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Hello, 1/72 MIG 15 UTI slightly altered to represent a Czech version (Aero CS-102): kit by Eduard with a good deal of aftermarket goodies (Brassin cockpit and speed brakes, photoetched flap and external details), very few scratch details (gear indicators and aerial), Vallejo paints. Decals from various sources, trying to represent a Romanian Air Force plane from early 1990, just months from type retirement. Thanks for your comments.

M752 Lance TBM for Dragon 1:35 Eduard Well it’s another month and Eduard have released another load of etched detail sets. This one is for the M752 Lance Tactical Ballistic Missile system.. The single sheet of relief etched brass contains numerous part to super detail the vehicle. As with most Eduard sets, some of the kit details will need to be removed before the etched parts are added. These include the instrument panel, fin stowage box handles and several panels. Whilst most of the parts require simple folding but there are a few parts that will need careful rolling to shape, particularly the missile straps, and several of the pioneer tool clamps. Some of the panels fitted around the vehicle will require the modeller to run a ball point pen around the edges and cross bracing to give further relief detail. Apart from all the handles, brackets and clamps, the set also provides new details for the drivers compartment, with new panel with acetate film instruments, plus new levers and instruments, missile handling crane, missile bay and vehicle decking. There also a selection of grilles to cover the engine intakes, one of which is a multipart unit, complete with fan detail. The ramp is provided with new actuators, chains and other fittings, while the foot wells are given new PE surrounds. Conclusion I’ve heard mixed reviews about the Dragon M752, and in some there is quite a lot to do to make it accurate. If you don’t want to go the whole hog in altering the kit, this set will at least make it look more interesting. If you do want to add all the bits that are incorrect and/or missing then the set will at least help with the finer details that aren’t always easy to scratchbuild. Review samples courtesy of

Chance Vought F4U-1D Corsair detail Sets Eduard 1:32 The Tamiya 1:32 Corsair F4U-1D is a fantastic model straight out of the box as are all of this series of 1:32 kits, but there are always more ways to gild the lily. This is Eduard come in with their range of update sets for it, four more in fact if you include the zoom and mask sets, on top of the ones already released. Each set is held in the usual poly sleeve packaging with a card insert to prevent damage, and the instructions still leave a lot to be desired. Typically some of the kit details need to be removed before the brass parts can be added. Interior Zoom Set (33181) - Contained on a single of relief etched brass, it being pre-painted but no longer self adhesive. There are a large number of instrument boxes fitted around the cockpit, on the side consoles; coaming and side walls onto which the pre-painted faces are attached. The instrument panels are also pre-painted complete with the instrument faces on the backplate. A little dab of aqua clear will give them the appearance of glass fronts. There are also parts for complete replacement throttle quadrant and gear leaver housing. Exterior (32412) - This single sheet set contains some very nice additional detail for the exterior and open areas of the kit. There are quite a few parts dedicated to the interior of the tailwheel bay, especially on the mounting bulkhead which has new mounting fixtures and fittings for the tail oleo, whilst the foreward bulkhead is fitted with new fittings which include the rudder cable arm and mounting bracket. The tailwheel bay doors are fitted with new hinges panels and attachment links. The main wheel bays also get a dose of additional detail with the fitting of new panels around the bay walls and roof along with additional cabling and pipe work. If you’re building the model with wings folded then you have the option of adding new end plates to the flaps and ailerons along with replacement brackets and web pieces. The wing fold areas have a host of new hoses and pipework fitted which will really make the areas look not only more accurate but busy. The kits bombs get new arming vanes for both the nose and tail positions as well as new bomb lugs, but in this scale they need to be thicker, so it may be best to keep with the kit items. The rockets are fitted with the electrical cable that attaches to the rear of the rocket, and can be left hanging if desired, to show that they’re not armed yet. Seatbelts (33180) - This small single sheet of etched steel contains the pre-painted seatbelts, and while they are quite simple to use, they do look really nice with the stitching picked out and some shading already added. They may take a little fiddling to make look the part, as they’re not as giving as cloth belts, but once glued in place, they will certainly stand out. Masks (JX207) - To complement the sets mentioned above, Eduard have also released a set of paint masks for the F4U-1D, which helps masking the clear areas a whole lot easier. Conclusion As with most of Eduards releases there are questions as to why some sets are so comprehensive yet still missing vital parts that are held back to make up other smaller sets. I suppose it does give the modeller more options on how much detail they wish to add, but is still quite annoying. The quality of these sets is superb, and will certainly help to the making of a super detailed model. Review samples courtesy of

Spitfire Mk.IX Detail Sets for Revell Brassin 1:32 The Revell Spitfire Mk.IX, while being a nice kit, is a little simplistic in areas, but then the price may reflect that the detail has been toned down a bit. If you want to add that much needed extra detail, Eduard come to the rescue with this cockpit set and two sets of gunsights, in early and late form from their Brassin range. Cockpit Set (632111) - The set comes in a very well packed cardboard with the parts in several zip lock bags and prevented from being shaken around by two foam pads. There are thirty eight resin parts in a mixture of medium and dark greys, plus a clear acetate sheet, a sheet of pre-painted etched brass and a sheet of unpainted photo etched parts, and a small decal sheet. Unfortunately the decals and acetate sheet are missing from the review sample so I won’t be able to comment on them too much other than where to use them. The detail on the resin parts is quite amazing, being super sharp, with good depth, although some parts have small sections of flash which need to be removed on top of the removal from the casting blocks. The cockpit is literally a tub made up of the front and rear bulkheads, what would be the fuselage side walls and the lower fuselage interior. The kits interior rib detail needs to be completely removed to allow the fitment of the tub, which shouldn’t take too long with a nice sharp curved blade and some sanding sponges. The moulded detail on the bulkheads and inner fuselage parts needs to be seen to be believed, add to this all the smaller sundry parts and you will have a truly amazing cockpit. There is an alternative resin instrument panel for which decals of the instruments are provided if you don’t want to use the etched items. Painting of the parts, especially those pre-moulded will be a bit of a chore, but with care you will end up with something of a masterpiece which would be good on its own, let alone fitted to the model. The resin is further enhanced with the addition of the two sheets of etched parts, the pre-painted seat belts which are quite complex, but with care and attention will build into a pretty amazing representation of the real things, as well as the instrument panel with the pre-painted dials on the back plate. All that needs to be added is some clear to represent the glazing. The unpainted sheet contains a selection of brackets, levers and fixtures for around the cockpit, such as the compass bracket, sight braces, seat details and toe straps. The acetate sheet contains marked out areas which go to make up the gunsight glass. Gunsight early (632113) - Contained in a hard blister pack with protective sponge layers you have three resin sights, resin mounting bracket and PE support straps. There is also an acetate sheet, which, when the marked areas are cut out, makes up the glass components of the sight. Detail is very nicely done on the resin, with the cogged edge of the range wheel being readily apparent. Gunsight late (632114) - As with the early sights mentioned above, this set also comes in a hard blister pack and also contains three sights and their mounting brackets in resin. The PE sheet contains the hood that mounts on top of the sight, and the acetate sheet provides the glass components. There is also a small decal sheet that has four NO HAND HOLD decals, using one for each sight provided; it goes on top of the sight glass hood, leaving one spare Conclusion The Revell Spitfire is a very nice kit out of the box, especially for the price, but it really could do with some extra detail to make it pop. With the cockpit set you can really go to town, and with all the parts provided it will look very busy and cramped, just as the real thing is. If you don’t want to go that far, then that’s where the sight sets come in, adding a bit of dash to the coaming. Review samples courtesy of

