AnonymousAA74

De Havilland D.H. 9 ‘Ambulance’ 1:48 Roden The D.H.9 was introduced into service in 1917 as a bomber, but due to technical factors such as poor engine performance and poor handling characteristics, the type suffered heavy losses from both accidents and being shot down by both enemy air and ground fire. After the already numerous D.H.9’s had eventually been removed from frontline to secondary line service, a variety of new roles were found for them, where they operated with distinction. Such roles included communications and equipment couriers, and after the war, D.H.9’s were used in civilian service. One machine was converted to what must’ve been one of the world’s very first ‘air ambulance’ services, with the rear gunner position faired over to produce a ‘hump’ where stretchers and casualties could be accommodated. Roden’s D.H.9 ‘Ambulance’ comes in a rather attractive top-opening box with an artwork of the only ambulance version of this machine to be built, D.3117, which served in Eil Dur Elan, in Somalia. The machine wasn’t marked with typical ambulance ‘red cross’ insignia, but instead, the ambulance flag is draped over the rear fuselage. Inside the box, a single bag contains all of the sprues, with what is an almost inevitable consequence of this; broken and misplaced parts, and some surface scuffs. A quick inspection shows the rear fuselage for this version has a break at its narrowest part, and the pilots seat has also come adrift. Some abrasion marks are also evident on some of the major exterior surfaces. This kit comprises nine sprues of medium grey plastic and two clear films with the transparencies printed upon. One of these is a spare, just in case you have an accident with the first one. Quite a large number of key parts on most sprues aren’t to be used for this ambulance version, as they comprise different engine cowls, fuselage rear deck and numerous weapons and munitions. Fear not though, as there is still more than a reasonable amount of plastic to assemble, including a detailed engine. Construction starts with the engine which is still very detailed despite maybe not having the finesse of some kits of the same type, such as FLY for example. I would image that the addition of a little extra detail such as ignition harnesses etc. would make this a very attractive area. Half of the engine is buried within the cowls too, so I can’t really be too harsh with regard to this. The fuselage really is beautifully executed. This comprises of the fuselage halves, plus that separate upper deck for which you use of one of the four options within the kit. The external fabric detail is very subtle, and you’ll need to apply thin coats of paint so as not to drown the finish. Other surface detail and stitching also looks very nice. There do appear to be a few sink marks around the forward cowl, which coincide with the internal engine bay structures. The interior of the fuselage halves is nicely represented with various bracing members and frameworks, and the structures within the engine bay. There are a few ejector pin marks which will need to be removed, although a couple of these, the worst placed ones, shouldn’t be readily seen when the upper ambulance deck is installed. The fuselage interior itself is adequately represented with the cockpit having a seat with a separate upholstered leather cushion, simple control stick and rudder pedals. A padded leather backrest and detailed instrument panel fit into the upper decking. The ambulance ‘casualty’ hump is itself a separate entity to the upper deck. This is moulded as halves, with the three attendant’s windows being inserted from within using the clear film supplied with the kit. Fuselage interior sidewalls also benefit from a little extra detail such as the fuel pressurisation pump and rudder trim wheel. The instrument panel is well moulded with excellent detail, but no instrument decals are supplied, so please look to www.airscale.co.uk for something suitable. The various wings and control surfaces have a subtle and excellent representation of these rib and fabric structures, with nothing looking exaggerated. If anything, I would say they look a little understated. Roden have always done well with this aspect of their models, and there will be nothing distracting with regard to this when you show your finished D.H.9. The ailerons, elevators and rudder are also moulded integrally to the wings, vertical fin and tail plane, so you will need to do a little surgery if you wish to pose these dynamically. I think the demarcation between the moveable surfaces and their fixed surfaces is exaggerated and does perhaps look a little incorrect. This can be softened a little with an application or three of Mr Surfacer to help make the trenches look a little shallower and narrower. All flying surfaces will need their edges sanding in order to remove the seams which are quite evident. Both upper and lower wing are moulded as single pieces. Mounting of the wings looks no more complicated than any other contemporary kit, but will of course need your attention to the maximum to ensure correct alignment. The D.H.9 struts aren’t delicate looking by nature, so at least you’ll have some reasonable rigidity when the upper wing is mounted. The same applies to the undercarriage which was also chunky on this machine. The instructions don’t show the need to fasten the internal hub to the main wheel, but as this is pretty obvious as you build, there should be no issue in that respect. A rigging drawing is given, but this is just about useable as this is supplied on a single line drawing, all given in black and white. In general, all plastic moulding quality is very good. There are some seams to remove, and some sprue gates to parts such as struts are a little thick, meaning you will need to restore the missing shape at those junctions. A little flash is evident in places, and there are some sink marks. Ejector pin marks aren’t really an issue here. Decals are supplied for the one machine, as already mentioned. This is for: De Havilland D.H.9 Ambulance, D.3117, “6” of “Z” Force Unit, British Somaliland, 1919 – 1920 The decals themselves are printed onto a single sheet containing national and serial numbers. There are no stencils included, nor is there any means to reproduce the ‘Red Cross’ flag which is draped to synonymously with this machine. The decals are printed in perfect register, despite being a little thicker than I am used to. Some of the edges and demarcations between colours is a little fuzzy, and the colour solidity looks to be variable. Conclusion I have mentioned a number of negatives with this kit, but I actually don’t wish those to be the areas dwelled upon. The kit itself is actually very, very nice; being both quite detailed and well moulded. This is also no small model kit. The D.H.9 was a reasonable-sized aircraft, and this kit shows it. There is scope here for adding more detail to what is a very unusual subject, and the RRP for this kit really makes it excellent value. My real main gripe is placing all of that plastic in one bag! Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I'm sure I've seen the He 115 on Revell's schedule too.....no doubt the Matchbox kit.

