Eduard F-35A Lightning II Update Sets (for Meng 1:48)

[Mike]

F-35A Lightning II Update Sets (for Meng)

1:48 Eduard

 

 

Meng were a little late to the F-35A party, but a late appearance is better than none at all, with a nice kit being the result, as you can see here.  Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the 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 (49864)

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 are the primary parts on the painted set; ejection seat details; coaming instrumentation; rear deck and substantial canopy internal structure also supplied. On the airframe side, tie-downs and hubs are added to the wheels; details are added in the bays; a complex afterburner ring is inserted into the exhaust trunking, and a small number of panels are added to the area on the top of the fuselage where the wings blend with the intake trunking.

 

 

 

Zoom! Set (FE865)

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 (FE865)

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.  As well as the two sets of crew belts, you also get a set of the unusually placed pull-handles either side of the pilot's knees that gets him out of there in case of an emergency, plus the leg restraints that pull tight to prevent flail injuries.

 

 

 

Masks (EX567)

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 all the wheels (including the out-riggers), allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort, plus the faceted lenses of the sensor under the nose.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of