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Fw.190A-5/U12 Gun Pods (648398 for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin The diminutive but agile Fw.190 saw many things strapped to it due to their Fuhrer's mindset that tried to make every successful (and some of the unsuccessful) aircraft all things to all men. One such addition were a pair of turret-like gun pods, each carrying a pair of 20mm Mg151s in the pods and leaving out the wing mounted MG-FFs, presumably to save weight. 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. Inside the box are two pods with four barrels in grey resin, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE), and a decal sheet for one particular example that flew with these pods attached, with a white tail and swooping red stripe over the front fuselage. Building the pods is simple, with the two barrels slotting into the apertures in the front of the pods, a small PE part attaching under the front lip, and a tiny lifting eye on what becomes the underside. A scrap diagram shows the location for the finished pod, just outboard of the main gear well. The instructions are unusual, as they are made up from a full sheet of A4, folded into quarters to accommodate a full page of profiles from all four sides of the topic in hand. The standard A-5 kit decals are shown in black, while the new decals are pointed out in red to assist you. I believe that this option was previously available through the Bunny Fighter Club, as you can possibly see the letters BFC on the decals. Review sample courtesy of

FAB-500 M54 Bombs (648424) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Russian iron bombs, dumb bombs of free-fall bombs. They have a lot of names, and come in a variety of sizes from 100kg all the way up to 9000kg. This one is a 500kg M54 unit (designed in 1954), which is surprisingly still in service alongside the M62, but can be differentiated by the more complex fin arrangement with four larger and four narrower fins at the rear, the larger ones overlapping the stabilising ring. 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. Inside the clamshell are two bomb bodies, two fin units and a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, with stencils on a sheet of decal paper. Once cut from their casting blocks, the two parts are lined up and glued together with super-glue (CA), with the fins connecting to corresponding grooves in the rear of the body. The cut rear end of the bomb body is finished off with one of the small circles of PE, with a raised section and a hole in the centre. Painting is shown on the guide diagram, and it's a dull grey (H/C308 in Gunze shades), with just the one stencil on the side (with a spare, in case you can't see on the pic). There's plenty of options for weathering, as bombs are often moved more times than they are dropped, so scratches, rust and missing paint, as well as fading is often seen. These types have been seen many times on multiple ejection rack pylons on Tu-22s, forcing them to remain subsonic unless they are carrying the newer M62 units that have no ballistic ring on the nose and are designed to cope with the forces associated with externally carried munitions on a modern fighter. Review sample courtesy of

My poor poor winterized Harrier hit a big snag recently, so much in fact that Ii put it back in the box for a while. To cheer me up a little, I decided to have a deeper look into my Christmas gift: 31 different decal options, but only 2 complete set of kits. I really hope that Eduard will offer more Overtrees soon! First, I thought that I should do one of the Grey Nurses, since I do have a thing for Sharkmouths... And I definitely want to do a brown/green one, and a desert one with the blue/light blue roundels and one green one with bomb racks... So, instead of botching Bobby Gibbes rather spiffy looking machines I decided to start with this to learn how to build an Eduard Spitfire. Pictures to follow! //Christer

P-51D Armament & Fuel Tanks (SIN648397) 1:48 Eduard for Airfix Kit Eduard have combined their Gun Bay set, bombs, rocket launchers and two different styles of drop tanks into one easy set. P-51D Gun Bays (Early & Late) This set contains resin & PE to fit gun bays the new Airfix kit. The set contains parts for early and late gun bays. As well as the bays there are the guns and ammo belts. Decals are provided for the loading instructions inside the doors. Some surgery to the kits wings is needed, through note a lot, mainly just removing the panels. This set should get good results and would suit some kind of loading diorama. Highly Recommended. 250lb bombs These are a two bomb units with PE fins and vanes. There is also a small decal sheet with markings. Bazooka Rocket Launchers These are a complete set of replacement launchers for the kit. For the rear of the tubes either empty or loaded ends are available. The racks to attach to the wings are also included as are PE sway braces. 75 Gal Fuel Tanks The are two whole cast replacement P-51D 75 gal drop tanks. Small PE braces and fuel lines are also supplied, as is a small decal sheet with tank markings, 104 Gal Paper Fuel Tanks (648350) The are two whole cast replacement P-51D 104 gal paper drop tanks. Due to their larger size and more complex surface they are three part. Small PE braces, the larger straps, and fuel lines are also supplied, as is a small decal sheet with tank markings. Nose cones are provided for early and late tanks. Review samples courtesy of