Polikarpov I-16 Type 24 detail sets Eduard 1:32 The new ICM I-16 Type 24, which is also being released by Revell Germany, is a lovely little kit, as reviewed HERE. But never one to miss an opportunity to improve a kit, Eduard have now released three sets of etch, (if you include the zoom set), and a set of masks. Detail Set (32919) - The parts are contained in this set on one sheet of etched steel, and one on a sheet of etched brass. The steel sheet is pre-painted, and it looks like Eduard have gone away from making these parts self adhesive. The sheet contains the instrument panels complete with the instrument faces on the backplate. A little dab of aqua clear will give them the appearance of glass fronts. The sheet also contains the myriad of coloured levers, knobs, additional instruments, rudder pedal support bracket, electrical box with separate cooling gill panel and radio face panel. The unpainted sheet contains items such as the rudder pedal straps, cockpit floor rails, for which you will have to remove details on the kit floor and reshape the forward end, once the etched parts are glued into place. The throttle box, lever, and undercarriage control lever/box are also included in this sheet, for which the modeller will have to provide some plastic rod to assemble correctly. The largest parts on the sheet are those that make up the undercarriage doors, with outer panels, internal structure and brackets to fit the doors to the main legs and actuators. All three doors are replaced by the PE parts which give them a much more accurate thickness than the styrene parts could hope to achieve. Interior Zoom Set (33184) - This zoom set contains only the above pre-painted sheet and allows the modeller to build a well detailed cockpit without the hassle of getting bogged down with detail that might otherwise be deemed superfluous. Seatbelts (33185) - This small single sheet of etched steel contains the pre-painted seatbelts, and while it is quite simple, they do look really nice with the stitching picked out and some shading already added. They may take a little fiddling to make look the part, as they’re not as giving as cloth belts, but once glued in place, the will stand out, even in the small cockpit of the I-16. Masks (JX209) - To complement the sets mentioned above, Eduard have also released a set of paint masks for the I-16, which helps masking the clear areas a whole lot easier as well as the wheels/tyres. Conclusion There’s never a kit release without Eduard set or two being designed for it as they are so prolific. Whilst not as comprehensive as some of the previous releases, (perhaps ICM got it right and didn’t need as much), they will add that extra level of detail sought by some modellers. It still disappointing that they chose to release the seatbelt set separate from what is basically an interior set, but I guess it gives modellers more choice on how much they want to add. Review samples courtesy of

RN Battleship Roma detail set No.3 1:350 Eduard This is the last of three sets to be released by Eduard for the Trumpeter kit. Part 3- (53-201). This comprehensive single sheet set is jam packed full of parts for use throughout the ship. Mostly though, it contains the ships railings for the main deck, upper decks and platforms. It also contains numerous parts for the ships boats, such as hull gratings, superstructures, railings, oars, thwarts and gunwhales. Items such as rudders, propellers, life rings, portholes, engine covers, wheel houses, seats, windscreens and hatches are also included. Even the Carley floats are provided with gratings, although for best effect the moulded section should be removed first, which will be a little time consuming, but will give them a much better look. All the boats cradles are also replaced with new PE items, and are much more detailed than the moulded on parts, which will have to be removed first. Conclusion I’m not quite sure why this set wasn’t released with the other two which I reviewed HERE, but at least it’s out now. This set, even if used on its own looks like it will bring a big improvement to the kit, giving some much need finesse to the finished model, and certainly much improved detail for the ships boats. Review sample courtesy of

Russian MSTA S Detail Sets Eduard 1:35 It always seems to be a busy schedule at Eduard with several releases every month, this month being no different. The Zvezda MSTA S seems to have been well received and comes well detailed out of the box. But for those modellers who really need to have an ultra detailed model these three new sets will be just the ticket. MSTA S Turret set (36366) This single sheet set contains, naturally, all the fine detail parts for the vehicles turret. To begin with you get all the tread plates for the turret roof as well as a tread guard in front of the commander’s sight and bracket plate on the right hand front of the roof. The set also includes and new stowage basket, lots of small items such as new brackets, supports, a new saw, tool brackets, shields, jerry can holder, and gun cleaning rod holder brackets. There is also a new grille for the air filter unit and ammunition box lid, handle and rear sight for the heavy machine gun Hull Set (36367) This single sheet set contains a host of grilles and fittings for the hull. The grilles include those for the engine intakes, both large and small, and air conditioning intake. The set also includes additional detail for the gun travel lock, new heat shields for the exhaust, plus a host of handles, brackets and fixings for around the hull, including all new items for the unditching beam. Fenders (36368) Again, exactly what it states on the pack. Whilst the kit fenders are quite adequate, for scale thickness you will need to use these PE fenders. Before fitting the PE parts you will have to remove the front and rear mudflaps from the kit hull. These are replaced with PE parts, and there is an additional support plate to be fitted to the fronts. The fenders are then fitted with attachment clamps between each section, plus lifting handles on the bottom edge and a heat shield under the exhaust. Conclusion These three sets are great for those who like to have extra detail on their models, but, being separate it allows the modeller to pick and choose how much or how little they wish to add. Especially as the kit itself is pretty darn good already. Highly recommended. Review samples courtesy of

