Masterbox | MB3201: Famous Pilots of WWII Kit 1

Reviewed by Gino Dykstra

As a life-long aficionado of the larger scale aircraft, I always wondered why some company didn't jump in and make some companions to our fine steeds. Well, Master Box has finally done so, and as the kit name implies, there may be more to come. I certainly hope so.

Master Box has created a kit featuring six famous pilots, all in styrene and at an affordable price. The quality of sculpting is top-notch and comparable to most cast metal figures. My only niggling beef is that what is depicted on the box top does not EXACTLY match the kit contents. There were a modest few alterations to some of the figures for the sake of parts economy, and in the case of Johnson, the British pilot, his figure doesn't remotely resemble the box art. See the back cover for the differences.

I chose to assemble the kits to resemble as closely as possible the pictures on the front cover, which in some cases simply meant changing the suggested paint scheme, but in others adding some bits and pieces. Molders, for instance, only required a couple of additional straps added to the bottom of his life vest to match the photo. In Marcel"s case, I needed to trim off his gun belt and alter the painting somewhat. Lilia"s helmet needed a radio line trailing off, but was otherwise built "as box". Johnson was completely different, so I simply painted him in standard RAF colors rather than the desert colors suggested. Saburo Sakai was done as per kit, although for this figure they include some extra parts that make not a great deal of sense to me -- parts to make his helmet leads blowing in a strong wind. If there"s some significance to this addition, I have no clue, so I used the parts that most closely matched the cover illustration. Bong was the most difficult, as Master Box chose not to represent his oxygen mask, hose or radio leads. In addition, his pose is slightly off, as his left arm projects more in the original picture and doesn't cover his face. I scratched the oxygen mask and hose from an old Tamiya U.S. Equipment gas mask set, which worked quite well with the removal of the goggles. All the leads were fashioned from fine solder. The figure does, however, come with a separate cigar, which is a nice touch, although the oxygen mask and hose would have been more useful.

All in all, an extremely welcome addition to the world of 1/32nd scale aircraft modeling, and in the hands of a true figure expert, could be show-stopping additions to any aircraft display. I cannot recommend these figures strongly enough to us large-scale enthusiasts. You"re never going to get a better collection of truly historical pilots at a better price.

Masterbox | MB3201: Famous Pilots of WWII Kit 1

Reviewed by Gino Dykstra

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