Pre- Painted Instrument panels Eduard LOOK 1:32 The first release of this new series was for the Revell P-51 Mustang (reviewed here). Eduard have now released three more sets of these innovative panels. These are for the Tamiya P-51D, and D-5 and the Tamiya F4U-1A Corsair. As with the first set, the modeller is provided with the main panel, side panels and centre panels if required. Each set also includes a sheet of etched steel for the seat belts. The panels have all the correct markings and placards painted on them and the faces of each instrument is glazed, making them look very realistic, particularly with a bit of weathering to get away from that newly built look. Tamiya F4U-A Corsair Tamiya P-51D-5 Tamiya P-51D Conclusion This new series is a great resource for those of us who are unable to replicate all the markings on a panel, all in one easy package. My only concern is if a model was to be put into a competition without the modeller declaring they have used a LOOK set, as, to me, it’s a form of cheating still stands though. Review sample courtesy of

Bf.109G-6/U4 Essentials (SIN64845 for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Tamiya's new 109G in 1:48 is a bit late to the party, but I'm sure it's a good one. Eduard have already done the research for their own G series and their various updates, and it would be a shame to waste it, so they've adapted it to the new kit, improving the main focal areas in a modular fashion. If you wanted to throw the kitchen sink at the kit (and why not?), this Essentials Brassin set brings almost everything you'll need, which when you add the engine I reviewed earlier here, will make your 109 stand out from the crowd. As usual with Eduard's SIN resin sets, they arrive in a rectangular Brassin tray box, with the resin parts safely cocooned on dark grey foam sheets, and the instructions on top, providing just a tad of extra protection. All in, you make a healthy saving on buying the individual sets. Bf.109G-6 Wheels (648400) The narrow track of the 109 was well known as a danger during ground handling, and later on a set of wider diameter wheels were fitted with smaller hubs to help with this unwelcome characteristic. The tyres are fitted with large diameter shallow hubs and thin radially recessed treaded tyres, with the raised manufacturer's data faithfully reproduced, and the hub detail is superb. Bf.109G-6 Exhaust Stacks (648402) If you don't want to go all the way and open up the engine, but want those nice hollow exhaust stacks and the feint glimpse of the engine within the cowlings, then this set is for you. It contains two backing plates for the exhaust slots with engine detail visible, and 12 individual exhaust stacks that fit into slots in the manifold. A pair of PE flame damping strips are added above and below the exhaust stacks, which require a slight widening of the slot, as shown on the accompanying instructions. Bf.109G Gun Pods (648403) Containing one MG 151/20 cannon in each pod under the wing, these bolt-on weapons upped the 109's offensive armaments significantly, and gave it a more aggressive look into the bargain. This set contains parts for both cannons, and each one can be posed open or closed at your whim. To build them closed is simple – just add the barrel to the fairing and scribe a small circular access hatch in the lower wing using the template provided. Bf.109G-4/U4 cockpit (648411) A complete resin cockpit to replace the kit parts with more highly detailed resin and PE parts, with eighteen parts in grey resin, four in clear resin, two sheets of PE, one pre-painted and nickel-plated, the other bare brass, a small sheet of acetate, and the instructions. The new cockpit replaces the old, and necessitates the removal of all the interior detail before it can be installed, with a choice of resin instrument panel with decals, or a resin and PE sandwich that has realistic detail on the individual dials. Crew seatbelts are included, as are delicate rudder pedals and details far beyond what styrene alone can achieve, such as the combined resin/PE and acetate Revi 16b gunsight, or the alternative Revi 12c. The inside of the canopy is detailed with head armour, padded headrest and grab-handles on the inside corners of the windscreen, while the sloping rear of the cockpit can be depicted as early or late designs, with a different stowage panel inserted after making space for it by removing the early version that is moulded into part B25 of the kit. In both cases the two sill sections are removed beforehand, as these are included in the resin parts of the cockpit. Masks (EX583) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition you get a set of hub/tyre masks for the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Review sample courtesy of

AN/AAQ-28(V) Litening 1:32 Brassin (632-126) – LITENING is an integrated targeting pod that mounts externally to the aircraft. The targeting pod contains a high-resolution, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor that displays an infrared image of the target to the aircrew; it has a wide field of view search capability and a narrow field of view acquisition/targeting capability of battlefield-sized targets. The pod also contains a CCD camera used to obtain target imagery in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. An on-gimbal inertial navigation sensor establishes line-of-sight and automatic boresighting capability. The pod is equipped with a laser designator for precise delivery of laser-guided munitions. A laser rangefinder provides information for various avionics systems, for example, navigation updates, weapon deliveries and target updates. The targeting pod includes an automatic target tracker to provide fully automatic stabilized target tracking at altitudes, airspeeds and slant ranges consistent with tactical weapon delivery manoeuvres. These features simplify the functions of target detection and recognition, and permit attack of targets with precision-guided weapons on a single pass. The single sniper pod comes in the blister style pack normally used for the smaller items, well protected by foam pads inside. It is really well detailed, as we have come to expect from Eduard and the parts are very neatly moulded. The pod comes in two grey resin parts, a small etched brass fret and decal sheet. Once the two resin parts have been removed from the moulding blocks and cleaned up, assembly begins with the fitting of the brass end piece to the main body of the pod. The seeker head is the glued to the front of the main body, at whatever position you want, although it can actually be just push fitted allowing it to be moved as and when the modeller wants. The whole pod is then painted in overall grey and the decals added. Conclusion This is another very useful piece of kit to add to your 1:32 aircraft. They are, or have been fitted to so many types now; everything from the F-16 via the A-10 to the Harrier GR-7/9 so could be of interest to a whole host of modellers. Review sample courtesy of

