Montex/Master KAM series Releases

Feb 2010

• 1/32 KAM 32162  Bf 109E-3 - EDUARD

• 1/32 KAM 32113  SBD-5 DAUNTLESS - TRUMPETER

• 1/48 KAM 48156  SPITFIRE MkVIII & IX - HASEGAWA

• 1/48 KAM 48178  Bf-109G-6 - HASEGAWA

• 1/48 KAM 48169 Bf-109E-4 - TAMIYA

Available Scales : 1/48 + 1/32

Where to buy: http://www.montex-mask.com/html/distributors.htm

Montex and Master have teamed up to offer a series of Super masks combined with Barrel and/or Pilot tubes in one package to create their new "KAM series."

Montex offer one hundred and twenty- six sets in total - which is staggereing realy - all in 48th and 32nd scales - here i will look at Two sets in 32nd and Three sets in 48th scale

Firstly- and I don't like to bring this into any review equation - Price: These days what lots of our hobby comes down to is the price- the difference to buying one or indeed five bits of aftermarket detail comes down to whether  we can afford to add it or just bang away and try to replicate these bits with your own skills. The good  thing they have done with these sets is that Montex and Master have taken already available products and put them together in a  great combination set - imagine if you could get all of your after-market sets all in one package? that's an idea...

To get the Montex masks on their own (let's just say if you lived in Australia - this would be the worst case scenario because of postage costs ) it will set you back anywhere from AU$22 - AU$25.

Master Barrels sets In Australia - well if you can get them you can get these sets from AU$20 to AU$28.

The KAM series are selling in Australia form AU$28 - AU$32 for the 48th. AU$30 - AU$35 for the 32nd

Do the math yourself - it already looks promising doesn't it ?

Anyway let's get down to each set and the individual breakdowns, starting with the mask schemes then the  barrels and tubes in each....

32ND SCALE

KAM 32162  Bf 109E-3 - EDUARD kit:

This set comes with the Montex mask  to suit the Eduard  BF 109 E3 kit  as well as the Master barrels kit to suit the  Bf 109 E3 - E9, + T  armament set (MG 17 tips, MG FF barrels.

The masks include mask sheets for painting the canopy (inside & outside)

Mask sheets for painting the Markings and Insignias for two Luftwaffe aircraft - Bf 109E - both in RLM schemes of  71/65/70

Bf 109E-3, 3./JG 51, Winter 1939-1940

Bf 109E-3, 2./JGr 101, Fürstenwalde, August 1939

Both of these aircraft have the typical dark green splinter style camouflage of the earlier '109 marks that aren't really common in many boxings. The thing i like about these is the fact that they come with the inside and outside canopy masks which to paint by hand... and on the BF 109 in particular -  well let's not even waste that time on getting it wrong shall we!!

Detail of the masks is very fine around the nose art and i know from previous experience with these mass they are forgiving if not applied right first time.

The Master barrels are a very fine affair,  being of the thinnest scale reproduction at the barrel, and of correct shape all the way . I test fitted these on my own Eduard kit and found them to be a lot nicer on the eye than the kit ones. Nice.

KAM 32113  SBD-5 DAUNTLESS - TRUMPETER

This set comes with the Montex mask  to suit the Trumpeter SBD-5 Dauntless kit. The KAM kit includes:

6 Mask Sheets & Decals

2 Mask sheets for painting the canopy  (inside & outside)

4 Mask sheets for painting the Markings and Insignias for two Royal. New Zealand .A.F SBD-5 Dauntless:

SBD-5 Dauntless of 25th Dive Bomber Squadron, Piva, Bougainville, April 1944

SBD-5 Dauntless of 26th Dive Bomber Squadron, Piva, Bougainville, April 1944

The nose art on these  is great and this time supplied in the form of decals to get the very fines of detail. This as well as the interior and exterior of the canopy masking make for two very unusual schemes.

