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Elevate your 1/72 scale tank and military vehicle builds with premium aftermarket upgrade components from leading manufacturers including Clear Prop, Master Model, and CMK. This specialized collection features precision-engineered metal gun barrels, resin wheel sets, detail parts, and upgrade components designed to transform standard kit builds into museum-quality replicas. Each component addresses specific accuracy issues found in injection-molded kits, providing the dimensional precision and surface detail that discerning armor modelers demand.
The collection includes essential upgrades such as turned metal gun barrels with hollow muzzles and rifling detail, replacement wheel sets featuring accurate tread patterns and hub details, and specialized components like radiators, muzzle brakes, and crew figures. Clear Prop offers resin detail sets including Kubelwagen Type 82 wheel sets, ZIS-5 wheel sets, and vehicle-specific radiators, while Master Model provides turned brass and aluminum gun barrels for British, German, American, Italian, and Soviet armored fighting vehicles. CMK contributes photo-etched details, resin wheels, and crew sets that enhance popular kits from Trumpeter, Revell, and other manufacturers.
These aftermarket components are engineered for straightforward installation, typically requiring only basic modeling skills and tools. Metal gun barrels replace kit-supplied plastic parts that often lack proper bore depth or suffer from ejector pin marks, while resin wheels provide superior detail compared to simplified kit parts. Whether you're building World War II classics like the Panther, Tiger, Sherman, or Churchill, or modern vehicles such as the M-142 HIMARS, you'll find precision upgrades that elevate accuracy and visual impact. Explore complete armor kits in our 1/72 scale model tanks collection, and discover how combining quality kits with precision aftermarket parts creates award-winning results that showcase your modeling expertise.
Modern injection-molded tank kits in 1/72 scale offer impressive detail and engineering, yet certain components remain challenging to replicate accurately in plastic due to manufacturing limitations. Gun barrels molded in two halves often feature visible seam lines and lack the hollow bore depth that characterizes real artillery pieces. Wheels simplified for production efficiency may omit subtle tread patterns, bolt details, and hub configurations that contribute to authentic appearance. Aftermarket manufacturers address these limitations through specialized production techniques that capture details impossible to achieve in mass-produced plastic kits.
The investment in quality aftermarket parts pays dividends in competition judging, photographic documentation, and personal satisfaction with completed models. Judges and experienced modelers immediately recognize the difference between kit-supplied gun barrels and precision-turned metal replacements. The visual impact of properly detailed wheels, accurate muzzle devices, and refined surface details elevates models from good to exceptional, demonstrating a builder's commitment to authenticity and craftsmanship.
Master Model's turned brass and aluminum gun barrels represent the gold standard for armor model armament. Each barrel is precision-machined on computer-controlled lathes, ensuring dimensional accuracy that matches technical drawings and photographic references. The hollow bore extends to realistic depth, creating the shadowed interior visible on actual artillery pieces. Rifling detail, when appropriate to the subject, adds another layer of authenticity appreciated by knowledgeable observers and visible in close-up photography.
The metal construction provides structural rigidity that prevents the drooping common with long plastic gun barrels, particularly important for tank destroyers and self-propelled guns featuring extended-length weapons. Installation typically involves drilling out the kit's gun mantlet to accept the metal barrel, a straightforward modification that dramatically improves the model's most prominent feature. The collection includes barrels for iconic weapons systems including the German 7.5cm PaK 40, British QF 17-pounder, American 3-inch M7, and Soviet 76.2mm guns, covering the primary armament of most World War II armored fighting vehicles.
Clear Prop's resin wheel sets address one of the most visible yet frequently simplified areas of armor models. Kit wheels often feature shallow tread patterns, simplified hub details, and generic appearances that fail to capture the distinctive characteristics of specific vehicle types. Resin casting technology enables reproduction of fine details including tire sidewall markings, bolt patterns, hub configurations, and the subtle variations that distinguish different wheel types and production batches.
The Kubelwagen Type 82 wheel set exemplifies this attention to detail, capturing the distinctive tread pattern and hub design of this iconic German light vehicle. Soviet vehicle enthusiasts will appreciate the ZIS-5 wheel sets that replicate the characteristic appearance of this ubiquitous Red Army truck. These resin components install easily, typically requiring only removal of kit wheel hubs and attachment of the replacement parts with cyanoacrylate adhesive.