Bf.109-G Engine (648406 for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Tamiya's new Bf.109G-6 gets the Eduard treatment in stages (we reviewed some of the earlier sets here), and this time it's the engine compartment. As usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in the oblong Brassin box, with the resin parts safely cocooned on dark grey foam inserts, and the instructions sandwiched wrapped around, providing extra protection. Inside are four bags of resin in two shades of grey, a single sheet of Photo-Etch (PE) brass in a separate bag with backing card, and the instruction booklet, which in this instance is fairly substantial consisting of nine sides of folded A4. The set includes the gun bays in the nose, and begins with the construction of the main engine block, which has an amazing number of PE and resin parts added, even before you have left the first page of the instruction. The oil tank, engine mounts and turbocharger are installed too, with the gun bay next, linked with various hoses and bracketry. Looked on as a whole it seems quite daunting, but if it is like any other Eduard engine set, it will fall together once you have gone through making up sub-assemblies and painted them. The level of detail present and the care taken to explain it all thoroughly in pictorial format is stunning, with additional wiring needed from your stocks to do the whole thing justice and mimic the layout of the real thing. The installation requires the removal of the front part of the fuselage, which is where the magnets are housed that allow the stock kit to have removable panels. I find that a bit of a gimmick myself, as I can barely handle any of my kits without breaking the small parts off, so wouldn't want to be fiddling with the model after completion anyway. With the new resin engine showing off so much detail, I wouldn't want to hide it away anyhow! The rear of the gun bay latches neatly onto a couple of depressions on the kit, and then it is a case of wiring it in, and replacing the kit cowling parts with new resin ones that depict the parts in-scale, and with greater detail. The lower cowl is depicted unlatched on one side and swung down, which is held in place by PE tongues, while the upper cowling is opened on both sides gull-wing style, with a 19mm wire prop (from your own stock) holding them in place. An optional resin tropical filter is included if it is required, which has some detailed PE mounts to affix it to the cowling in front of the intake. Conclusion This will not be a "quick slap it together" upgrade, but if you take the time to paint and assemble it correctly, it will provide your model with mind-blowing detail that simply isn't possible in styrene. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

PT-109 Guns and Life Raft set (53219) Eduard 1:72 The new PT-109 from Revell is a lovely kit from the box, but could really do with some extra detail, with one set for it released by Eduard, they have now released the second set. PT-109 Guns and Life Raft set: The set comes in the standard poly sleeve contain a single sheet of relief etched brass. The sheet contains, as the name suggests, parts for the machine guns, Oerlikon and 37mm guns, plus the life raft. But it also contains main other items that will really help detail the model. Firstly the guns, the twin 50 cals and their turrets receive new barrel sleeves which will need to be carefully rolled, new breech plates and cocking handles, ammunition guides, ammunition belts, gunners backrest, rail stops. The 37mm receives a new shell guard, operating handle and splinter shield with additional boxes attached. The Oerlikon is fitted with new ammunition drum faces, sight and gunners back sling. The life raft will need some careful surgery to remove the moulded details, leaving just the rafts buoyancy tanks. It is then fitted with a new perforated grating and grating ties. It is also fitted with new chocks and tiedown straps. The additional parts in the kit are for the depth charge fuses plates plus replacement racks and straps. The storage boxes receive replacement racks and carrying handles while the fo’c’sle deck is fitted with replacement toe rails, once the moulded items have been carefully removed. Conclusion Yest more items to super detail what is already a nice kit. Care will need to be taken with the life raft grating and the ties are very thin, but at least this makes them easy to bend. The toe rails also look quite fragile and easily bent out of shape. All in all a very nice and useful little set that will complement the earlier release. Review sample courtesy of

Hello, on Friday I finished the latest project, which started beginning of this year. And after the great feedback for my D.H.2 Stripdown I like to show the latest here too. This Pup was created from a very old Eduard short run kit, a 80PS Le Rhone form Small Stuff replaced the kit engine, real wood was used again for struts, air screw, gear, top of fuselage. The seat belts are the new steel from Eduard too and the decals come from Pheon. Painting was done with colors from Alclad, Gunze and Oils. The etch parts of the kits were fantastic, but the Vickers was added from "Parts". A lof of brass was added for the terminals of the "RAF-Wires" and other details. Have fun - I hope you will like it too, Frank Looks really like a Pup. Please note the open coolings of the Vickers: Please note the open tail with a wooden skid with scratched metal parts: I like the engine: And finally the view from below: In the open cooling vent the cylinders are visible: The end.

