets for the early (i.e. B/C/MkII) 1/32 P-40 tool that exists. The two upgrade sets, designated U.S. Version and British Version respectively, are so closely related that it makes sense to review them both at the same time. I have the Hobby Craft kit (Trumpeter tool re-boxed with AVG decals) and a good friend of mine has the Trumpeter kit which sports the British markings on the box top – so I had a keen interest in looking at these Master-Model offerings and comparing the components to their kit counterparts. My sincere thanks to Master-Model for providing these sets for review through the IPMS USA Reviewer Corps.

About the Item

What we have here is a very detailed replacement propeller, hub and mechanism for the recently released Revell FW-190 F-8 Kit.

What’s in the Box?

The box comes with a total of 7 resin pieces of light and dark gray color and one photoetch template. These parts are designed to replace the Revell parts, which are nice, but not nearly as detailed as the Eduard Brassin line of resin accessories.

These propeller parts are in my opinion a must and very cheap quality add-on for modelers who would prefer a little more realism and quality in their masterpiece.

History Brief

The Fw 190F-8 was based on the A-8 Fighter, having a slightly modified injector on the compressor which allowed for increased performance at lower altitudes for several minutes.

Armament of the Fw 190 F-8 was two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon in the wing roots and two 13 mm (.51 in) MG131 machine guns above the engine. It was outfitted with an ETC 501 Bomb rack as centerline mount and four ETC 50 bomb racks as underwing mounts.

Set Contents

• 1 x 32372 Fw 190F-8 Landing Flaps 1/32
• 1 x 32842 Fw 190F-8 Interior S.A. 1/32
• 1 x 32843 Fw 190F-8 Seatbelts 1/32
• 1 x JX181 Fw 190F-8 Painting Mask

Set 32372: Landing Flaps

Starting with the first photo etch set I commenced cutting the parts from the plastic kit and preparing them for modification, and boy I was not prepared for the work that lay ahead of me. It was very detailed and precise to the very end so close attention is required.

When I was a kid of about eleven living in Lincoln, Nebraska, I used to regularly visit one special park there. That's because not only did they have an open Sherman tank you could crawl around on, but a real live ex-Korean Corsair. I spent many a happy Saturday afternoon inside the cockpit or wandering over the wings of that aircraft, and ever since then I've had something of a love affair with this bent-wing beauty.

As a modeler, I translated this love into 1/32nd scale ever since high school. I've built the Revell kit too many times to mention, the 21st Century Toys version and the Trumpeter version. However, nothing I have ever seen compares to the quality of the Tamiya rendition of this bird.

This is a re-issue of a kit first issued in 2015. It is an excellent kit in the Hasegawa range and is very easy to build as long as you watch the instruction details carefully.

In the box is:

• 2 x black rubber sprues
• 2 x orange sprues
• 1 clear sprue
• 2 x light grey sprues
• 3 x dark grey sprue
• 1 length of hose
• 1 decal sheet
• 4 x poly caps
• 1 mesh sheet
• 2 x springs
• 1 instruction booklet
• 1 collector card

The sprues are extremely well molded with no flash and great detail. The parts are all molded in the correct colors so if the build is done well there is no need to do much painting.

Construction

Stage 1 Assembly begins with the female driver, I left the arms off as these need to be positioned correctly once in the cabin seat.