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B-17F Guns (6481023 for Eduard/HK Models) 1:48 Eduard Brassin HK Models released their scaled-down 1:48 Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress kit, which has recently been re-boxed with extra parts by Eduard as the Bloody Hundredth, and it is an excellent kit. This set from Eduard is intended to replace the kit guns with more detailed and realistic resin parts with PE ring and bead sights for exceptional fidelity. As is now usual with Eduard's more compact resin sets, they arrive in a shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin and Photo-Etch (PE) parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. There are fourteen guns in the box on separate casting blocks, five of which have separate barrels, of which there is a choice of ten, the rest have barrels cast-in, five of which have a ball pivot in the midst of the cooling jacket to permit movement within their mounts. There are separate cocking handles where appropriate on another casting block, with PE ring and bead sights, again where appropriate, plus two U-shaped mounts for the top of post-mounted weapons in the waist. The ball-mounted weapons are sited in the windows on the side of the nose, and either as a single or twin mount in the nose glazing, depending on which variant you have chosen. The ball turret has separate barrels for ease of building and painting of the assembly, as do the top turret guns, and the Cheyenne mount in the tail, with a choice of intimidating flash-hiders or plain barrels to be fitted after main painting is completed to avoid damaging them where possible. Each mount has its own instruction step, showing which part to use, the type of cocking handle, ring and bead sights, and how the new resin guns and their barrels integrate with the kit parts, two of which need the guns and their pivots removing from the supporting shaft, replacing the top with a PE bracket as mentioned earlier. Colour call-outs are made during each step of the instructions, using Gunze H and C codes, with the name of the colour also provided in case you don’t have Mr Color paints or their codes to hand. Detail is exceptional, from the perforated cooling jackets to all aspects of the breeches of the weapons, enhanced by extra resin and PE parts for ultimate detail that won’t break the bank. Review sample courtesy of

IJN Type 96 25mm AA Guns & Ventilators (653021 & 653018) 1:350 Eduard Brassin One of the areas of many maritime kits that is lacking in detail is generally the deck fixtures and fittings, which are limited in finesse by the capabilities of injection-moulding technology. Traditionally, Photo-Etch (PE) was used to create more detailed fittings for such kits, but these usually involve complex folding, and as they are made from flat sheet, there are always compromises. The advances in 3D Stereo-Lithographic Resin (SLR) Printing in the last several years have given increasing levels of detail, and decreasing layer thicknesses that are bordering on the invisible with the latest generations. This permits the creation of infinitesimal details that would otherwise be impossible to make by hand without super-powers and a microscope, and the method used to form these parts allows overhangs and extreme detail to be incorporated into a single part that can be put to use almost immediately. This pair of sets is intended for 1:350 Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) kits, replacing the chunky, and sometimes blob-like deck details with parts that are almost unbelievably detailed. Although the sets arrive in a flat package, the directly 3D printed parts are safe inside a clear plastic clamshell box within the package, which also has a sticky pad inside to prevent the parts from rattling around. The parts are printed resin, attached to the base via thin tendril-like fingers that are easy to cut off and sand the little upstands away, leaving them ready for action. IJN Ventilators (653018) This set includes four print-bases totalling seventy parts depicting fourteen different ventilators, five of each type, that vary from small vertical pipes with a pair of tapering cones at the top, to an enormous cylindrical part with a mesh panel on the side, all of which are drop-in replacements for the parts they supplant. The instructions show drawings of each type, and confirms that all of them should be painted the same camouflage colour(s) as the rest of the ship. IJN Type 96 25mm AA Gun (Triple) Printed on six rectangular bases, some of which are linked together, this set provides eighteen gun platforms in grey resin, split into two blocks of nine, with and without large ring sights on both sides of the triple barrels. A small PE fret is included to depict the splinter-shields on each side of the gun, which are folded into an L-shape and glued to the front of the battery to keep the gunners a little safer during battle. Conclusion If you have IJN ships in your stash or in your future, these new sets from Eduard are going to be just what you need, and they’ll be easy to get hold of thanks to their market penetration. The detail must be seen to be believed. Review sample courtesy of

Calling this one finished, 1/48 scale Royal Class kit. Not without some issues but easily overcome with a few basic modelling skills. Figure is by Reedoak and is excellent. beautifully rendered and printed. Base is an old Verlinden cardstock jobbie, Magic Missiles are Brassin items and the exhaust is Reskit. Finished with Mr Hobby, MRP and Tamiya paints for Airframe and Vellejo for the pilot figure. Decals are from the kit. WIP :- Cheers for looking in.