Bf.109G & G-10 Update Sets (for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard & Eduard Brassin Following on from our review of the new Bf.109G-10 Mtt Regensburg kit from Eduard (read that here), here are the additional detail sets that have been patterned on the kit parts, and are available to those that can't get enough detail. As usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in their black rectangular box, while the Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Bf.109G-10 Cockpit (648422) This Brassin set gives you all the parts for a complete replacement to the kit cockpit in one handy box, including seventeen grey resin parts, four clear resin parts, two sheets of PE, one painted and nickel-plated, a small decal sheet and a slip of clear acetate for the gunsight. Everything is of a higher level of detail due to the flexibility of resin moulding, although there is a small amount of duplication in the seatbelt and instrument panel department, but these are slightly improved from the kit parts. The rest of the cockpit is generously appointed with moulded and PE detail that will look stunning under a few coats of paint if you're careful not to make it too dark in there. The set just needs you to remove the moulded-in detail that's present in the fuselage halves, and while in the mood to replace things, it provides a more detailed set of head armour with a clear resin block taking the place of the clear styrene part. The rear "parcel shelf" of the cockpit is also replaced with a more detailed part that fits in place just as easily as the kit part. Upgrade Set (48961) This large bare brass set contains some important upgrades that go beyond the kit's already excellent detail levels, such as a detailed radio compartment bezel and replacement door with internal mechanism; wheel bay "spats"; in-scale radiator cooling flaps; scale-accurate flap sections with ribbing and hinge mechanism, which are shown assembled in scrap diagrams; a new set of main gear bay covers, which are laminated and joined by new oleo-scissor links, tie-down loops and brake hoses on each leg, and finally a trim flap actuator for the rudder. Masks (EX608) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition you get a set of hub/tyre masks for the tail wheel, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. This will be useful for those getting Overtrees or Weekend kits down the line. Masks Tface (EX609) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with everything above, but also give you another set of canopy masks tailored to fit the interior of the glazing so that you can paint the interior and give your model that extra bit of realism. Review sample courtesy of