HERE is a link. Allan does these sets in sub-0.3mm sizes too.

P-40M Exterior, for Hasegawa kit 1:32 Eduard If you have Hasegawa’s gorgeous P-40M Warhawk, then this general upgrade set will be of real interest to you. This is described as ‘Exterior’, which means that it covers every area apart from the cockpit. 32286, P-40M Exterior This set comes in Eduard’s familiar envelope-style clear wallet and contains two etch frets, protected in the packet with a card separator between them. The first, main fret measures 135mm x 70 mm and contains approximately 60 parts. The smaller fret measures 70mm x 60mm and there are roughly 50 parts therein. Both have a bare nickel metal finish. Small amounts of surgery will be needed in most areas in order to fit the variety up airframe upgrades offered in this set. The chin radiator needs to have its filters sanded from it and replaced with some delicate photo etch alternatives, and the main undercarriage bays have some detail metal lining them, plus some hoses and wiring. These are a little ‘flat’ looking and would look best being beefed up by dipping them in some dilute PVA solution to give them a rounded appearance. The undercarriage legs also have brake lines too, and I suggest dipping them into the same solution to fatten them up. The wheels also have new axel bosses and rims in photo etch metal. The main undercarriage doors have metal sheathing to add to the plastic parts, and the rear tail wheel has the same. Various handles, actuator horns, navigation light trims, gun sight parts, aeiral, and aerial fixing points are also included, as is a complete replacement for the external chin radiator. This is built up from various individual parts which resemble the folding, interlocking plates of the real thing, complete with actuator mechanisms. Lastly, the bomb gets a makeover with new metal fins and wind-vane prop, plus a metal pylon and fixing points Conclusion In all, this is a very comprehensive set that adds some excellent detail to the host kit, while not needing too much in the way of experience to fit. The chin radiator flaps are probably the most complex part of this set, but not overly so. This isn’t a cheap set, but the corrections and improvements it offers far outweigh the cost. Recommended. Review samples courtesy of

Nice work Iain. The pistons in the engines do help with the orientation of the parts in relation to the exhaust stub system on the Skyraider, but other than that, nope they won't be seen.