I reviewed this lovely kit link here, as well as some aftermarket from Eduard's Brassin line, and just couldn't put it in the stash to linger there. There's something kinda nice about Fw.190s, although the Ta.152H is my all-time favourite of the derivatives if I'm honest. I broke out the instructions t'other day and picked options D and M from the two, as I had two cockpit sets, and one engine set. The Tropicalised version already needed its nose cutting to fit the filters, but I suspect that might come back to bite me a little when assembling the cowling comes around. Nevermind, I'll deal with that later The cockpits are ostensibly the same, with only a small detail in the side console of one of the tubs to tell them apart, so I've been labelling things with M and D for the very obvious reason. I prepared all the resin and assembled things into sub-assemblies for painting, with only the infinitely fiddly gunsights causing much gnashing of teeth due to the tiny size of the parts, and the fact that there's a slight weak-point between the base and the business end. Yes, I snapped one by way of finding out. Please feel free to learn from my mistake Next up was the engine, and that is a beautiful piece of resin & PE engineering, with clever methods used to put it together neatly without too much hassle. The wiring loom is fiddly of course, but the stiffeners were a piece of cake! They fit snugly into little c-shaped receivers that once you see them, are a doddle to hit with the parts dipped in CA at both ends. The fit is astonishingly accurate The parts can be made into assemblies for ease of main painting, so they along with all the cockpit parts have been prepared, attached to sticks & such, then painted with black primer so that any missed spots in the engine in particular can be passed off as shadows I said there were a lot of assemblies, didn't I? I wasn't kidding! Not much detail to be seen yet in a sea of black, but I'll start getting some colour on shortly, and hopefully you'll be able to see a bit more. You might notice I've been writing on the wood to remind me what base colour is intended for each area, but the detail painting is going to take the lion's share of the work before I can begin stuffing things inside fuselages Wish me luck!

Martin Baker Ejection Seat Handles (73611) 1:72 Eduard I've long said that the one thing you can do to improve a basic cockpit is to add harnesses to the seat. Now Eduard have taken things a step further by creating a set of pull handles for Martin Baker ejection seats. No need to make them out of fuse wire when you can snip one from this handy fret. Included are handles for the Mk.5, Mk.7, Mk.GRU 7, MK.10, Mk.12, Mk.16E US and Mk.16A. Review sample courtesy of

Well I made the decision to go for wheels only on the next build. I'm done with tracked AFV's for a bit. I liked this little number, so someone treated me to it for Christmas. Managed to pick up the Eduard PE for £4 on Ebay with free shipping; so why not........ I'm going to keep it simple.....although I'm trying to figure out how if possible to drop a single barrelled 20mm flak piece in the main seating compartment as I've seen done on some Horche 1A trucks on various fronts. But I don't think it's as long wheel based as the Horche....have to see once I get the main upper body together. So, while I'm been left alone this afternoon, I'll crack on with the chassis... Have a good rest of the day chaps. Simon.

Fw.190A Resin Upgrades (for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Eduard's newly issued early Fw.190A has been released in ProfiPACK and Royal Class boxings, and now we have another brace of new resin sets for those of you that love to add extra detail to their models, and aren't always satisfied by the ability of injection moulding to satisfy your needs. The earlier sets dealt mainly with the A-4, which you can read about here. As always it's a modular approach, and you can choose what you use, with a guarantee that it'll fit your model just so, as it's by Eduard for Eduard. As usual with Eduard's resin sets, they arrive in the familiar Brassin clamshell box, with the resin parts safely cocooned on dark grey foam inserts, and the instructions sandwiched between the two halves, doubling as the header card. The larger sets are encased in an oblong box, with the resin parts safely cocooned on dark grey foam inserts, and the instructions sandwiched wrapped around, providing extra protection. Fw.190A-3 Cockpit (648357) Consisting of resin, PE, decals and a small sheet of clear acetate film, the largest part of which is the cockpit tub with the aft decking and side consoles already moulded in. The separate seat is prepared with its cushion and a set of pre-painted PE seatbelts, and fitted to the tub after the removal of some moulding flash that is indicated in red (already removed in the pics). Resin control column, resin and PE rudder pedals, and the instrument panel are made up next, with the latter having the choice of using the PE panel with pre-printed dials, or a detailed resin part over which you apply a decal of the instruments. Your choice! The panel fits on ledges at the front of the side consoles, and the resin gunsight with PE and acetate parts slides into a groove in the upper panel. The cowling fits over the top, and it too has cut-outs that need clearing of flash beforehand. To fit the new cockpit inside the fuselage a pair of plastic wedges are removed from the inside, to be replaced with a detailed PE and resin trim wheel. The assemblies should then fit neatly within, alongside the kit bulkhead, assuming you aren't taking advantage of any of the other sets I'll be mentioning in this review. The set includes the opening mechanism and the pilot's head armour, which has a warning decal added to it after painting. The interior roll-over frame is resin, and has delicate PE bracing wires linking to the rear, all of which fits inside the canopy after painting. The canopy then installs as normal. Fw.190A Propeller (648366) In order to fit this prop, you'll just need to shave the front off the housing at the front of the kit engine, before creating the prop on its jig, with separate central boss and blades, which fit snugly into the jig and should just lift out once the CA is dry unless you've overdone it. A PE template fits to the back of the boss to mark the centre-point for you to mark and drill a 2mm hole, after which the PE is discarded. The adapted kit part has a small resin pin added, and the prop with a choice of two types of cooling fan (large blades & small) is fitted to the tip of the pin protruding from the engine. If you wanted to portray a maintenance diorama there is a resin prop-shaft included with a detailed spindle that fits into either the kit engine, or one of the new resin engines that are out (648352 & 648335). A new spinner finishes off the set. Fw.190A-2 (648379) and Fw.190A-3/4 (648367) Undercarriage Legs BRONZE These two sets are functionally identical, but differ in the design of the inner gear bay cover detail. There are two cast bronze legs in each box, with four gear bay doors, consisting of two captive main and two inner doors that hinge along the aircraft's centreline. The casting of the bronze is superlative, and far better than white metal, as well as being much stronger. If you are planning on loading up your model with resin cockpit, engine, gun bay, etc., these may be just the ticket to support all that extra weight. Take your pick based on the variant you're modelling. Fw.190A-2 (648379) Fw.190A-3/4 (648367) Fw.190A Control Surfaces Early (648371) This is simply a new set of control surfaces with tab fitting that drop in place instead of the kit parts, benefitting from the fine detail that resin is capable, as well as super-fine trailing edges. There are elevators, ailerons and a rudder unit in the box, with attachment points for casting running along the leading edge, which will mostly remain unseen after construction. Fw.190A Pitot Probes Early (648373) This inexpensive set contains three resin pitot probes on a single casting block with a pair of rails on the sides to protect them from damage. The resin is quite flexible, and provides excellent detail, which is achieved by the addition of a small extension past the end of the probe to ensure complete filling of the narrow cavity and avoid bubbles. You can see that section in the photo at the tip of the arrow I have added. They're not as strong as a metal one, but you're also not likely to skewer yourself with a resin one. Having three on hand will be useful if you have a Royal Class boxing, or just for spares. Review sample courtesy of

I have just completed this kit, a joy to build the fit was outstanding. Build out of box. Use after marked decal from Super Scale. Pint used was an old Humbrol tin maybe 40 years old no 181 applied by airbrush. Actually strange to see a WW2 plane in gloss paint. And also a photo of the real thing, as my rule is i never build a model that i do not have a photo of. Cheers Jes

After a bit of a self imposed exile due to frustration with viewing and posting images my problems have been solved and I've made a return. My last posts, as few as they were, were armour builds but now I am giving aircraft a try. This is my latest project built during my trip at sea for work in December. The weather wasn't very conducive to model building so some of the smaller PE pieces were left off for the sake of my sanity. I haven't done many of these so go easy but I'm open to constructive criticism.