Bf.109G-10 Mtt Regensburg ProfiPACK (82119) 1:48 Eduard There must have been billions of words written on the Bf.109 over the years, which was the mainstay of the Luftwaffe's fighter arm, despite having been supposedly superseded by the Fw.190 and others during its service life. It kept coming back to prominence due partly to it being a trusted design, the manufacturer's substantial sway with the RLM, and the type's ability to be adapted as technology advanced. The G or Gustav as it was known was one of the later variants, and is widely regarded as one of the more successful, with improved armament that give some variants a distinctive pair of blisters in front of the windscreen, plus mounting points for the 210mm rocket tubes used to disrupt the bomber streams in long range attacks using timed detonation. The other minor changes were targeted at Defense of the Reich, removing the mounting points and hardware for long-range tanks etc. The G-10 was fitted with the new DB605D-2 engine that was later seen on the K, and became the de facto standard Gustav once introduced, often using as-yet unfinished G-14s as the starting point, which has confused some researchers in the past. It was fitted with the sleek Erla-Haube canopy and a deeper oil cooler under the nose that sets it apart from previous issues along with some small blisters just forward and below the exhaust stacks. It also had a swept-forward installation of the radio antenna under the wing leading edge, all of which you can see on the box art. The Kit This boxing depicts airframes that were manufactured at Messerschmitt's own Regensburg factory, and as you can imagine, it shares some sprues with earlier variants from Eduard, most notably the G-14 that came before and overlapped its tenure. With this being a ProfiPACK issue, it arrives in the orange banded box, with four sprues of grey styrene, a clear sprue, two sheets of Photo-Etch (PE), a sheet of yellow kabuki-style masking medium (not pictured), two decal sheets for markings and stencils, and of course the instruction booklet. The build process will of course be familiar to anyone that has either built a 109 before, and/or owns one of Eduard's other Gustav offerings. Where it differs is in the new fuselage halves, which have all the requisite lumps and bumps mentioned above, plus a new lower wing sprue (half) that has a small hole for the clear isolating panel at the base of the antenna. The build of course begins in the cockpit, with PE and styrene parts aplenty, plus a nice transparent fuel feeder pipe, which is clear so that you can mask the vision port and paint the rest. This was a lo-fi way for the pilot to quickly check whether his engine was sucking vapours, or had gone pop for some other reason. PE seatbelts are included, and a choice of PE or styrene rudder pedals, depending on how dexterous you are feeling. The instrument panel is laminated from layers of pre-painted PE, with the new glossy, slightly domed dials already present on the frets, which Eduard have slyly introduced recently with little in the way of fanfare. The sidewalls too are decorated with more painted PE parts, after which you can close up the fuselage unless you're treating yourself to a resin engine or other goodies. Don't forget to trap the tail wheel between the halves, or you'll regret it later. The backplate for the spinner and exhaust stubs are installed, and the top cowling with gun inserts is glued into place along with the intake for the engine's turbocharger, a PE hinge section on the top of the cowling, and a choice of PE flame-hiders for the exhausts, which vary between markings options. The G-10 had an extended fin, which is separate from the fuselage on this boxing, breaking at a convenient panel line to ease the way. The elevator fins are each two parts and fit using pins, with separate elevators and a choice of two rudder types. The wings are only slightly different from the norm, with the usual (but new) full-width lower, main gear sidewalls and split upper wings, plus a gaggle of separate parts for the leading-edge slats (gravity deployed when stopped), ailerons, and the two-layer flaps that butt up to the back of the radiator bays, which have PE skins front and back, as does the extended chin-scoop that identifies it as a G-10. A scrap diagram shows the correct positioning of the flaps when they are deployed. The main gear is the same narrow-track stuff from earlier models, with separate tyres and hubs, plus captive bay doors, socketing into the bay using nice strong parts, and with hub masks for easy painting of the wheels. A tiny square clear part is supplied for the aerial isolator and a mask is on the sheet, with a choice of styrene or PE aerial, and here my review sample had a short-shot of this delicate part, which is the first time ever that I have seen this happen on an Eduard kit. The PE backup is there of course, and as it happens I have a set of the resin FuG16 antennae that we reviewed recently here. You'll want to check part I17 on your sprues however, just in case. Horn-balances are fitted to the ailerons, a small raised panel under the wing trailing edge is added from PE, and a circular panel on the flank of the fuselage needs to be filled for authenticity's sake. As the build draws to a conclusion, the gunsight is added from a partially painted (by you) clear part, and if you add a little translucent green/blue to the edge to simulate the thickness of the glass, it will improve the look of the finished part. The windscreen has a couple of small PE parts added to it before you can glue it to the front of the squared-off cockpit opening, and the uber-sleek Erla-Haube canopy has a windowed head armour part that will need masking from the enclosed sheet and painting before it is fitted. If you have treated yourself to a set of Tface masks that allow painting of both interior and exterior surfaces of the canopy, the additional small parts added will gel nicely with this improvement. A stubby aerial fits to the top rear of the canopy, and you have a choice of PE or styrene DF loop antenna for the spine a little way back. The canopy can be posed open by using the thin PE restraint that's included on the fret, which allows you to set the correct angle when open. The prop is a single part, which has the two-piece spinner fitted around it, after which you can either glue it in place, or leave it loose for travel and impromptu spinning if you like. A trim actuator for the rudder and a tiny aerial under the fuselage are the last parts on the PE fret, which ends the construction phase unless you have chosen markings option C, which has a two-part drop-tank on a four prong mount under the centre of the fuselage. Markings As is usually the case with ProfiPACK editions, there are five marking options included in the box, with a nice broad range of colour options, some of which have interesting and fairly unusual quirks to them. The main sheet contains all the national, unit, and theatre markings, while the smaller sheet is full of stencils, which are detailed on a separate page to avoid cluttering each full page set of profiles. You get spinner decals where appropriate, so you're not left wondering how on earth you're going to do them, so all you have to worry about (if you do) is the various mottle and scribble patterns that are seen on all but one of the aircraft. Option B is perfect for the mottle-phobic, as it is a bare metal Mosquito Hunter from Fassberg, which was stripped and polished to give it the best chance of swatting those superbly swift Mossies. 1./ KG(J) 6, Prague – Kbely, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, March/April 1945 W. Nr. 130342, 5./ NJG 11, Fassberg, Germany 1945 W. Nr. 130297, flown by Fw. Horst Petzschler, 10./ JG 51, Bulltofta, Sweden, May 1945 13./ JG 27, Schleswig – Holstein, Germany, May 1945 W.Nr. 130282, flown by Hptm. Franz Wienhusen, CO of IV./ JG 4, Frankfurt/Rhein-Main, Germany, November 1944 All the decals are printed in the Czech Republic with good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The black is a little dominant on the instrument panel decals, but as we have a PE panel anyway, it's hardly of great importance! Conclusion Another great 109G kit from Eduard that has plenty of detail out of the box, and can be upgraded even further in the detail department if you're minded to add the extra resin and PE sets that are patterned for the kit and available separately. ProfiPACK Kit EduART As Eduard have such consistently good box art they began offering prints in special editions of their models, but have now modularised the art so that you can buy it separately, or along with your kit. The print arrives in a cardboard folio, the flap of which is taped shut, and has a card flap to lock it closed again once the seal is broken. Inside is the print, safely sandwiched by two pieces of white card to prevent any scuffing of the printed surface during storage or shipping. The print measures 59.5cm x 42cm, and there is a border around the artwork to make framing easier, plus a caption underneath for those that don't immediately know what they're looking at. I have outlined the canvas of the accompanying picture in black to demonstrate the proportions and size of the artwork in relationship to the overall size of the print. The EduART logo is found at the bottom of the caption in the centre. Print quality is impressive, and at this size it makes for an imposing picture, eliciting a "whoa!" from my son when I pulled it from its folio. EduART Print Overtrees (82119X & 82119-LEPT) If you have one of these new kits but wanted to do another decal option in addition, or have an aftermarket decal sheet in mind, you'll be pleased to know that you can get just the sprues from the Eduard site, and if you want to add some detail, you can also get a set of Photo-Etch to go with it. They arrive in a white box with a sticker on the end, with all the styrene in the one bag, and the clear parts bagged inside that for their safety during transport and storage. The Overtrees as they're called can only be bought directly from Eduard, so click on the button below to pick up yours. You can also download the instruction booklet if you don't already have one from the main kit page. Kit Overtrees Photo-Etch Overtrees Review sample courtesy of