P-51B/C Seat with Belts Type 2 & 3 PRINT (6481040 & 6481041) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Eduard’s new range of Mustang kits in 1:48 are a sight to behold, pushing injection-moulding technology to achieve exceptional levels of detail, but as with all styrene kits you can always improve by using different media to create key parts. Although these sets arrive in a flat package, the directly 3D printed parts are safe inside a clear plastic clamshell box inside the package, which also has a sticky pad inside to prevent the parts from rattling about. The parts are printed resin, attached to the base via thin tendril-like supports that are easy to cut off and sand the little upstands away, leaving them ready for action. Both seats are printed with integral belts that have a realistic drape to them, with all the furniture present already, and no assembly required, just remove the seats from their bases and sand/cut back the tiny raised marks. Once done, you can go ahead with painting and fitting in the cockpit as a drop-in replacement for the kit seats. There are three styles available, of which we have two today. P-51B/C Seat Type 2 (6481040) P-51B/C Seat Type 3 (6481041) Conclusion Both seats have superb detail moulded-in and simple preparation. Once you’ve painted it, it’ll be a focal point of your model. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

B-24H Wheels (672380 for Airfix) 1:72 Eduard Brassin We’ve recently reviewed the new Airfix Consolidated B-24H Liberator here recently, and it’s a fine kit. The Kit wheels are in two halves with two more parts for the hubs, which means you have the resultant joins around the circumference to deal with, and limitation to detail due to the moulding limitations of styrene injection technology, especially in the tread department. That's where replacement resin wheels come in, with their lack of seam-line and superior detail making a compelling argument. They are also usually available at a reasonable price, and can be an easy introduction to aftermarket and resin handling, as they are typically a drop-in replacement. As usual with Eduard's smaller Brassin sets, it arrives in a flat resealable package similar to their PE sets but with different branding, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. This set includes four resin wheels on their own casting blocks, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, and a set of pre-cut masks on kabuki-style paper washi tape material. The attachment points are on the contact patch of the tyres where they are flattened out due to the weight of the airframe, so it should be straight-forward to cut them free with a razor saw, filing the remainder flush. The detail is exceptional, including diamond tread on the rolling surfaces of the tyres, and hub details are upgraded, although the option of fitting flat PE hub caps will hide the hubs away, but for accuracy’s sake it must be done, unless you don’t want to, of course! There are two nose-wheels, with a choice of eight or nine spoked hubs for you to use after checking your references. Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks provide you with a full set of masks for hubs/tyres, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Fw.190A Seat w/Integral Belts PRINT (6481038 for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Eduard’s 1:48 Fw.190A kits are well-crafted, but now we have a technology that can create parts with exceptional detail and fidelity that simply makes a drop-in replacement for focal points of the model. Although this set arrives in a flat package, the directly 3D printed parts are safe inside a clear plastic clamshell box inside, which also has a sticky pad inside to prevent the parts from rattling about during shipping and in storage. The parts are 3D printed resin, attached to the base via thin tendril-like fingers that are easy to cut off and sand the remnants away, leaving them ready for action. Consisting of a single part on its own base, the new seat is a direct replacement for the kit part, and has the seat belts and base cushion moulded/printed-in. The belts are naturally draped over the shell of the seat, and due to the technology used in 3D SLA printing, there are gaps engineered where the four-point belts curve around the sides and back of the seat, offering an enhanced realism that improves on previous methods for depicting belts that have gone before. All the supports are located on the rear and underside of the seat shell, so that clean-up will be easy, the modeller simply ensuring that the slightly raised location points are removed where they might be seen or may impinge on proper fitment of the part. Once sympathetically painted, the seat will be a fine focal point of the cockpit of your next Fw.190A project. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