Fw.190A Early Versions Royal Class Dual Combo (R0016) 1:48 Eduard The Fw.190 came on-stream in 1941 and gave the RAF a shock with its superior performance to the older Bf.109 that it was mistaken for by many a hapless Spitfire pilot. The visionary designer Kurt Tank stripped down the aircraft as much as possible to give it the speed and manoeuvrability advantage the German Luftwaffe needed, which resulted in a small but pugnacious design with a twin-bank radial engine buried in a close-fitting nose cowling that could out-fly a Spitfire Mk.V in most respects below 20,000ft. The initial Fw.190A, they went from A-1 sub-variants, through A-2 with an improved engine and weapons, the A-3 with another power improvement and the ability to mount more external weapons, as the versatility of the airframe was realised. The A-4 was little different, with more armament options that could be fitted in the field, and after that came the A-5 all the way up to the A-10, and in ground attack versions we had the F, with the high altitude variant designed D, with the G replacing some of the later A variants that had either long-range tanks or specialist armaments fitted. The Kit The newly tooled early Fw.190A series has added much to Eduard's existing line of Fw.190 variants, and with tooling advancement used to improve the model, it is an excellent choice for anyone wanting a Butcher Bird for their collection. The Royal Class boxing offers the modeller a "luxury experience", and in this box you get two complete kits plus a selection of resin parts, plenty of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, and a rather attractive custom printed beer glass. Inside the russet themed box are eleven sprues of dark grey styrene, two of clear, two sheets of nickel-plated and pre-painted PE plus a tiny sheet of bare brass PE, a sheet of pre-cut kabuki tape masking, a bag of resin parts, a large decal sheet with three smaller sheets of stencils and numerals, the aforementioned beer glass (tulip stemmed) and a rolled up print on thick A2 stock of an Fw.190A-4 sweeping low over a harbour in Algeria – quite a stunning piece of art! We reviewed the A-4 ProfiPACK variant in November of last year, which you can find here, and the build will clearly follow similar lines to that, so we won't re-tread old ground. Suffice to say that there are two kits in the box, and you have a three A-2s, four A-3s and six A-4s to choose from, of which you can of course only make two. As you would expect there are two of all the ancillary sprues, but there are three fuselage sprues due to changes in the vents behind the cowling and aerial fit, and two different wing sprues that have variations between their armament bulges on the underwing, which means that you are limited to building one model from the A-H range, and one from the I-N range below unless you can lay your hands on additional sprues. The resin parts include the two pairs of wheels for the finished models, which have superb detail, plus a pair of forward cowlings for markings option M, which have the tropical filter included with a PE grille at the front of the intake tube. The final resin parts are the inner wheel bay covers that were only fitted to earlier models, so apply to the first three options, all of which are A-2 variants. Various other adaptations are made to the plastic depending on which markings options you are using, so take care to choose your subject early to avoid confusion and possible errors in the details. Some annotations to the instructions may benefit in this case, especially as many modellers will probably choose to build the pair up at the same time in a mini-production line. Markings The main sheet is around A4 size and full of markings for the 14 options offered in the box, with the main sheet printed by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The two stencil sheets are printed in Czechia on a similar coloured backing paper, and are of similar quality. There is another small sheet that contains just two decals of the number 16, and is quite easily lost so tape it somewhere conspicuous once it is out of the bag. Fw 190A-2, W. Nr. 120282, flown by Fw. K. Nowak, 9./JG 2, Théville, France, May 1942 Fw 190A-2, W. Nr. 120206, flown by Fw. W. Grünlinger, Stab III./JG 26, Wevelgem, Belgium, September 1942 Fw 190A-2, W. Nr. 120325, flown by Ofw. J. Heinzeller, 3./JG 2, Trickqueville, France, June 1942 Fw 190A-3, W. Nr. 132259, flown by Uffz. G. Josten, 1./JG 51, Lyuban, Soviet Union, Autumn 1942 Fw 190A-3, W. Nr. 135313, flown by Oblt. A. Faber, III./JG 2, Morlaix, France, June 1942 Fw 190A-3, W. Nr. 125425, flown by Fw. K. Kundrus, 12./JG 5, Herdla, Norway, December 1943 Fw 190A-3, W. Nr. 130541, flown by Oblt. A. Dickfeld, CO of II./JG 2, San Pietro, Italy, November 1942 Fw 190A-3, W. Nr. 130541, flown by Fw. E. Mayer, 9./JG 5, Herdla, Norway, March 1945 Fw 190A-4, flown by Maj. H. von Bonin, CO of JG 54, Pskov, Soviet Union, Spring 1943 Fw 190A-4, W. Nr. 140581, flown by Lt. E. Burath, Stab I./JG 1, Deelen, the Netherlands, April 1943 Fw 190A-4, flown by Hptm. H. Philipp, CO of I./JG 54, Krasnogvardeysk, Soviet Union, January 1943 Fw 190A-4, W. Nr. 140634, flown by Maj. H. Graf, CO of JGr. Ost, Toulouse – Blagnac, France, April 1943 Fw 190A-4/Trop, W. Nr. 145614, EKdo 19, Benghazi, Lybia, November 1942 Fw 190A-4, W. Nr. 142317, flown by Fw. L. Seif, 11./SKG 10, Sidi Ahmed, Tunisia, January 1943 Can I Interest you in a Beer? The beer glass is found in a thick white cardboard box, wrapped in some crinkly paper for a bit of added protection. It is a really nice shape that's quite pleasant to drink from (speaking from experience), and will match the other beer glasses from the Royal Class series if you have them. If memory serves, you can augment your stash of them from Eduard's website too. The Print As already mentioned, the print that is included in the box is a handsome addition to anyone's collection of aviation art, depicting a flight of Fw.190s attacking shipping at Bona Harbour, off Algeria in 1943, flying at low level after releasing a bomb from the centreline station. Conclusion With a superb selection of decal options, highly detailed plastic and some really nice resin, PLUS a beer glass and a quality print, this is a lovely package that will give you plenty of modelling fun. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Beaufighter Mk.VI Upgrades (for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard The Tamiya Beaufighter has been with us for a while, but despite this fact, it is still considered a very good kit. Eduard's re-vamped range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in their usual modular manner. Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Update Set (49868) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete set of new layered instrument panels and side consoles with control levers are the primary parts on the painted set, with new rudder pedals; aerials, intake mesh, landing light details, and main landing gear bay internal structure also supplied. Zoom! Set (FE868) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. Seatbelts STEEL (FE869) In case you don't already know, these belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. Landing Flaps (48938) The flap bays of a model are usually moulded closed, but this set allows you to take a scalpel to the trailing edge of the wings, removing the lower section and thinning the edge of the upper wings, plus removing a little material in the wing root on the fuselage halves. The split bay and flap are made up from one main part each, with ribs that are twisted and folded back to vertical, after which stringers are added. The flap part of the assembly is then folded to shape and a single rib is added to obtain the correct angle of 60o as shown in a scrap diagram. The four completed sections are then applied to the pre-prepared apertures, and when glued into place give a convincing depiction of the flaps in their deployed positions. Review sample courtesy of