The second one of the two finished models this year beside my Sopwith Pup is also a 1/48 kit Dual-Profipack of Eduard: Pfalz D.IIIa For me it was a "speed build" in exactly one month (I cannot understand, that someone is able build a Weekend Edition on a weekend). As usual I added details made from brass, Gaspatch turnbuckles for the rigging, HGW/Eduard fabric seatbelts and a wooden air screw. I added another PE set of Eduard and used the LMG 08/15 of Master. The painting was done with Gunze and Alclad, the wings are done in semi matt alu, and oils. The marking is a bit speculative, but damn cool! The Cartograf-decals are provided with the kit. Have fun with the pictures! Frank

As I have mentioned in my other thread in this GB I have been away from the workbench for over a month and a half...not sure how that happened. Anyway while I get my mojo back for the other (stalled) project I fancied something (a) airplane based and (b) quick ish. After inspection of the stash I came across this: With a suitable MTO option in the form of Ju 87B-2 Trop 2./StG 1 Derna Libya October 1941. With only a couple of dozen pieces (but including some very fine photo etch) it must be capable of being put together in a few sessions....surely 😉 As always all comments welcome. Dave

BL755 Cluster Bombs (648415) 1:48 Eduard Brassin The BL755 was the main RAF & RN Cluster bomb between the early 1970s until 2008 when it was removed due to the UK signing the Ottawa Treaty on Landmines. Each bomb contained 147 sub munitions and externally was shaped like a standard 1000Lb bomb. Each sub munition contained a shaped anti armour charge surrounded by wound tessellated square wire which produced upto 1400 anti personnel fragments. The unit was used by some NATO allies and some UK partner nations. They continue to be used recently by Saudi aircraft in the Yemen. Typically the units were kept in canisters prior to use so dont normally show the weathering which can be seen on bombs. This set contains four resin bombs, the arming vanes and a set of decals. Review sample courtesy of

This is my (first?) entry for the GB: a red striped soviet MiG-21S. It took part at "Operation Danube", the warsaw pact invasion of the Czechoslovakia. For the kit, i will use the little gem from Eduard. I have already built the kit and i really enjoyed it. So, let's start with another. I will build the "Red 01". Hope to start soon the work on this kit! ciao Ale

As my Tomahawks, Spitfire IX and Blenheim are progressing, I've decided to start another kit and, as I have a fair few Eduard Spitfires in the stash... I'll be using this boxing: I quite like this option: but I have this sheet: which has some in the High Altitude Scheme. As the Eduard Spitfire has a LOT of parts, painting choices are some way away. Anyway, I've made a start by painting the interior with a mixture of Colourcoats Interior Grey Green and Tamiya Aluminium. I've given them a dry-brush with a light grey, once it's dry I'll give them a black wash. Also did the seat, using Colourcoats RN Anti-fouling Red for the seat (which I'll give a dark red-brown wash) before using these seatbelts, (a gift from the ever generous @CedB) Thanks for looking.

