Fairey Firefly Hispano 20mm Cannons (Three Patterns)

Master, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Mark Davies

Eduard's 1/48 scale MiG-21R Interior is available online from Squadron.com

If ever there was review where pictures replaced the need for words, then I think that this must be it. However, a few words are still probably in order.

20mm cannon barrels on many British WW2 and post-war subjects are easy to take for granted,  despite the fact that they are not always represented as well as they might be in injected styrene kits. This certainly applies to types where the cannon barrels were exposed so that their recoil springs are visible, as with some Hurricanes, Whirlwinds, and of course Fireflies; the last being the subject of the items reviewed here. In the case of faired cannons, injected kits also sometimes fail to have perfectly round-section fairings or a very fine barrel tip; and of course, the muzzles must be carefully drilled out to look their best.

The Polish company Master Model has come to the rescue with an incredible range of correctly scaled turned brass cannons for several subjects (as well as a stunning range of machine gun barrels, pitot tubes, and refuelling probes). 

This first look is at three 20mm Hispano cannon variations applicable to different Fairey Firefly variants. Master offers three cannon packages covering the Fairey Firefly, with exposed barrels and long or short fairing styles.
Each cannon package comes in a small resealable cellophane bag, which, along with a folded sheet of instructions, and is further enclosed in a zip-lock plastic bag. This outer bag is stiffened with a card insert to protect the contents from bending, and is topped off with a stapled card header. The instructions are clear and thorough; indentifying the size drill-bit required for the mounting holes, and the length that the fairings should protrude from the wing’s leading edge.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 

Thumbnail panels:

The uncovered barrel set has a choice of two fairing styles, and will be fiddley to assemble. Believe me when I say you do not want to risk losing these parts to the carpet monster! Otherwise, these cannon sets should be straightforward to use.

Master’s three Fairey Firefly cannon sets are exquisitely machined, and of superb quality. The uncovered barrel set is simply stunning. Master enables average modellers to achieve a level of scale finesse previously the preserve of masters.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Master for the review samples.

Review Text Copyright © 2015 by Mark Davies
Page Created 18 March, 2015
Last updated 18 March, 2015

Back to HyperScale Main Page

Back to Reviews Page