Eduard Fw.190A-4 Photo-Etch, Masks & Decals (for Eduard 1:48)

[Mike]

Fw.190A-4 Photo-Etch, Masks & Decals (for Eduard)

1:48 Eduard

 

 

Launched to coincide with the release of their new Fw.190A-4 kit, which we reviewed here, Eduard have created a host of sets that can be used to improve on the already impressive level of detail found in the box.  There are so many sets that we will break them down between Photo-Etch (PE) and resin Brassin sets, and once posted, we'll cross link them for completeness.

 

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.  The decals are in a ziplok type bag, stiffened by a cover sheet and a piece of white card to keep them safe.

 

 

Fw.190A-4 Upgrade Set (48937)

This PE sheet is bare brass, and builds upon the detail of the kit and included PE that comes with the ProfiPACK boxing.  It contains a canopy latch for the cockpit; ammo chute details; additional gear bay sidewall skins; new dual-layer gear leg covers with brake hoses and tie-down loops; bomb shackle details; gear bay retraction jack parts (including additional hosing); gun port surrounds; cockpit armour support, raised strip on the canopy and a frame that attaches to the outside of the windscreen.

 

 

Seatbelts STEEL (FE863)

In case you don't already know, they 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.

 

 

 

 

Fw.190A Landing Flaps (48936)

Eduard landing flaps use an ingenious technique to achieve excellent true-to-scale flaps using few parts, and requiring the modeller to simply remove the retracted flaps from the lower wing, plus scrape the upper wings to accommodate the thickness of the completed bays.  Each half of the flap (bay and flap itself) is constructed in the same manner, by twisting and folding over the attached ribs to create a 3D shape.  The bay glues to the inside of the upper wing and the flap attaches to the rear wall of the new bay.  Repeat this for the other side, and you're almost done.  The bays have a "dimpled" panel, which is laminated to the bay after pressing the details through with the tip of a ball-point pen, and in this instance the flaps fold up simply into a roughly triangular profile, with a strip running through the middle, the location for which is shown on a scrap diagram.

 

 

 

 

Masks (EX565)

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.

 

 

 

 

Fw.190A Stencils (D48029)

If you have a kit with no stencils from Eduard or another manufacturer, have stuffed up your existing set (we're only human afterall), or are looking for spares in case you do, this set of the stencils included with the kit will be of interest.  It is printed to Eduard's usual high standard in Czechia (the new name for the Czech Republic if you didn't know) and comes with a colour diagram that shows where each one should go on the airframe.

 

 

 

 

Brassin Resin Sets for Engine  & Gun Bays

These additional sets can be found in a separate review here to save your scrolling finger.

Review sample courtesy of