Looking forward to this one. After searching through the stash I came up with this kit: I believe V-P is building the same kit but will make sure I don't do the same scheme. The sprues look up the usual Eduard standard. I am planning on building this more or less OTB but I do have this: Now the major decision left to be made is the scheme. As I said above I won't do the same as V-P but as I think he is not doing one of the kit schemes I may still have a bit of a choice. I am tempted by the Wespe. All thoughts welcome. Cheers Dave

Eduard's now OOP 1/48 Fokker E.V, built mostly OOB save for the gorgeous Master turned brass MG cooling jackets and barrels. Lovely little kit, although getting the wing straight & level was a PITA. Constructive criticism welcome! Cheers, Tony Bell

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 1:48 Eduard ProfiPACK The Messerschmidt Bf 109 is one of the iconic aircraft of WWII. The E-3 appeared as a result of the Luftwaffe looking to improve the performance of the 109E. The airframe received some structural improvements and and it was armed with two MG17s above the engine and two cannon (one in each wing). A total of 1276 E-3s were built. The Kit As a ProfiPACK kit, the kit comes with 2 sheets of photo-etch and a sheet of masks, the plastic is on 4 main sprues with a small clear spure. Construction begins in the cockpit area. Side wall detail is added in PE and plastic, some parts including the control column are added to the cockpit floor. As well at this time the main radiator under the nose is built up and installed into the fuselage half. The seat and other controls are added to the cockpit floor and this can be added into the fuselage half as well. Next the engine is built up. A full engine is provided if you want to leave the covers off same additional detailing might be in order. However if putting the ocvers on then it still has to be built up to hand the prop and exhausts off if nothing else. The engine can then be added to the firewall behind which the instrument panel and areas to mount the machine guns is added. Once complete this can also be added into the fuselage half. With the final addition of the made up tail wheel the fuselage can then be closed up. The engine exhausts can then be added as well as the nose machine guns. Next up the wings can be assembled. hey are of a conventional type with a single part lower and left/right uppers. The main gear bays are installed into the uppers before closing up the wings. The slats can then be fitted. The wing radiators are then made up and added to the wings. Following this the flaps and ailerons can be added and positioned how the modellers wants them. The fuselage can then be added to the wings. Following this the tailplanes and rudder can be added. The tail control surfaces are moulded in so cant be positioned, but the rudder can be. The main wheels are then made up and added to the legs, and the gear doors added. The cowlings can then be added and the propeller made up and fitted. Small parts are fitted to the glazing and then these can be fitted as well. Decals Decals are in house from Eduard and should pose no issues. There is a main sheet and a supplemental sheet for the stencils, markings are provided for 5 examples; Uffz. Karl Wolff, 3./JG A 52, Pihen/Calais, France, August 1940 Oblt. Josef Priller, Staffelkapitän B 6./JG 51, France, Autumn 1940 Obstlt. Hans-Hugo Witt, Geschwaderkommodore C JG 26, Dortmund, Germany, April 1940 1./JG 2, Bassenheim, Germany, May 1940 3./JG E 51, Mannheim-Sandhofen, Winter 1939-1940 Conclusion This is a welcome welcome release from Eduard of an earlier variant of their excellent Bf 109 family of kits. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