B-24J Engines PRINT (6481029 for Hobby Boss) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Hobby Boss followed their 1:32 Liberator last year with a new tooling in 1:48, which was the first in this scale (my preferred scale) since Monogram’s excellent but dated kit from the 1970s, which although it had raised panel lines could be built into a decent replica with help. This new one from Hobby Boss is crying out for super-detailing, and Eduard are making that a possibility. As is usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in a Brassin-themed black-and-yellow cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags between two layers of grey foam, and the instructions folded around acting as additional padding. There are two segmented bases containing eight parts in 3D printed resin, four engines and four adapters to ensure a snug fit of the parts on the kit nacelle bulkheads. The engines are attached to their bases via fine support tendrils, which can easily be removed, but take care not to accidentally remove the wiring loom that is engineered into the front face, as they are also fine and could easily be mistaken for more supports. There is a useful scrap diagram in the top-left of the instructions that shows the various wires and push-rods along with painting call-outs in Gunze Sangyo codes, which is Eduard’s preferred brand. Once cut from their supports, the engines should be painted and weathered, followed by fitting the adapter-plate to the rear, and inserting a 6.8mm length of 0.3mm rod from your own stocks into the bell-housing at the front of the motor to act as prop-shaft. That will allow you to hang the kit propellers from the front, but improving the detail a thousand-fold. There are also smaller scrap diagrams that show the removal of a tab from the bottom of the nacelle housings, with the part numbers called out, and the remainder of the tab thinned down to 0.7mm for easy fitting of the new engines. Detail is stunning, and the inclusion of a wiring loom on a twin-row radial will save hours of modelling time trying to get lengths of lead wire to stick somewhere near where they should be without covering the parts and yourself with superglue. VERY highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

F-4E Parachute (672382 for Fine Molds) 1:72 Eduard Brassin A lot of fast jets land at high speed, and need to slow down in a hurry, especially if they have landed at a shorter runway than usual. They do this by applying the wheel brakes, air-brakes, but also many jets have a parachute pack that they can deploy at the rear to further retard the speed of their aircraft. The ‘chutes don’t go on fire because they’re made from a tough, fire-resistant material, but also because the aircraft’s throttles are either at idle or in reverse, assisting with the braking. The F-4 was designed primarily as a carrier aircraft, where it would usually land using an arrestor hook, which brought it to a halt in a hurry, but that puts a huge stress on the airframe, shortening its lifespan, so is to be avoided when possible. When landing on runways, rather than deploying an arrestor wire, which is specialist equipment that might not always be available, they use parachute packs that are deployed from a compartment within the rear of the aircraft, inflating due to the airspeed, allowing some of the air to bleed through the slots in the material, as they’re intended to slow it down, not pull the tail off. They were used as a matter of course on even the longest runways, although crews were trained on parachute-free landings, just in case. The Set The ‘chutes utilised to slow an aircraft’s roll aren’t excessively large, and at 1:72 scale it fits with room to spare. As is usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, it arrives in a Brassin-themed black-and-yellow cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, two sheets of protective dark grey foam, and the instructions folded around acting as additional padding. There are five 3D printed resin parts in two separate Ziploc bags, plus a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass in another bag with a sheet of white card protecting it from bending in the box. Adding a parachute to your Phantom model will be key to a landing or post-landing taxiing diorama, and the detail is exceptional, even having a flattened edge to the ‘chute where it presses against the runway after initial deployment. Construction begins with sliding the resin para-pack compartment into position, which has the door moulded open and out to the rear. The parachute is printed as a single part, which is attached to the base on the outer edge, and should be simple to remove and clean-up, adding a 1-4mm length of 0.27mm styrene rod from your own stores to the top, fixing the drogue bag to the end, and the drogue ‘chute itself on an eight-pointed PE star that represents the short lengths of cord that allows it to open. Between the parachute and the compartment is another 43mm length of 0.5mm rod with a 1mm ferrule for the last 2mm, all from your own stock, which ends with a 3D printed O-ring that gathers the individual cords of the parachute. These cords are depicted by fine PE strips that are anchored at the inner end by a strip, enabling you to form it into a small circle, spreading out the opposite ends so they can be attached to the circumference of the parachute, locating them on the tabs that project from the underside of the billowing ‘chute. Markings There are paint call-outs in Gunze Sangyo codes throughout the build, many of the cords are in white, the parachute and its lines yellow, and the drogue ‘chute in a light tan colour. Check your references for your particular example for fading or colour variance if you want to achieve maximum accuracy. Conclusion This is quite an unusual set that you’d think would be a niche product, but maybe its existence as a relatively simple method of creating a ‘chute-assisted landing scene will create the market and result in a lot more F-4s in landing dioramas going forward. Clearly the 1:48 set we reviewed some months back was a success, and maybe now we’re more likely to see a proliferation of these sets for other aircraft and scales. You could of course use this set with other branded Phantom kits, but you may have to do some work on the housing to make it work. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