Il-2m Sturmovik Detail Sets, for Hobby Boss kit 1:32 Eduard Hobby Boss’s range of Il-2 Sturmovik kits are pretty much the only real deal in town when it comes to modelling this aircraft type in injection moulded 1:32 scale, but thankfully, the base kit is itself a superb kit with plenty of detail, and I personally saw a good number of finished kits at SMW2011 at Telford last year. Unsurprisingly, Eduard have found ways in which to improve the Il-2m releases of this kit yet further. 32713, Il-2m Interior S.A. This first set contains two frets, with one of them being in a bare nickel finish, and the other being in printed in colour. This colour fret is also self-adhesive, hence the S.A. suffix on this set. The colour etch fret measures approximately 80mm x 70mm and the most noticeable parts of this are the two piece instrument panel which consists of a back plate with printed instruments, and a main fascia panel through which these instruments can be seen. You’ll need to remove the moulded plastic detail from the kit parts in order to fit this set. As well as various other instrument and avionics panel frontages, throttle quadrant, and other instruments, this fret also contains avionics boxes themselves which will need folding into shape. Seatbelts are also included for the pilot, and the sling strap for the rear gunner to sit upon. Apart from the actual avionics boxes, there are a number of parts on this fret which aren’t coloured, such as the radiator intake grille and the seatbelt buckles etc. The second larger fret measures approximately 140mm x 90mm and this is where the real bulk of this set lies. You’ll immediately notice that there are parts to line the interior fuselage walls, for both the pilot and rear gunner areas. These exhibit the correct armour plate appearance for the rear position, and the structural detail within the cockpit. Onto these panels fits a mass of extra detail in terms of structural detail and instrumentation. A couple of parts call for rubbing some detail into flat plates with a ball pen in order to represent the pressed nature of the plate stiffeners. Also contained on the larger fret are metal facings for the armour plating between the pilot and gunner, as well as new parts to make the pilots armoured headrest. Extra metal parts for the cockpit floor, as well as a rework of the rudder pedals, are included. A clear film inclusion contains parts to attach into the forward windscreen plates which have the markings for sighting and targeting bomb runs. You’ll need some care and patience when you attach these, and I think a drop of Klear would be the best option. The interior of this kit is absolutely transformed by this set, so much so that it will be pretty unrecognisable after the Eduard set is added. 32291, Il-2m Landing Flaps From this set you can pretty much see the heavy duty and agricultural approach of the designers of the Sturmovik when it comes to this particular area of construction. The Eduard landing flap set comes on two frets. The first, larger fret measures approximately 205mm x 135mm and contains the majority of this set. Assembly of the actual flaps is fairly simple. The outer skin has in internal framework with small ribs which much be twisted into an upright position. Some girder work and stiffeners are then fitted into the ribs to complete. The wing parts of the kit will need the moulded detail removing from the underside of the upper wing panels so that this set can be implemented. You’ll also need to suitable thin the wing here, with a neat tapering to the trailing edge line. The sections which fit into this area are typically a box-like structure with separate ribs which need to be inserted into the pre-etched grooves. Construction of these will be easy, but you will need some 1.2mm plastic rod to create the hinge linkage. The second fret with this set is quite small, measuring 70mm x 35mm and looks to be an overspill fret of parts they couldn’t fit on the main fret. This contains various small ribs, connecting straps and some metalwork which fits into the interior wing root. Conclusion You’ll need plenty of patience for at least the first of these sets simply because the sheer amount of detail you’ll be adding to your model. For the flaps, then this is more patience with regard to preparation work and dealing with the small ribs. Either way, little serious surgery needs to be done for either set, and these sets could be pitched at the average modeller who has at least got a couple of etch sets of experience under their belts. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Bf 109G-6 Exterior, for Trumpeter Kit 1:32 Eduard Trumpeter’s Bf 109G-6 kit, whilst not being a model (no pun intended) of accuracy in some areas, is still a pretty good kit, and builds into a respectable representation of Gustav, with perhaps a little extra research, reference and willpower. As far as value for money goes, then it does fair very well in this area. Eduard have released an exterior set for this kit which certainly does sweeten the pill for those who are considering building this. Despite any extra financial outlay, it is still a relatively good purchase for the Luftwaffe fan who wants that extra detail without resorting to an expensive base kit price. 32301, Bf 109G-6 Exterior This set contains two nickel plated etch frets, packaged into the regular Eduard style package. The first fret measures approximately 140mm x 70mm and contains roughly 55 parts, whilst the larger second fret measures 140mm x 90mm, and has a higher count of around 150 parts. I think you must understand that this set has perhaps ‘gone with the flow’ with regards to detail, and where perhaps some areas of the host kit aren’t perfect, Eduard has found the ‘line of best fit’ in these areas, whilst maintaining reasonable integrity overall. Please understand that if Eduard describe their set as an ‘exterior set’, that this in effect refers to just about every area other than the cockpit. This can be proven as this set provides parts to upgrade the fuselage gun bay, wheel bays, engine, inner engine cowl and the undercarriage, to name but a few areas. The fuselage gun bay has quite a transformation with this set in that the main ammunition boxes are replaced with some quite complicated photo etch alternatives, including a myriad of other small parts and brackets. The only surgery to perform in this area is shortening the MG barrels by 4mm in length so that the muzzle locates at the correct position. The Daimler Benz engine benefits from ignition wiring, as well as maintenance lifting lugs, but the cowl interiors are lined with a framework, and also amendments to the plumbing in the lower cowl. Eduard have seriously reworked the radiators for this kit with far more than the fabulous radiator grilles/screens that we expect as a minimum. The wing mounted radiators have their rear shutters replaced with photo etch substitutes. This area contains the shutter actuators and the constructional detail within the shutters and the underside of the trailing edge of the wing at this point too. Some work will need to be carried out to thin the upper wing trailing edge in this area so that the etch parts may fit snugly. Intake airflow adjustment plates at the front of the radiators are also included, as is the rear shutter for the chin intake. A little surgery will be required to fit the wheel well detail. The existing plastic detail moulded onto the interior of the upper wing will need to be totally removed and replaced with the more correct photo etch replacement. The lining of the bays is also covered with stitched leather effect metal parts which look surprisingly good. One section has an alternative part to depict no leather covering, but you will need to carry the lightening holes of this through the plastic parts, or it will look odd. You can’t have a reworked wheel well area without a reworked undercarriage, and Eduard have provided this too by the means of a new undercarriage door interior which will again need the moulded detail removed in order to be able to fit, plus the addition of oleo brackets etc. The undercarriage legs themselves have hydraulics lines included, as well as some extra detail for the scissor linkages. A photo etch bearing-retaining ring for the axle to hub entry point is also included. Lastly, this set includes a few parts for the drop tank/carrier and also for the aerial attachment point. Conclusion If you have the Trumpeter Bf 109G-6 kit lined up to build, it’s going to pretty hard to ignore this release which punches a whole swathe of detail into the host kit. This is also a very well-priced set when you consider there are two reasonably sized frets containing over 200 parts. Whilst there’s a reasonable amount of bending and forming to be done here, it shouldn’t be beyond the average modellers abilities to install this set. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I've seen these for around £10.99. I don't know if that's the RRP, but it's reasonable for a serious amount of fun.

