Introduction

If aircraft modellers are cut from the same cloth as armour modellers, be it a different colour, then we all share something in common. That something is the desire to improve upon models via the addition of after market products. Many modellers adorn their models with photo etch and resin parts, and even purchase after market decals for their builds. Armour modellers are very keen on turned metal barrels for their builds and it is brass barrels for aircraft models that this review looks at.

Master Reality in Miniature have a very good selection of brass barrels in five scales, 1/24th, 1/32nd, 1/35th, 1/48th and 1/72nd scale. In addition to metal barrels they also have a fair selection of pitot tubes and radar aerial assemblies.

Contents

The product is packaged in a Ziploc bag with a card sleeve and card hanger. Inside the Ziploc bag is a sealed plastic bag with the barrels inside. In the back of this packaging there is also an instruction sheet.

Review

This product from Master Reality in Miniature consists of two turned brass barrels for the German aircraft machine gun MG 151 (20mm). The two turned brass barrels are very cleanly turned and look to be a very good match for the real thing; I especially appreciate that the small area of texture approximately 2 thirds from the front of the barrel has been replicated. To use these barrels is a simple case of removing the injection moulded plastic barrel and then inserting the brass barrel into a 1.0mm hole that you need to drill into the body of the weapon.

The German aircraft machine gun MG 151 (20mm) was used on the Messerschmitt Me 109 F4 series on and the Fw 190, 800 of these guns were exported to Japan and used to arm the 388 Japanese Ki-6 ‘Hien’. From memory as I could not find the reference I believe this weapon was also used some later Stuka dive bombers and there may be others. The German aircraft machine gun MG 151 (20mm) had a questionable service with the Luftwaffe due to it coming into service at a stage of the war where they were fighting heavy bombers of the Allies, it just never had the hitting power required to quickly dispatch an Allied heavy bomber. Regardless of that the weapon system had a use after World War Two being put to use by the French Air Force.

Conclusion

This is by far the simplest barrel from Master Reality in Miniature I have looked at to date, only requiring the removal of the injection moulded plastic barrel and a hole drilled in the MG body to take the pin of the barrel.

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