P-51B Birdcage Canopy Cockpit (6481033 for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Eduard’s new Bird Cage Mustang went under the microscope here, and now we have a finely detailed 3D-printed resin cockpit to augment the already impressive detail you’ll find in the kit. As is now usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in the new deep Brassin cardboard box, with the resin and other parts safely cocooned in bags, a foam sheet in the top and bottom and the instructions folded around acting as padding. Inside the box are forty-three resin parts of various sizes, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) that has been nickel-plated and pre-printed, a sheet of decals and a slip of clear acetate with the gunsight glazing shapes printed on. The instruction booklet tells you remove some sections of interior detail on the fuselage halves, which are marked out in red for your convenience. It’s worthy of note that there isn’t a pre-painted PE instrument panel in this set, but there are a host of decals for the instruments and placards, which you apply along the way toward a complete cockpit. Construction begins with the seat in a choice of three styles that are printed as one part each, and are decorated with pre-painted PE four-point seatbelts, a common headrest that attaches to the seat armour and mounting rail part, adding a cushion/stowage with a PE hook over the top. The seat is attached to the new highly detailed floor and is fitted out with the control stick, fuel hose, and a small instrument console, with detail painting and decaling instructions throughout. A bulkhead between the pilot and rear of the compartment is inserted behind the seat, adding hoses and other parts for detail, with a choice of three styles of rear compartments behind the pilot. Two options involve installing different equipment boxes to the floor, and another rear-facing instrument on the bulkhead. Two types of radio gear can be fitted to the pallet and after detail painting it is straddled by a pair of ribs toward the rear, which will allow it to be mounted as a second layer above the equipment on the floor, which will still be seen by the intrepid viewer. The third option involves the original kit fuel tank that has its attachment pins removed before it is glued to the floor, mounting a palette with equipment, and the ribs replicated from the other options, then wiring it with a 20mm length of 0.6mm wire from your own stock. The resin sidewall parts are well detailed to begin with, but they are both augmented with additional resin parts that vary between cockpit fitments, as well as having their own painting and decaling diagrams to complete the task. The result will be an exceptionally well-detailed pair of sidewalls, with a choice of variant specific instruments, providing you follow the instructions precisely. The three resin gunsight options have their glass replicated by a piece of acetate sheet of varying shapes and sizes, installing it on the kit coaming, which has a small portion cut away beforehand for one option, using the appropriate coaming for your chosen gunsight. The main panel is a resin part that has decals applied depicting the instruments, with more decals on the lower centre panel, mounting the new detailed rudder pedals on pegs in the rear, setting their alignment with reference to a scrap diagram showing the assembly from the side. The cockpit and sidewalls are brought together to create a tub, then the kit fuselage is closed around them, adding the coaming assembly, another small equipment box, and kit canopy to finish the set off. Conclusion A super-detailed set for a superb model of a legend of the skies with the original canopy style. Excellent use of 3D printed resin to improve a focal point to your model, with a choice of equipment options to add individualism to your P-51B. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

A-10C Ejection Seat with Integral Belts PRINT (6481035 for GWH) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Great Wall Hobby released their new A-10C Thunderbolt II kit last year to applause, as it offered modern levels of detail in 1:48 to this highly regarded aircraft at the peak of its use. The kit is well-detailed, but in the usual fashion, you can improve on even the best injection-moulded parts with the use of other media, particularly 3D printed resin, which is starting to take over in the after-market world of scale modelling. As usual with Eduard's smaller Brassin sets, the set arrives in a flat resealable package similar to their PE sets but with different branding, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. The resin parts are further protected by a clear plastic clamshell box within the package, which has a sticky pad on the inside that helps to hold the parts in position. This set consists of five printed resin parts, one of which is also pre-painted. Your eyes do not deceive you, the ejection handle between the pilot’s knees is indeed yellow with black stripes, saving you a delicate job. A small decal sheet is also found in the package to apply after painting is complete, using Gunze Sangyo colour codes that are called out throughout the instructions. The main portion of the ACES II seat is printed as one in extreme detail, adding the headbox top with its canopy-break “ears”, the seat cushion, the afore-mentioned ejection handle, and a launch rail behind the seat that is also shown as a blue ghost image in position, allowing the completed seat to be slid down the cockpit’s aft bulkhead into position. The moulded-in belts have the potential for ultimate realism if sympathetically painted, as they are draped in a typical fashion to that of a real Thunderbolt, as if the pilot has just left. There are nine different decals on the small sheet, most of them doubled up, so you should have some spares if you make a mistake. Eduard decals also have removable carrier film that can be carefully peeled off when the decal is set, leading to a more realistic look to the finished model. It’s a focal point of the A-10 due to the prominent position of the pilot that gives him or her a bird’s eye view of the battle-space, so well-worth the effort to add to your model. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Next project lined up and ready to start. Box is a bit battered but the contents are all good, one I've had in the stash for years so I might as well build it.