GBU-43/B MOAB (648348) 1:48 Eduard Brassin The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb is a 21,600lb bomb developed by the US Air Force research laboratory. The bomb follows on from the BLU-82 which was developed during the Vietnam war to clear landing zones in the Jungle. Years later during the continuing war in Afghanistan the BLU-82 was used and this lead to the USAF looking to develop a modern version of a large bomb. Like the BLU-82 the GBU-43/B is delivered from a C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft. The newer bomb though is larger than its predecessor and more accurate. It is reported that the USAF had 15 of these weapons made. The one and only use in combat was in April 2017 in Afghanistan. It is believed they have not been used more widely due to the the worry of killing non combatants. It should be noted that the weapon is a conventional filled bomb not a thermobaric weapon as had been reported, and it is not a penetrator weapon either. The weapon is coloquailly know as the "Mother of all bombs" and it has been claimed to be the biggest bomb dropped. However this is all down to definition. The RAF Grandslam bomb weighed in at 22,000lbs so technically heavier than the MOAB, however the MOAB has 18,700Lbs of explosive fill to the Grandslams approx 11,000Lbs due to it being a penetrating weapon with a much heavier casing. Kit I will call this a kit rather than an accessory as it is a kit in its own right. It arrives on one of Eduard's BIGSIN type boxes and inside are 18 resin parts, 7 large sheets of etched brass and a small decal sheet. The kit is for the bomb itself and its large transport cradle. There are many folds to the etched brass and it makes you wonder if some of the parts would not be better in plastic or resin in this scale. The underside of the transport cradle is made up first, ten its flipped over. Next the support beams are built up and added to the top of the cradle. With interlocking side frames and longitudinal ones care will need to be made to get it all lining up. The bomb itself is fairly simple to make up consisting of three main parts, nose extended detenators and the rear fins. These can be made folded or extended. Care will be needed to remove these from the pour blocks. PE parts are added to the bomb when complete. Two sets of markings are provided. One for an example (hopefully innert) displayed at the Elgin Air Force Armament Museum in a striking John Deere Green colour scheme. A second is for a combat ready weapon. Dare I say it but it is the Mother of All Bomb Kits! It should make up into a good looking kit which no doubt will generate some discussion. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Petlyakov Pe-2 1:48 Eduard The Pe-2 has been described as comparable to the British Mosquito. Developed as a bomber the aircraft filled the roles of heavy fighter, ground attack, reconnaissance and night fighting. It was particularly well known for its ground attack role. The aircraft was actually designed in a prison! In 1937 Vladimir Petlyakov had been imprisoned on allegations of delaying the design work on the Tupolev ANT-42. While in prison Petlyakov was placed in charge of a team to develop an escort fighter for the ANT-42. Following lessons learnt from the Germans the Soviets ordered a re-design of this fighter to a bomber. Stalin was impressed enough to free Petlyakov and allow his name to be used in the aircraft designation. In service the Pe-2 flew very well once the crew struggled to get it airborne. It apparently took a great deal of strength to pull up on the elevators, so much so that with female crews it was common practice to get the navigator to help! It was also found in practice that the dorsal armament was insufficient. The 7.62 machine gun was replaced by a 12.7 one and this increased survival from 20 missions to 54. In total over 11000 aircraft were built. During WWII the aircraft was used by the Soviet Union and by Finland who gained captured examples from Germany. Post war the aircraft continued to be used by the Soviets and their satellite states long enough to gain the NATO reporting name of "Buck". The Kit As well as making their own kits Eduard are making a name for releasing other manufacturers kits with their own Eduard parts and decals. This is such a kit using the Zevezda plastic. In addition to the plastic Eduard have provided two sheets of photo-etch, resin wheels, propellers, and a full set of masks. Construction starts not in the cockpit as one would expect but out on the left wing. Here a complete open engine is provided which can be displayed open, but need t be built up even if you are going to keep the cowls on. Twin cylinder banks are added to the main crankcase with exhaust manifolds and other ancillary parts added on. Intake parts, filters and exhaust are then added. The engine bearing frame is also made up for the engine. The engine is then installed in its frame ready for installation onto the wing. Meanwhile both the wings are built up with the addition of engine areas, landing lights and flaps being added. There is no provision to drop these, though the flaps should be no problem. The leading edges of the out board wing sections are separate so there will be no seam to contend with. For each wing the landing gear frames are built up and added at this point. Next up the undercarriage fairings are built up and installed. The wheels and gear doors can now be added though I suspect most will leave these until much later on. For the right wing a dummy engine nacelle is made up and added, and for the left wing the completed engine is added. This now completes the construction of the main wings. Construction now moves to the main fuselage. The internal frame work for the cockpit is built up and installed in the front. The main rear bulkhead is installed along with the rear fuselage gun positions and other internal parts. Here PE replaces many of the kit parts. The seat and other frame parts are added into the rear position. The bomb bay and its bombs is now built up and installed between the cockpit and rear gun position. The pilots seat is also then built up and installed. Once all the internal parts are in and the tail wheel is installed the main fuselage can be closed up. Next up at the rear of the aircraft the tail planes are made up and installed. Here there are separate movable surfaces, but the rudders are fixed. The main wings are then attached at this stage. The engine exhausts are then added. Back to the front of the aircraft the upper defensive gun behind the cockpit is made up and installed into position. Moving to the undersides the crew entry hatch is installed. Additional PE parts are provided for this to leave in the open position. The ventral gun position is also built up and installed at this time. The bomb bay doors and tail wheel doors are now fitted. To finish up the glazing is added along with PE aerials. The propellers are made up and added. Here resin props are provided for use on two of the marking examples. Full masks are provided for all the glazing and wheels in the kit. Decals The decals for the kit have been designed by Begemot so we can be assured they are accurate for a Soviet subject. The decal are printed by Cartograf so should pose no problems at all. Five schemes are provided.=; Pe-2, later production batch, serial number 3/220, 161th Guards Bomber Regiment, 2nd Guards Bomber Air Corps, VVS RKKA, Winter 1943/44 Pe-2, later (post 205th) production batch, Generalmajor I. Polbin, CO of the 6th Bomber Aviation Corps, VVS RKKA, Germany, 1945 Pe-2 later (post 359th) production batch, 1st Guards Bomber Air Division, VVS RKKA, Germany, 1945 Pe-2 later (post 359th) production batch, flown by Senior Lieutenant E. Sedov, 40th Bomber Air Regiment, Soviet Navy Black Sea Fleet Aviation, August 1944 Pe-2 post 205th production batch, 36th Guards Bomber Regiment, 276th Bomber Division, VVS RKKA, Leningrad front, December 1944 Conclusion This is another great release from Eduard of an important of sometime overlooked Soviet aircraft. The plastic is great and the addition of the Eduard photo etch, resin and great decals make this a kit to be very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

L-29 Upgrade set & wheels 1:48 Eduard Brassin - For Eduard / AMK Eduard offer us two new resin sets for the new Eduards kit or even the AMK Boxing, Upgrade Set (49870) This is two sheets of PE, one coloured and one plain. Upgrade areas in this set includes, Ejector seat parts, canopy framing, cockpit sidewalls, front instrument bay, flap bays and flaps, fuselage access panels, under carriage bays, gear doors, and speed brakes. Wheels (648374) This is a new set of wheels for the kit, both mains and the front. Also included us a new fork for the front wheel. As is standard for Eduard painting mask are provided as well. Review samples courtesy of