Hasegawa Eggplanes ‘TH17,18,19 & 20’ Various Kits This is a real departure for me. Being a scale modeller who has long been diagnosed with AMS, how would I cope with having four of the latest Eggplanes from Hasegawa land on my doorstep? Thanks to Mike for this, with his awesome sense of humour, knowing full well that I’ll be tearing myself away from riveting some large scale warplane! I owe you one Mike So, let’s enter the world of caricature aircraft with no rivets to count. Hasegawa’s latest Eggplane releases are the following aircraft: TH17: F-22 Raptor TH18: SR-71 Blackbird TH19: AV-8 Harrier TH20: A-6 Intruder I’ll state this now as it applies to all kits in this latest batch of releases. I am unsure as to the lineage of these kits, in that I have seen the SR-71 Eggplane built a couple of years ago, yet I can’t find anything conclusive as to whether the other kits are new tool, or indeed if the SR-71 is a re-tool, or just a re-release. Anyway, does it really matter? This is about fun, so now I’ll take a look at each one in turn. TH17: F-22 Raptor I have to admit, I love the artworks on these kits, with the Manga female character next to an image of the Eggplane. Just remember, these girls aren’t supplied in the kits The F-22 Raptor is spread over two light grey plastic sprues, and a single clear sprue. The main body of the aircraft, with integral wings and stabilisers is moulded as upper and lower halves, with a hollow for the pilot and recesses for the undercarriage. The surface of these parts has the characteristic stealth diamond shaped plates moulded on, looking every bit like the perfect caricature of this aircraft. Vertical tail-planes are single piece, slot in parts. The exaggerated effect extends to the jet intakes and rear nozzles, and despite this, the undercarriage is fairly restrained. Two pilot figures are included; one with the visor down and an oxygen mask, and a rather female looking character. The pilots are two-part creations and look rather comical. A single clear part canopy is also included, with excellent clarity. The remainder of the plastic parts are beautifully moulded with no flash or other defect. Instructions are simple to follow with scheme paint reference codes given in GSI Creos Aqueous and Mr Color. A single decal sheet is included, complete with plenty of stencils and some scheme options provided. Printing is reasonably thin, and all is in perfect register. TH18: SR-71 Blackbird My biggest memory of these aircraft is banging my head on the one at Duxford and knocking myself into the middle of the following week! I’ve got to say though, if it looked like this, all would have been ok. Moulded in black plastic, over two sprues, again, we have an upper and lower fuselage/wing composite. The jet engines and fins are separate units, and the whole thing looks a breeze to assemble. All the characteristics are incorporated with this model in terms of the odd shape and external surface features. A single piece clear canopy is included. All plastic parts are beautifully moulded with no flaws or other issues which will impede assembly. A strange little figure is included, but no pilot. I can’t fathom how a Russian looking guy with a bearskin hat is related to this, but does it matter in the wacky world of the Eggplane? Instructions are again easy to follow, and a single decal sheet is included. The decals actually look a tad thicker than the Raptor, but again, they are beautifully printed, and in perfect register. Two schemes are given also. TH19: AV-8 Harrier This dinky little kit is moulded across two sprues of light grey plastic and one of clear. This time, the fuselage is separate to the sing, and the seam for this is transverse instead of having upper and lower halves. The fuselage also has the tail fin and forward wheel and strut moulded in situ. The jet nozzles are also separate parts. Surface detail is non-existent, but this doesn’t detract from the amusing appearance of this kit. I might get the flush riveting tool out though A featureless cockpit tub and two jet intake inserts are also included. The second sprue contains the wings, undercarriage parts and drop tanks, as well as two rocket launchers. Moulding quality is generally very good, with no quality issues that will perplex the modeller. A little light sanding here and there will mean the parts are useable with minimum effort. The clear sprue contains the one-piece canopy. Again, moulding is good, and with excellent clarity. The single decal sheet contains markings for two machines; one of them American and one of them RAF. The decals themselves are relatively thin, printed in perfect register, and are pin sharp. No complaints in this area. TH20: A-6 Intruder Moulded in grey plastic, across the now customary 2 sprues, plus one clear, this model is slightly different in its assembly. The fuselage ‘egg’ is assembled as two forward halves and one single part rear fuselage. The forward fuselage incorporates the forward oleo strut, and zero surface detail overall. The intakes and cockpit tub are moulded separately, as is the vertical tailplane. The separate wings contain slots for the under-wing stores, which in this case are bomb clusters and fuel tanks. Moulding of the grey sprues is very good, with just a little in the way flash, and some sink-marks on the wings. The single part clear canopy sprue is moulded in high quality and with excellent clarity Again, two schemes are supplied for this with one of them being a Navy aircraft, and the other being a Marines machine. Decals are again printed on a single sheet, in perfect register and are reasonably thin. Carrier film is also minimal, as it is on the other kits too. Conclusion Until seeing these, my only eggsperience in cracking one of these out, was building a P-40. That was really enjoyable and pretty much brought me out of my shell when it comes to modelling something a little different. These kits really crack me up and look great to build. If you keep your sunny side up, then I’m sure you’ll like this little bit of eggstreme modelling. Go on, shell out for one or more of these. You won’t be disappointed. Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for