CMK's photo-etched brass and resin detail sets provide comprehensive upgrade solutions for popular armor kits. Their Panther and Tiger wheel sets include not only replacement wheels but also the torque arms and suspension details that add dimensional accuracy to these complex running gear systems. The precision of photo-etched brass enables reproduction of details like perforated armor plates, tool clamps, and delicate brackets that would be impossibly fragile in injection-molded plastic.
Crew figure sets populate open-topped vehicles and add narrative interest to completed models. The Ferdinand and Elephant driver sets provide accurately uniformed figures in appropriate poses for these tank destroyers, while other sets cover various vehicle types and operational periods. These figures are scaled and detailed to integrate seamlessly with 1/72 armor models, creating cohesive displays that tell historical stories beyond simple vehicle representation.
Beyond the primary categories of gun barrels and wheels, this collection includes specialized components that address specific modeling challenges. Muzzle brakes, essential features of many World War II tank guns, are available in multiple configurations matching different weapon systems and production variants. Master Model's muzzle brake sets include the distinctive designs used on German 7.5cm and 10.5cm weapons, enabling accurate representation of specific vehicle variants and production periods.
Radiator grilles, exhaust systems, and vehicle-specific details round out the collection's offerings. Clear Prop's ZiS-5 radiator set provides the distinctive frontal appearance of this Soviet truck, while various exhaust and intake components allow correction of simplified kit parts. These seemingly minor details contribute significantly to overall model accuracy, particularly important when building vehicles for historical documentation or competition display where authenticity is paramount.
Most aftermarket parts in this collection require only basic modeling skills and common tools for successful installation. Metal gun barrels typically need a precisely drilled hole in the kit's gun mantlet, achievable with pin vises and appropriately sized drill bits. Test fitting before final installation ensures proper alignment, and cyanoacrylate adhesive provides secure attachment while allowing minor positioning adjustments during the curing process.
Resin parts benefit from washing in warm soapy water before installation to remove any mold release agents that might interfere with paint adhesion. Light sanding of attachment points ensures flush fitting against kit parts, and gap-filling cyanoacrylate or epoxy putty addresses any minor fit issues. Photo-etched brass parts require careful removal from frets using sharp hobby knives or photo-etch scissors, followed by gentle bending with specialized tools or improvised jigs to achieve the required shapes.
The aftermarket parts in this collection are designed for compatibility with kits from major manufacturers including Trumpeter, Revell, Dragon, Italeri, and others producing 1/72 scale armor subjects. Product descriptions specify intended kit applications, though many parts prove adaptable to multiple kits with minor modifications. The standardization of certain components across vehicle families means that wheel sets or gun barrels may fit multiple related subjects, expanding the utility of each aftermarket purchase.
For modelers building comprehensive collections of specific vehicle types or national forces, these aftermarket components enable consistent quality upgrades across multiple builds. A modeler focusing on British armor can systematically upgrade Churchill, Cromwell, and Centaur kits with appropriate gun barrels and detail sets, creating a cohesive collection that demonstrates period-accurate equipment and configurations. Similarly, German armor enthusiasts can enhance Panther, Tiger, and Panzer IV builds with precision parts that elevate every model to display quality.
Combine these aftermarket components with complete kits from our 1/72 scale model tanks collection to create comprehensive armor modeling projects. For modelers working in larger scales, explore our 1/35 tanks collection and 1/48 tanks collection, which offer increased detail potential and extensive aftermarket support. Finishing supplies including Vallejo Model Air paints provide authentic military colors matched to historical standards, essential for achieving accurate camouflage schemes and weathering effects.
Visit Clear Prop's official website for their complete range of resin detail sets and accessories, Master Model's website for comprehensive gun barrel catalogs and technical specifications, and CMK's official site for photo-etched details and resin upgrade sets. These manufacturers continuously expand their product lines to support new kit releases and address modeler requests, ensuring that precision aftermarket components remain available for both classic subjects and contemporary armor modeling projects.