Eduard Brassin "Danger Zone" Upgrade Sets 1:48

[Mike]

"Danger Zone" Upgrade Sets
1:48 Eduard Brassin

To complement their Limited Edition kit of the F-14A (Danger Zone, Kit Number 1192), Eduard have added some superb additions to further improve the detail of this kit. There are four sets in total, all of which are available separately so that you can choose which area interests you, and how far you wish to stretch your budget.

Big Sin F-14A Weapons Set (SIN64814)
This includes all the missiles that you could need for your Tomcat, in quantities that it actually used, rather than theoretical maximums. The figure sized box is a top-opener, and has a small picture of the contents in the top left corner, and the horned Big Sin logo in the opposite corner. Inside is a festival of resin missiles all bagged by type, and with a bubble-wrap cocoon protecting it all. An additional bag has some card stiffeners to protect the Photo-Etch (PE) and decals from bending.

AIM-9M/L Sidewinder
Four of these almost ubiquitous short-range missiles are included, with the main body and aft fins moulded as a single piece. When cut from the casting block a PE exhaust part finished the tail, while a PE jig is folded up to act as support for the separate forward steering vanes that plug into slots in the nose area. Once set, the jig can be removed and discarded. A clear seeker head is included from clear resin, or you can plug in the protective cover if you are modelling your aircraft on the flight line with all the Remove Before Flight (RBF) tags dangling. Speaking of which, you get a set of eight, four of which have white stencilling, the rest having black. To differentiate between the M and L variants, a small PE part is added for the M, and a fastener is removed in the same place for the L. The decals include all the stencils and banding for both the M and L variants too, with Gunze painting call-outs throughout.

AIM-7M Sparrow
Four Sparrows are included, with the tail fins moulded into the main body, separate forward steering vanes, and a PE exhaust aperture. A small PE part is added behind the steering vanes, preferably after main painting, as it is pre-painted for ease. Decals include all relevant stencils and banding for your missiles, and Gunze colour call-outs are used throughout.

AIM-54A Phoenix
Although the F-14 could theoretically carry 6 Phoenix missiles, this configuration wasn't used in practice, so the four that are included in the pack should be sufficient. The main body and forward fins are moulded as one, with a separate tail and aft fins attached, which has a deep exhaust aperture within. In order to obtain the best fit, it might be as well to use a drill-bit slightly smaller than the diameter of the missile to hollow out the contact face, to avoid any odd angles creeping into your build. There is no PE included with this set, but a comparatively large decal sheet is needed due to the quantity of stencils and bands that the missile wore. You will need to pay careful attention to the alignment of the bands too, as they are split into short sections by the missile's fins, so each band is made from four parts. Colour call-outs are of course using Gunze paint codes.

"Danger Zone" F-14A Upgrade Set (48817)
This set comes on two large 14cm x 7cm brass frets and takes up where the set included within the box leaves off, detailing much of the rest of the airframe as necessary. This includes parts for the radar assembly, nose gear bay, refuelling probe, and most significantly, the 20mm Vulcan cannon bays, which receive a set of detail skins to update the bland interior. The bays each get a surround into which the fasteners lock on the real thing, all of which should enhance realism significantly. A strip of 20mm shells and a skin for the large drum finish off that area. Further skins are added to the aft air-brakes between the tails, as well as some scab-plates and slime lights. The crew steps are each replaced by a single part that is folded up into a three-dimensional part, and their bays are each given a skin. The crew ladder is replaced by a pair of PE sides, to which you must add three lengths of 0.7mm rod to make the steps. This is then attached to the upper section, which is also upgraded with more detail and a PE top step.

The nose landing gear is updated with small parts, plus a PE plate on the retraction jack, while the retraction jacks of the main gear are given detailed PE sides. The gear bay doors are updated with PE skins and hinges, but the nose gear covers are replaced completely with new PE parts, which also include new hinges. The arrestor hook housing is skinned with riveted PE, and the remaining parts are used to give the pylons more detailed mating surfaces, which includes the semi-conformal ones on the belly.

F-14A Seatbelts in Fabric (49069)
Eduard's collaboration with Martin from HGW continues to bring his innovative fabric seatbelts to the main stream, and this set is exactly that. The PE seatbelts included with the kit look nice, but they don't quite drape in the same easy manner than flexible fabric does. This intricate set aims to remedy this with a small sheet of pre-printed, laser-cut seatbelt material, and a small fret of plated PE that is full of buckles and fixings. The belts are crumpled up, removed from the backing and then threaded and glued through the PE parts to form a full set of belts, which includes the leg restraints that pull the pilot's legs close to the seat to prevent injury in the event of an ejection. These are all then fixed to a painted seat, giving a superb realistic look to them. They are small and need patience to assemble them, but they are most definitely worth the effort.

F-14 Remove Before Flight Tags in Fabric (49693)
Comprising three small sheets of the HGW printed "Super Fabric" and a small fret of plated PE, this set will permit you to deck out your F-14 with those handsome RBF tags that flutter in the wind on airbases. There are three types of attachment, either a ring and hook, clamp and hook, or just a loop of wire. You supply the wire, in case you were wondering. You simply peel the pre-printed tag from the backing paper, scrunch it up between your fingers and then straighten it out, which can be a bit tricky, as small parts sometimes stick to each other, and the material is incredible thin. Then you thread one of your three attachment types through the hole at the top, and attach it in the places marked X on the opposite side of the instruction sheet. You'll need to check your references to see which type goes where, but the result will be stunning, and they actually do flutter in the micro-breezes in the room. If you remove too many, you can straighten them up and stick them back on the backing paper until needed again, as I just found out.

Review sample courtesy of