P-39N Airacobra Resin Upgrade Sets (for Arma Hobby) 1:48 Eduard Arma Hobby recently launched a brand-new tooling of the P-39 Airacobra in a growing range of variants, and it’s a well-detailed model, but as usual, you can always improve on injection-moulded parts by using other mediums. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner, and this batch are suitable for most P-39N variants. 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. Upgrade Set (491484) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete new nine-part layered instrument panel and centre console with three levers; trim wheel; gun cocking handles; the extensive radio box, plus other details for the floor and rear bulkhead; making up two more boxes and adding more details on the cockpit sidewalls. There is also an entire pilot seat that is folded up to form the chassis, adding extra strengthening layers to critical areas, and the diagonal strip across the back of the base. Externally, the kit oleo-scissors for the main and nose gear legs are replaced by more in-scale parts, the belly-mounted intakes are given new in-scale doors with a mesh insert at the rear, and a filler cap for the drop-tank is also supplied. Going back inside again, a rear-view mirror and ring sight are fitted to the windscreen from inside, with paired handles fixed to each of the kit doors after removing the moulded-in nubs. Zoom! Set (FE1484) 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 (FE1485) 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 four-point crew belts, you also get a comfort pad for under the buckle of the harness. Masks (EX1073) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, and a set of hub/tyre masks for all the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort, plus a circular mask for the landing light. Masks Tface (EX1074) Supplied on a larger 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 inside of the glazing so that you can paint the model’s interior and give your kit that extra bit of realism. Having used these sets on my own models now, I can confirm that they are extremely accurate, and as there are seldom any raised frames on the interior of canopy parts, it's good practice to place the outer masks first to act as a guide for alignment of the inner masks. Conclusion Super detailed modular sets that raise the kit’s quality above the already excellent level that is found in the box. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

P-39 Airacobra Resin Upgrade Sets (for Arma Hobby) 1:48 Eduard Arma Hobby recently launched a brand-new tooling of the P-39 Airacobra in a growing range of variants, and it’s a well-detailed model, but as always you can always improve on injection-moulded parts by using other methods. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner, and this batch are suitable for most P-39 variants, so will fit just as well with any of the boxings. Although these sets arrive in flat packages, the directly 3D printed parts are safe inside a clear plastic clamshell box within the package, which also has a sticky pad inside to prevent the parts from rattling about. The parts are printed resin with the exception of the gun barrels, attached to the base via thin tendril-like fingers that are easy to cut off and sand the little upstands away, leaving them ready for action. Exhaust Stacks Fishtail (6481049) This set is a straight-forward replacement for the kit exhausts, consisting of two parts that are incredibly well-detailed, and have hollow tips, with a splitter between the two halves of each outlet. Simply cut the parts from the print base, and use them as you would the kit parts, but fixing them with super glue (CA) instead of the usual plastic glues. Exhaust Stacks Rounded (6481050) Identical in use as the set above, these exhaust stacks have hollow rounded tips as part of their detail upgrade from the kit parts. Gun Barrels (6481053) Traditionally cast from resin, these four parts include two gun barrels with perforated jackets, plus a choice of two styles of muzzle for the centre-of-prop 30mm cannon, one with a shroud around a recessed barrel, the other unshrouded. They are drop-in replacements for the kit parts, but take care when handling them, as I managed to ping off a barrel when putting them back in their packet. Pilot’s Seat (6481054) Consisting of one print-base with a highly-detailed seat, plus a small fret of STEEL Photo-Etch (PE) that is nickel-plated and pre-painted for your ease, this set replaces the kit’s seat directly, and the added dimension and realism of the belts will be far superior to the decals that come with the kit. The seat has many strengthening grooves moulded-in, and the belts will drape well over the seat’s sides due to the softness and thinner gauge of the material that it is etched from. Conclusion An interesting and useful range of simple sets that raise the level of detail on the base kit with little effort. Review sample courtesy of