Sea King HAR.3 / Mk.43 Update sets & Masks 1:72 Eduard for Airfix Kit The new tool Sea King was welcome for those who build Helicopters, Eduard are now along with some sets for it. 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. Interior Set (73636) This set has one pre-painted fret, and one brass one. You get cockpit details, seat belts (front & rear) , instrument panels, and the overhead panel. The brass spure has cockpit floors and a new rear cockpit bulkhead. Also the rear bulkhead. Zoom! Set (SS636) 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, with the seat belts. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. Exterior Set (72671) This set contains many fuselage and tail access panels. Sponson parts, tail rotor parts, tail fold parts, crew entry steps & door, windscreen wipers, and winch parts. Masks (CX517) Supplied on yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the glazing. In addition you get a set of hub/tyre masks for the main and tail wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort, plus a landing light mask. Review samples courtesy of

Ju 87B-2/R2 Upgrade sets & Masks 1:72 Eduard for Airfix Kit The new tool from Airfix is welcome. Eduard are now along with some sets for it. 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 (73633) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete set of new layered instrument panels that will be prominent within the cockpit are the primary parts on the painted set, with new rudder pedals; seat details; canopy internal structure; additional instruments; seat belts and extra details. The normal fret contains external details, bomb details, canopy frame parts and airframe parts. Zoom! Set (SS633) 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. Masks (CX513) Supplied on yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy. In addition you get a set of hub/tyre masks for the main and tail wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort, plus a landing light mask. Review samples courtesy of

Hello, some years ago I started to do more static modeling, coming from remote control helicopters. After soldering some of the strip downs from Eduard of the last century I build now mostly 1/48 biplanes. I like to show my Airco D.H.2 in 1/48 finished end of last year. It's the only stripdown in this scale from Eduard. The PE was mostly soldered as far as possible to big assemblies. Struts are made from real wood, the four blade too. The engine was replaced with one from Small Stuff and can rotate with the prop. The rigging was done with help of Gaspatch turnbuckles, may be the model with the highest number of those used. Some plastic parts was replaced by brass, e.g. the tail boom and spar. The painting was done with Alclad, Gunze and oil. Now have fun with the pictures If you have further questions feel free to ask! Frank

Bismarck Photo Etched Upgrades for Meng Kit 1:700 Eduard Meng Model have taken a somewhat curious approach to their fledgling range of 1:700 scale warships. The kits are well made and nicely detailed, but are moulded in multi-coloured plastic and designed as snap-fit models. While that makes them seem somewhat toy-like, Eduard have clearly taken the view that enough 'serious' modellers will acquire and build the kits to justify the release of upgrade sets for them. These sets cover the recent Bismarck kit. Bismarck Photo Etched Set (53220) As with any small-scale ship, there are an awful lot of fine details that cannot be replicated satisfactorily in injection moulded plastic. That's where Eduard's set will prove to be useful. The first set includes a range of small detail parts including the FuMO 23 radar, details for the optical rangefinders, small platforms, windlasses, the anchor chains and various other deck furniture. Also on this fret are a range of ladders and stairways, details for the aircraft hangar and catapault, the mast and the main and secondary armament. Splinter shields for the smaller guns are also provided, alongside details for the ship's boats. Bismarck Railings Photo Etched Set (53221) This fret includes a full set of railings and stairways. The railings feature a constant lower rail rather than individual stanchions, which will make them easier to fix to the model. Conclusion Nothing finishes a model warship off better than a set of fine photo etched parts. With this pair of frets, Eduard have included almost everything you could want to complete the Meng kit to a high standard. If I were to choose just one of these sets then it would be the railings, but both will make a positive difference to the kit. Review sample courtesy of

A-4F Skyhawk Update sets & masks 1:48 Eduard for Trumpeter Kit Eduard now bring us an update set, seatbelts, Airbrakes and two sets of masks for the new Trumpeter A-4E Update Set (49899) Inside there are two frets, one coloured and one not. The coloured parts are mainly for the cockpit including a new instrument panel, sides panels, and various levers. A new floor is provided along sides for the ejection seat, also new HUD parts are provided. For the airframe new parts are provided for the gear doors, and gear bays as well as the jet exhaust and rear chaff launchers. New parts are provided for the inside of the canopy and the fillers on the fuel tanks. If the modeller only wants the coloured cockpit etch then this is available as a zoom set. Full Set ZOOM Seat Belts (FE900) This contains a full set of seatbelts for the kits ejection seats It also contains ejection seat handles. All in the newer Eduard flixible steel, in full colour. Airbrakes (48955) This contains a full set of replacement speed brakes and interior well parts for the kit. Masks Eduard provide two sets of masks. These are for the canopy and the wheels. The Tface ones provide masks for inside and outside the canopy Normal EX593 Tface EX594 Review samples courtesy of

With the hawk awaiting a full bottle of primer to arrive, and a week of annual leave in hand, it's time to get a second aircraft onto the bench. The Hawk was an OOB build to get me by, but this Harrier has a few extras to test me and so I can learn a few things as I go. I've gone with the Eduard rebox of what I believe is the Hasegawa Harrier. I've picked up some Brassin and Eduard accessories as you can see, They include a THERMA poem Sniper ATP, UK RBF tags and a step ladder. Although I'm left wondering if the UK use(d) ladders like this? The set comes with Cartograf decals for the following 6 designs: As well as the standard array of sprues: It also comes with a correct resin seat, to frames of photo-etch parts (one in full colour), new wheels and a sheet of pre cut masks. Cheers James