Aero L-29 Delfín 1:48 Eduard ProfiPACK Designed in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s, the Delfín was a two-seat military jet trainer used by the Warsaw Pact countries that is still in operation with some countries and in private hands today. It is simple in construction and cheap to operate, with a good safety record due to its pleasant handling characteristics, which endears it to the cost conscious and anyone wishing to stay alive. Over 3,600 were made, and due to their use by the Soviet Air Force, they were dubbed "Maya" under the NATO reporting coding. As well as flight training, the Delfín is equipped with hard points to allow it to be used in weapons training, which has inevitably led to it being used in action on occasion most notably during the Yom Kippur war, but also in other "low level" conflicts over time. It has been gradually replaced by the L-39 Albatros, but still finds use with private operators for air racing, experimental flights as well as joy-rides. The Sasol Tigers in South Africa fly the L-29 as an acrobatic team, and the low cost of ownership has made it a popular entry into jet-powered flying. The Kit As well as making their own kits, Eduard are making a name for releasing other manufacturers kits with their own Eduard parts and decals. This is such a kit using the AMK plastic. In the box there are five sprues of medium grey styrene, a small sprue of clear parts, a Photo-Etch (PE) brass sheet, square decal sheet and a glossy instruction manual with painting instructions on the rear pages. The quality feel extended to the sprues, which are individually bagged in resealable clear foil bags, with the exception of the weapons sprues, which share a small bag. The tooling is good quality, with perhaps only the engraved panel lines appearing a shade wider than I would have liked, although by the time they are primed and painted, it probably won't notice. Construction starts with the cockpit, and a pair of ejection seats are built up from a two-piece frame to which the seat cushion and back cushions are added. Colour PE parts are added b Eduard if you wish to use them. The rear-seat has the canopy breaker framework removed, so make sure you place it in the rear cockpit once you're ready. The copckpit is a single tub into which the central bulkhead and instrument panels fit, along with the front coaming and two control columns that reflect its trainer status. Decals are supplied for the instrument panels, or you can use the newly supplied PE parts. New PE parts also replace the moulded in cockpit side details. A pair of ejection seat rails are added to the back of each cockpit area, the rear set being cut shorter and adding a pair of shrouds around the rear-seater's shoulders. The nose gear bay has to be built up next along with the single engine exhaust, as both of them are trapped inside the fuselage with the cockpit. The exhausts have a fine pen-nib tip to them, which is well moulded, with the exhaust trunking made from two halves and a rear-face to the engine itself at the end. The cockpit sidewalls are moulded into the fuselage halves, and are well done with a single extra part added to each side before the cockpit is installed. The nose-gear bay is also detailed with ribbing, plus various pressure bottle that add some extra interest and colour, as they are painted light blue. The fuselage closes around the three assemblies, with the cockpit rear having an insert behind the rear seat, and the engine supported by moulded in bulkheads with cut-outs that ensure it is correctly seated. Eduard's bunny pops up to remind you to add nose weight under the cockpit to prevent a tail-sitter, but if you plan on leaving the nose bay closed, you can add more there too. A clear blast-screen fits between the two cockpits, framed by a very delicate hoop that is built into the fuselage halves, so take care handling! The wings have the flap sections removed, and if you plan on modelling them retracted, all you need to do is remove the actuator rods from them and glue them in place. If you plan on having them deployed, leave the rods on.The intakes on the Delfín are in the wing roots and are simply curved into a central tunnel to feed the engine. The intake lips are moulded into the wing roots, and a curved part with splitter is then added into the gap behind them. The splitter plate is added to the sides of the fuselage, and a shield-shaped hole in the side of the fuselage allows the intake trunking to disappear into the darkness never to be seen again. Pitot probes are moulded into the wing halves, and I'm probably going to knock those off with my clumsiness too. A clear landing light is added to the underside of the port wing and formation lights are added to both wing tips, after which the wings are glued to the fuselage, with surprisingly short tabs but a large mating surface that make it wise to check everything it aligned properly before you leave the wings to set up. The main gear bays are moulded into upper wing skins, and detail is good, although some additional wiring would probably add more life. The mouldings are quite large, but there don't seem to have been any sink-marks on the upper surface, which is nice to see. There are a few shallow sink marks on the flaps though, but as they're on a flat surface, that shouldn't take more than a few minutes to resolve. The L-29 has a T-tail, which has a single full-width elevator, which is represented as a separate part, as is the rudder, which is made up from separate halves. This gives plenty of options for offset surfaces that give the aircraft a more candid look once complete. The landing gear parts are well detailed, with twin brake hoses running down the main legs, separate hubs to the main wheels, and retraction jacks that key neatly into both gear legs and the bays. The nose gear has a Y-shaped location/pivot point, plus a long retraction jack that extends high up into the nose. Gear bay doors are also well detailed, with the outer mains captive to the gear legs and inner doors hinging toward the centre line with retraction jacks added. The nose gear bay has a sliding rear door that sits flush with the underside of the fuselage, and a front door that hinges forward to deploy the gear, and then closes behind it. The Delfín has scabbed-on air-brakes that sit on the fuselage skin, and hinge out to slow the aircraft down using retraction jacks that sit within a small bay on the side of the fuselage. This is represented well by a pair of styrene parts with moulded in lightening holes on the inner face that sneakily hide some well-placed ejector pin marks. There is a bit of flash here on my example, which I will cut off using a new blade on my scalpel, so nothing untoward. The hinges are PE parts that affix to the leading edge of the brakes, and slot into two small depressions on the side of the fuselage. A pair of drop-tanks are provided for the underwing plyons. The canopy and nose bay cover can be posed open or closed, with the nose bay cover hinging forward on a substantial tab. The canopy is supplied as a three-part arrangement, with a fixed windscreen glued to the front, a side-opening front canopy with optional retaining strap if you pose it open, and a sliding rear canopy with a small bulkhead behind the cockpit opening. All parts are well moulded with defined framework, and are crystal clear, so with careful masking and painting should perform well. Markings The L-29 was used by a wide variety of operators, so the choice of marking is quite wide. Eduard give us a choice of 5 schemes. There is a main decal sheet, with a large stencil sheet as stencils vary between the marking options. There is also a small supplemental sheet. All decals are printed in house and should cause no problems. 3246, 3rd Flight, 1. Fighter Regiment, Planá Air Base, Czechoslovakia, 1969-1970 4902, 11. Fighter Regiment, Žatec, Czech Republic, 1993 79, Tactical Air Services, N179EP, Reno AFB, United States of America, 2009 1597, Egyptian Air Force, Bilbais, Arab Republic of Egypt, Late Eighties 3250, International Fighter Pilots Academy , Košice, Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, 1993 Conclusion A welcome release from Eduard of the great AMK plastic with some nice Eduard additions. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Spitfire Mk.IXe 1:72 Eduard ProfiPACK When the prototype Spitfire took to the air for the first time on 5 March 1936, few involved could have foreseen where the development of the type would lead. By the end of the Second World War, the type had earned itself a place in the history books as well as the nation's psyche. One of the ultimate Merlin powered variants was the Mk.IX. The Mk.IX was a response to the appearance of the Focke Wulf Fw190, which proved itself more than a match for the Spitfire Mk.V. Powered by the two-stage supercharged Merlin 61, the performance of the Mk.IX was a quantum leap over its forebears, enabling the Spitfire to meet its German foe on equal terms. By the end of the War, over 5,600 Mk.IXs rolled off the production line at Castle Bromwich. The Kit Eduard have earned an excellent reputation in recent years with world-class models such as their 1:72 Hellcat, Bf110 and MiG-15. Their models typically feature a mixture of exquisite detail and superb if complex engineering which puts them right at the pinnacle of modern kit manufacturers. The latest all-new 1:72 kit to roll off the Prague production line is the Spitfire Mk.IXe. The e here referring to the wing type which housed a pir of 20mm cannon out board of a pair of 0.5" calibre machine guns. Inside the sturdy box are five sprues of parts moulded in the blue-grey plastic often used by Eduard and a single sprue moulded in clear plastic. Altogether there are well over 150 plastic parts and, as this is a profipack edition, the plastic parts are accompanied by a small fret of pre-painted photo etched parts and a set of die-cut paint masks. The instruction book is a glossy, stapled A5 affair which includes full-colour painting diagrams. The overall impression is of a really premium quality package. The quality of the mouldings is up to the usual Eduard standard, with clean, crisp details and no flaws anywhere. As with other recent kits from Eduard, there is plenty of fine detail, with parts such as the cockpit comparable to high-end resin items (which, in turn, should tell you how good Eduard's resin cockpit is). The surface detail on the outside of the airframe is exquisitely rendered, with fine recessed panel lines and delicately engraved rivet and fastener detail. It's clear from the outset that Eduard have taken an uncompromising approach when it comes to detail. The cockpit is fabulous, particularly so in this Profipack edition with its extra photo etched parts. I don't think I've ever seen a Spitfire kit in this scale with a seat made up of three parts, so it's just as well that a set of pre-painted harnesses have been included too. There is a choice of plastic or photo etched parts for the pilot's armour, and further tiny photo etched details for the control column and throttle controls. The instrument panel also benefits from the addition of photo etched parts, with a detailed plastic alternative provided if you don't fancy using the metal parts. Unusually, the cockpit sidewalls have been moulded separately. I can only think that Eduard have done this in order to maximise the amount of detail they have been able to pack in, as well as paving the way for their resin cockpit, which uses the same approach. Once the cockpit has been assembled and painted, it can be fitted between the vertically split fuselage halves, along with the engine firewall, a blank part into which the propeller is fitted later on, and the pilot's head armour. The leading edge wing root also has to be fitted at this stage. The fact that these parts have been moulded separately to the rest of the kit is testament to Eduard's commitment to detail, if not buildability! The breakdown of the wing is no less complex. As you might expect, the lower wing has been moulded as a single span, with separate upper wing surfaces. Between the two you must sandwich seven parts which together make up the walls of the main landing gear bay. The ailerons and wing tips have been moulded separately, which allows multiple version to be built from the same moulds (alternative parts are included but marked as not for use for the aircraft depicted on this kit's decal sheet). The same applies to the rudder and elevators. Multiple alternatives are included on the sprues, so make sure you use the correct version for your intended subject. Choice is good though, as it makes for a very comprehensive package. The upper and lower cowlings are moulded separately, with the former split along the middle. Even the wing radiators are made up of six parts each, with the surface of the radiators themselves picked out in photo etched metal in this boxing. Turning the model over, the undercarriage is just as detailed as the rest of the kit. Each of the main landing gear legs is made up of seven parts, with the tyres moulded separately to the hubs and photo etched parts to represent hob covers (where fitted). The separate tyres will make painting easier, which is just as well as the included paint masks don't cater for the landing gear. A long range fuel tank and a couple of small bombs are included, as are a two different types of slipper tanks. The wing cannon barrels are moulded separately, which means they can be added at the end of the build in order to avoid accidental damage. Decals Decals are from Cartograf(main sheet) and Eduard (supplemental and should pose no issues. Markings are provided for 5 machines. 2003 (ex TE531), 105th Tajeset, Ramat David Air Base, Israel, September 1953 SM147, No. 73. Squadron RAF, Prkos Airfield, Yugoslavia, April/ May 1945 RK856, flown by Maj. C. Golding, CO of No. 3 Squadron SAAF, Italy, 1945 SM 26, Vorderings Vliegschool/Ecole de Pilotage Avancé, Brustem Air Base, Belgium, 1952 PL124, No. 312 Squadron RAF, B-10 Airfield Plumetôt, France, June 1944 Conclusion This is a welcome release from Eduard in 1.72 for all the Spitfire fans out there. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I picked up the Eduard 1:48 scale Tempest Mk V in its original Profipack guise very cheap at a local model expo. It came with the Airwaves Tempest II conversion, and the previous owner had already done a pretty neat job of cutting out the sections on the kit plastic, so an ideal subject for my second resin conversion. I managed to get hold of the Model Alliance 1/48 Hawker Tempest Mk.II/F.2/F.6 Post War # 48902 online as well. Considering my lack of experience with resin conversions I decided against the tail correction that is available (I suspect my skill levels are not quite ready for that). Completed as an aircraft from 33 Squadron RAF based at RAF Kuala Lumpur in 1951. Brush painted with Tamiya acrylics (with my own home brew attempt at PRU Blue - and no I can't remember the recipe. It was pretty much a bit of this and a bit of that from what I had in my paint collection). Also my first attempt at highlighting panel lines/weathering with artists' oils on a larger scale (my first serious attempt being the two 1:72 Hurricanes I posted yesterday). I finished with with a coat of Tamiya Flat Clear from a rattle can (TS80) - which its fast becoming my favourite way to provide a matt coat. I still have another Eduard Tempest V in my stash (second hand again), and still have enough decals to do a Tempest VI (I am drawn to the 213 Squadron machine on the Model Alliance sheet). Anyone had any experience with the MDC conversion for this kit? I would need to cut the plastic myself this time though! Thanks for looking. And some photos taken outside in the morning sun.