P-51B Malcolm Hood Canopy Cockpit (6481032) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Eduard’s new Malcolm Hooded Mustang went under the microscope here, and now we have a finely detailed 3D-printed resin cockpit to augment the already impressive detail you’ll find in the kit. As is now usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in the new deep Brassin cardboard box, with the resin and other parts safely cocooned in bags, a foam sheet in the bottom and the instructions folded around acting as padding. Inside the box are forty-three resin parts of various sizes, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) that has been nickel-plated and pre-printed, a sheet of decals and a slip of clear acetate with the gunsight glazing shapes printed on. The instruction booklet tells you remove some sections of interior detail on the fuselage halves, which are marked out in red for your convenience. It’s worthy of note that there isn’t a pre-painted PE instrument panel in this set, but there are a host of decals for the instruments and placards, which you apply along the way toward a complete cockpit. Construction begins with the seat in a choice of three styles that are printed as one part each, and are decorated with pre-painted PE four-point seatbelts, a common headrest that attaches to the seat armour and mounting rail part. The seat is attached to the new highly detailed floor and is fitted out with the control stick, fuel hose, with detail painting instructions throughout. A bulkhead between the pilot and rear of the compartment is inserted behind the seat, adding hoses and other parts for detail, with a choice of three styles of rear compartments behind the pilot. Two options involve installing different equipment boxes to the floor, and another rear-facing instrument on the bulkhead. Two types of radio gear can be fitted to the pallet and after detail painting it is straddled by a pair of ribs toward the rear, which will allow it to be mounted as a second layer above the equipment on the floor, which will still be seen by the intrepid viewer. The third option involves the original kit fuel tank that has its attachment pins removed before it is glued to the floor, mounting an equipment palette with equipment and the ribs replicated from the other options, and wiring it with a 20mm length of 0.6mm wire from your own stocks. The resin sidewall parts are well detailed to begin with, but they are both augmented with additional resin parts that vary between cockpit fitments, as well as having their own painting and decaling diagrams to complete the task. The result will be an exceptionally well-detailed pair of sidewalls, with a choice of variant specific instruments, providing you follow the instructions avidly. A built & painted example from Eduard’s website The three resin gunsight options have their glass replicated by a piece of acetate sheet of varying sizes, installing it on the kit coaming, which has a small portion cut away beforehand, using the appropriate coaming for your chosen option. The main panel is a resin part that has decals applied depicting the instruments, with more decals on the lower centre panel, mounting the new detailed rudder pedals on pegs in the rear, setting their alignment with reference to a scrap diagram showing the assembly from the side. The cockpit and sidewalls are brought together to create a tub, then the kit fuselage is closed around them, adding the coaming assembly and kit canopy to finish the set off. Conclusion A super-detailed set for a superb model of a legend of the skies with my favourite canopy style. Excellent use of 3D printed resin to improve a focal point to your model, with a choice of equipment options to add individualism to your P-51. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Bristol Bulldog Resin Upgrades (for Airfix) 1:48 Eduard Brassin These new sets for the recent Airfix Bristol Bulldog, the penultimate RAF biplane fighter with interwar origins, which has pleased many modellers that have been waiting for a modern tooling of this classic. Although they arrive in a flat package, the directly 3D printed parts are safe inside a clear plastic clamshell box inside the package, which also has a sticky pad inside to prevent the parts from moving around. The parts are directly printed resin, attached to the base via thin tendril-like fingers that are easy to cut off and sand the little raised points away, leaving them ready for action. The resin wheels are loose in their bag, as they are more robust and less prone to damage during transit. Gun Barrels PRINT (6481044) This simple set contains a pair or 3D printed Vickers .303” machine gun barrels that were mounted in troughs on either side of the cockpit. The kit parts are necessarily simplified to cater to injection-moulding techniques, so these drop-in replacements should bring a vast improvement in detail. They are both attached to the same print-base in opposition, like a pair of crossed swords, and have tiny supports that should be cut away, taking care not to lose the barrels in the process. Minimal clean-up will be needed, as the supports are on the insides of the barrels, where they will rest against the kit fuselage after installation. Wheels (6481045) Each highly-detailed resin wheel is cast on a separate base, with minimal attachment points, the largest on the tyre’s