Shackleton AEW.2 Photo Etch Upgrades for Airfix Kit 1:72 Eduard Airfix's Shackelton has been generally well-received, although it's fair to say that the AEW.2 didn't make quite such a big impact as the MR.2, not least because Revell were able to beat them to market with their own impressive kit. Now Eduard have released a tranche of photo etched accessories for the new kit, as well as a set of paint masks. Shackleton AEW.2 Cockpit Interior Photo Etched Set Despite the misleading title, this is actually a combined set for the interior and exterior. The first fret contains the interior details and, as you would expect, there is a natural focus on the cockpit area. Included on this fret is a pre-painted multi-layered instrument panel, harnesses for the pilot's and co-pilot's seats, details for the throttle controls, control column and cockpit sidewalls. Also on this fret are parts for detailing inside of the transparent parts. On the second fret are parts for detailing the main wheel hubs, the insides of the landing gear bays, the inside of the bomb bay doors and the radiators of the mighty Griffon engines. A host of smaller parts such as aerials and aileron actuators are also included on this fret. Shackelton AEW.2 Fuselage Interior The incredibly detailed interior of the Airfix Shackleton drew a lot of comment when the kit was shown for the first time, both from those happy to see so much amazing detail and those who couldn't see the point when relatively little would be visible when completed. For the former group, Eduard have released a further set of pre-painted parts. Included on the fret are harnesses for the remaining crew seats, as well as a whole host of details for the various crew stations. A first aid kit rounds the package off nicely. You will need to scrape away the moulded detail in order to use these items, but you needn't worry about being too careful as the photo etched parts will cover up any slips with the scalpel blade. Shackleton AEW.2 Landing Flaps This set is comprised of two fairly large frets that contain everything needed to kit out the kit with a set of detailed landing flaps. In typical Eduard style, the part count has been kept quite low by making use of folds rather than individual parts. The instructions don't show these folds in great detail though, so you'll need to pay close attention. Although this set appears to be quite complex, it should be quite straightforward to assemble provided the right tools are used. The Airfix kit already has separate plastic flaps, so replacing them with the brass versions will require some moulded detail to be scraped away. You'll also need to stock up on thin plastic rod in order to complete them properly. Shackleton MR.2 Masks Most of us are familiar with Eduard's pre-cut masks, so I won't say too much about them here. You get everything you need for all of the transparent parts as well as the wheels, and while they may seem like an extravagance for a smaller kit like a Spitfire, they are much less so for a beast of a kit like the Shackelton. Conclusion Airfix's Shackleton looks to be a pretty good kit, and in usual Eduard style these sets will add detail where it counts. I imagine many modellers will opt to forgo super-detailing the interior, so it's good that Eduard have produced a separate set for this area as it maximises choice and value for the modeller (interestingly I had two identical frets supplied with the interior set by accident. If you want one of them, drop me a PM and they're yours). Some of the parts in the landing flap set may be a little intimidating for those not used to working with photo etched parts, but once you get the hang of folding them up, you'll be fine. Used in conjunction with the other sets, these should help to transform the model into a real showstopper. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

MiG-21MF Brassin Weapons 1:72 Eduard Eduard's new MiG-21MF comes with a fairly comprehensive suite of weaponry for both the interceptor and fighter bomber variants. As you might expect, however, Eduard have released a suite of resin alternatives through their Brassin label. The range includes some items that have been released before in different guises, but these are all labelled for the MiG-21MF and include the relevent launch rails and/or pylons. The range covers the R-13M (NATO AA-2C Atoll), R-3S (NATO AA-2A Atoll), RS-2US (NATO AA-1 Alkali) and UB-16-57UMP Launchers for the S-5 55mm unguided rocket. Of course these items are not strictly exclusive to the MiG-21 and could also be used with other Soviet/Russian aircraft such as the MiG-23, Su-9, Su-17 etc. Each item is well made and beautifully cast, with decals and, in some cases, photo etched details. R-13M Missiles for MiG-21 With pylons (672188) Without Pylons (672187) R-3S Missiles for MiG-21 With pylons (672186) Without Pylons (672185) MiG-21MF Pylons RS-2US Missiles for MiG-21 With pylons (672192) Without pylons (672191) UB-16 Rocket Launchers for MiG-21 With pylons (672190) Without pylons (672189) Conclusion While these items are not essential (the kit equivalents are perfectly useable), they do represent an upgrade for quality and detail-conscious modellers. They are also useful for any other kits you may have in the stash. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of