I've got a starboard forward window frame from a Ju 88C-0 that crashed in Norway. SWMBO makes me keep it in the attic

This one will be resurrected in a few months. Way too many irons in the fire at the moment, competing with real life. Watch this space though

My Henschel Hs 129B-2 arrived today, and it's sweet. No doubt, this is NOT a model to be tackled as a first 'whole model' resin kit. This will be a challenging build which will require some lateral thought in places, but it will look bloody amazing when done. Kudos to GMF and Jerry Rutman for this. Very soon, the B-3, with the large anti-tank gun/gondola will be released too. Price for the kit is a shade under £130 with UK delivery included.

Review HERE! Oooooooh, loads of lovely resin and etch bit. I can't find any aftermarket for this, so will be OOB Also...I am informed that there are only A FEW OF THESE LEFT!!! Drop your order in HERE, or be perma-disappointed!

I'll be doing the clean-up of the parts in the next days and then making a start this weekend. Looking forward to updating here.

My Fish Submersible has now landed. I need to review this kit yet, and I'll post the link here. I've been spending some time looking through this and I reckon my eyes are open to a whole now genre. This is seriously 'Jules Verne'!!

Any more build logs to start here?

That's exactly the same one I bought when on offer in Aldi for £19.99. Some science supplier catalogue sell this same model too for over £90! Nice find.

You serious?

What's happening here? How many folks interested in this GB?

Hi all, I am WAY out of my comfort zone with this, but I should shortly have this kit to be able to build here. Presenting the Fichtenfoo 1:35 Fantastical Fish Submersible, courtesy of Uschi van der Rosten Without seeming like a prostitute, these excellent sets can be bought for the reasonable price of 68 Euros HERE Jim

Dymo Tape. You can also cut shapes into it, and various radii. I swear by the stuff (and not at it!)

Hi folks, Well, she's completed. The machine depicted is VV628 CB, 14 Squadron TAF. RAF Fassberg, West Germany. Early 1950's All paint used is Gunze, with the exception of Model Master PRU Blue underneath. Varnish is Xtracolor Matt XDFF. It only dawned on me after I did these pictures that I'd forgotten to remove the liquid mask from the wing tip lights! Well, that's 100% more models that I built in the whole of 2011. Does that mean I can sit on my bottom again until 2013?