AN/ALQ-184 (short) and AN/ALQ-131 (shallow) ECM Pods (648363 & 648362) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Electronic CounterMeasures (ECM) has become a staple of modern air warfare, with survivability of an attack as important as being able to take out the enemy. Rather than build all this complicated electronics into each-and-every new design, a pod that takes up one pylon on the host aircraft can provide all the necessary equipment, and as it simply needs to interface with the avionics, it is much easier to change or adapt without hacking about the aircraft's structure. As usual with Eduard's resin sets, they arrive in the familiar Brassin clamshell box, with the resin parts safely cocooned on dark grey foam inserts, and the instructions sandwiched between the two halves, doubling as the header card. AN/ALQ-184 (short) ECM Pod (648362) Developed from the AN/ALQ-119, this modern pod is usually seen on an F-16, and is more tubular in shape than the above, although it does have a gondola under the main body for additional equipment. There is a single resin part in the box, with four small PE plates that affix to the port side of the pod, with a spare of each just in case. There are no shackle or crutch pad details moulded into the top of the pod however, so if your kit (or aftermarket) pylons don't include these, you might need to consider fabricating some if an accurate connection is needed. This pod is also covered in stencils (with some printed silver included), which are catered for on a separate sheet, with a page of the instructions devoted to their placement, with paint colours called out in Mr Color codes. AN/ALQ-131 (Shallow) ECM Pod (648363) Flown on a number of Cold War and modern jets such as the F-4, F-15 and F-16, as well as the doughty A-10 since the 1980s, this box is designated by Eduard as "Shallow", even though it differs little from the "Short" -184 model below, mainly because there is a "Deep" variant with more internal space available to pack additional equipment into. The set contains just three resin parts on two casting blocks, with the largest being the body, which resembles an aerodynamic tube with an angular box-like extension along most of its length. The two smaller parts are the pair of shackles to which the pylon grabs on to hold it in place on the aircraft, and these are attached on the top surface of the pod. A decal sheet is included for the myriad of little stencils that cover the slab-sides (with some printed silver included), and colour call-outs are in the usual Gunze codes, with a choice of all-over Olive Drab, or Olive Drab with grey undersides. Review sample courtesy of