This comes with the Master Barrels set -AM-32-001. It includes 2x  Browning M2 aircraft .50 calibre (12.7mm) barrels  -  these were used in nearly every US fighter and bomber in WWII. The cooling jacket on these .50 cals needs to be seen to be believed, and this will look many times better than the trumpeter kit provided ones that i have ( I sampled them  from my Trump p-47 which has the cooling jackets erroneously added)  The scale thickness in these is spot on.

48TH SCALE

KAM 48156  SPITFIRE MkVIII & IX - HASEGAWA:

Comes with Montex mask  for two spitfires 1/48 Spitfire Mk VIII & IX  form:

The French LF Mk.IV, GC I/4 Dauphine - in Tan Son Nhut in  1947

The RAF Mk.VIII from  155 squadron posted in Burma

Both are great options and not very common in boxed offerings. Inside and outside canopy masks are included again here as well. I particularly like the RAF Mk.VIII here  is its contrast of colours is anything but usual. It's very unusual to see French indo china type represented here and many spit fans looking for an unconventional scheme will be well pleased. Masks are cut quite fine and are easy to separate from the backings.

Of course included is the  Master barrel kit - AM-48-004 for the Hasegawa kit of the  Supermarine Spitfire C wing -  With Hispano 20mm cannons in fairings.

You can clearly see the hollowed out endings in these cannon, it also gives you the option to install two or four cannon on each of these types.

KAM 48178  Bf-109G-6 - HASEGAWA

Comes with  Montex masks for 2 Luftwaffe BF 109G-6 machines both in great schemes:

Bf 109G-6 III/JG 53 Anzio area February  1944

BF 109G-6 12/JG 54 Uffz.  Fred Schneiker, Dorpat, early 1944

The Italian scheme is fairly standard and being in grey would be my choice, BUT The other  JG 54 winter white scheme from Dorpat - on the North- Eastern front is very interesting .

It is a layered camouflage with a base colour of RLM 74/75/76, then over sprayed with a colour which Montex thinks is RLM 71, THEN over sprayed with a winter white for winter sorties. This is a much more involved camouflage and requires a bit of skill to get right. This Mask set includes a spinner mask and as usual a interior and exterior canopy mask.

Included is the Bf 109 G5 - G14 + K armament set (MG 131 tips) & Pilot Tube which fit on all of the 48th scale kits of this aircraft type. A nice bonus if you need masks and barrels for separate kits. These are INCREDIBLY fine and it's a relief to actually have these parts without the constant worry of snapping a plastic part. Visibly obvious is the hollowed out barrels - wow.

KAM 48169 Bf-109E-4 - TAMIYA:

Comes with  Montex masks for two schemes from the excellent Tamiya kit:

BF 109E-4 JG 77 Lt. Wulf-Dieter Widowitz, Germany 1941

Bf 109E-4 From a training unit.

I have rarely ever seen a training unit markings, so  this is a very nice option to have. Indeed both are uncommon schemes and i am glad for one to have the choice. No matter how many choices we have it seems we always want more!  This set comes of course with an interior and exterior canopy mask  - i thought i had it hard in 32nd scale but 4th sheesh!

The Master barrels Bf 109 E3 - E9, T armament set (MG 17 tips, MG FF barrels) is included - and gee this is some fine work !  These barrels  can go on to ANY of this model kit in 1/48th, so that's a real bonus as well. They are so small it was very hard to even get a decent picture - and again it's reassuring to have these in a metal part instead of  a plastic part.

So what do we think?

Great masks and barrels combos, if you like to get a bargain for A.M. stuff (sure that's all of us) you will love the value AND  the convenience (not to mention combined postage price) of amalgamating  several of you aftermarket stuff in  one purchase.

Hard to score all of these  together but at as median score they are Great!

Overall 10/10

Adam Norenberg

Many thanks to Montex Masks for the sample used in this review.
Montex Masks can be bought from Cammett and A2Zee Models in the UK. Please check the Montex site for distributors in other countries