Tamiya P-51D Update Sets (Late) 1:32 Eduard Following on from Eduard’s recent batch of ‘Early’ P-51D upgrade sets for the Tamiya P-51D Mustang, come these sets for the ‘Late’ model, although the P-51D Exterior set is applicable to both Late and Early versions. P-51D Exterior (32302) This single etch fret set measures 93mm x 70mm and contains not so many genuinely ‘exterior’ parts, but does super detail a whole variety of areas including the main and tail wheel wells, but also radiator and oil cooler interiors, as well as adding detail to the vertical tail-mounted antenna and undercarriage. This set contains around 60 parts, with a bare nickel finish, and nice small tags to snip through to remove the parts. The forward spar face of the main undercarriage bay really gets the treatment here with each visible section of the spar being sheathed in an accurate representation of the spar structure, complete with lightening holes. No reference is made as to whether you need to drill these holes through the plastic spar, and I would need to check through my references first. I would think it was logical. Various other brackets and pulleys are included to add into this area. The tail wheel well also has its lower face and forward bulkhead detailed with metal fascia’s, as do the upper halves of each tail wheel gear door. The screens within the radiator and oil cooler ducts also benefit from either replacement, or framing too. A replacement for the kits antenna beam is also supplied, in a less bulky, and thinner format. One area of any model that can look poor are the ends of such things as ailerons and landing flaps. This set includes etch parts for the extremes of these parts which not only hide any join, but give the realistic metal finish of these areas. Just check that these faces don’t foul against each other when control surfaces are in the neutral position. Trim tab actuators are also included in photo etch. The undercarriage has a number of minor photo etch additions also, such as bracket facings. The lack of etch parts in this area is testimony to the accuracy of Tamiya’s original kit. P-51D Interior, Late S.A. (32715) This is the Self Adhesive interior set which focuses on the cockpit and rear avionics equipment to the rear of the pilot. One fret supplied here is printed in colour, on a fret measuring 70mm x 59mm, and this the self-adhesive part of this set, having a backing sheet to protect the applied glue layer. This first fret contains the outer edge of the main instrument console, in two different formats. You’ll need to carefully remove the detail from the kit part to install these. The main console centre panel of the kit remains, but a new rear plate is installed with the instruments printed upon it. The lower centre console is also replaced, as are the various lower auxiliary panels. The remainder of this colour fret contains good number of levers, gauges and various other side wall instrumentation features, plus a variety of placards and switches also. Print quality is excellent throughout. The second, bare metal fret measures around 70mm x 39mm, and contains around 33 parts. Parts included here range from the foot pedal faces with their ‘North American’ logo, through to a complete make-over for the SCR-522 radio set. The large fuselage fuel tank also has its upper filler port fitted with an oblong, bolted flange, as well as a smaller flange plate. To give you an idea of the level of detail presented here; the gyro gun-sight option even has a tiny motor driven chain included! Various other brackets are included for the seat including a replacement for the one directly behind the pilots head. A little surgery will be required to use this set, and for some of this surgery, you will have to be very careful, such as the instrument panel. Other than that, this is a thorough and simple to install set. P-51D Gun Bay, Late (32721) This is another two fret set with the first part concerned with the actual ammunition belts. This brass coloured fret measures around 70mm x 60mm, and holds 8 pre-painted parts. Six of these parts are the ammunition belts with the ammunition having different coloured projectile tips. I couldn’t tell you what these colours indicate in entirety, apart from my suspicion being that some indicate tracer shot. Two parts are the data and instructional plates found within the lids of the main gun bay doors, illustrating belt feed etc. The second fret is almost entirely different from the ‘Early’ set, proving that having both sets on sale is no gimmick. It goes without saying that you will need to conduct some serious research to find out which type your particular machine would have had installed. This fret measures around 140mm x 100mm and contains around 100 parts. There are a number of similarities between this and the early version, such as the internal structures placed within the ammunition loading bay, and the interior of the gun bay itself. Various plates, brackets and stiffeners are represented, and the interior walls of the gun bay are now made to represent the wing rib and skin construction of the real aircraft. Where this set varies so much is in the construction of the gun bay doors. These are almost entirely different in their design and look very different to the early type gun bay. These parts are fragile, so careful folding will be required when assembling these. A small clear piece of film is supplied to represent the windows which were present in the outer gun bay doors. Conclusion I believe that these sets now conclude Eduard’s releases for Tamiya’s superb P-51D Mustang, and again, they don’t disappoint. I really couldn’t say that I recommend these for the novice, as quite a bit of folding is required for the gun bay set, and some careful removal of detail is needed for the interior set. The detail present in each set though won’t be lost on even such a great kit as the Mustang is. Careful modification and application will reward you in heaps with these sets. Highly recommended. Review samples courtesy of

It looks like a toy with shiny paint and no weathering. Still....give me one week to finish