contact patch with the ground, so any errors you might make in removing them from the block will be hidden. In addition to the drop-in replacement wheels, there are is a small sheet of pre-cut masks of yellow kabuki-tape, and a small sheet of decals that have “Palmer Cord Aero Tyre” in white to be applied to each side of the tyre carcasses, with a total of six to allow for mistakes. Pilot’s Seat PRINT (6481046) Consisting of a single seat part with frame and adjustment mechanism on a small print-base, plus a set of four-point seatbelts for the pilot, it should be a simple task to upgrade the cockpit detail of your Bulldog. The print supports are all on the underside of the seat’s frame, and should be easy to remove, priming then painting it as per the colour call-outs using Mr Color paints, then applying the pre-painted Photo-Etch (PE) belts as shown in the instructions, attaching all the parts to the model with Super Glue (CA). Conclusion These simple sets should improve the detail and look of your new Airfix Bulldog quickly and without breaking the bank. They also lack the perceived difficulty of working with traditional resin, although CA should still be used for attachment of the parts. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Bf.109G-10 Cockpit PRINT (672388 for Eduard) 1:72 Eduard Brassin Eduard’s new 1:72 Bf.109 has hit the spot for a great many modellers, and those that wish to improve the detail further can take advantage of this new PRINT set from Eduard’s Brassin line. As is usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in a Brassin-themed black-and-yellow cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags between two layers of grey foam, and the instructions folded around acting as additional padding. Inside the box are eleven 3D printed grey resin parts, a small pre-painted Photo-Etch (PE) fret, a slip of acetate sheet with the gunsight glazing outlines printed in black, and a decal sheet. Thanks to the ability of 3D printers to produce parts with undercuts using supports, the main cockpit floor also has a great deal of detail moulded-in, including the seat and the base for the rudder pedals. The control column is a separate part, as is the combined front bulkhead/rudder pedals/cannon breech fairing part, of which there is a choice of two, adding PE straps to the pedals, and gluing your choice to the front of the cockpit, applying a decal to one of the breech fairings. Four-point PE seatbelts are made from two-part lap belts and two shoulder belts, which are draped over the seat and glued into position before moving to the next step, which adds the cockpit side walls, adding detail parts to both along with some stencil decals, fixing the starboard side first, making the instrument panel with decals, then trapping it in place by adding the port side wall. You have a choice of two variants of the Revi gunsight, the 12c or the 16b, both supplied on the print bases, and with two individually shaped acetate parts glued in place according to the detailed instructions. Your choice is then glued into the centre of the main panel, using the final two acetate parts to provide the glass for the new rear-vision head armour part that is glued inside the kit canopy. Before inserting the cockpit between the fuselage halves, the raised details moulded into the cockpit area are removed according to the red marked areas on the instructions. The canopy opener is provided with a PE retaining strap that holds it at the correct angle when opened. Markings Decal placement is called out through each step of the instructions, as is the suggested colour, using Eduard’s perennial favourite brand, Gunze-Sangyo, providing both H and C codes in a linked box, with the colour name below. Conclusion The kit cockpit is well-detailed, but this replacement set goes further, providing much more detail, more decals, and a highly detailed gunsight. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

So thanks to @shortCummins who has done a really amazing builds of one of these Eduard kits, I took some inspiration and managed to grab a few boxings of this kit. @chrisrope Here's looking at you mate 🙂 (I picked up the 8th Airforce boxing from him for a later build, but will use the profipack as a work up) A few bits that will go into the build but as always I reserve the right to change things More to follow

P-51D Mustang Upgrade Sets (for Eduard) 1:72 Eduard Brassin We’ve just reviewed Eduard’s recent Limited Edition boxing of this kit in a Dual Combo form here, with a dozen decal options to choose from, and now we have a group of upgrade sets from the Brassin range to increase the level of detail above the already high quality of the kit. As usual with Eduard's smaller Brassin sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package similar to their PE sets but with different branding, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. The medium resin set arrives in a shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. Bazooka Rocket Launcher (672378) This boxed set contains eight resin parts in shades of grey, plus a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE). The two sets of three rocket tubes are cast as one in a triangular bundle, with separate rear inserts to depict the tubes either empty or full of rockets. The pylon supports are cast as separate parts that consist of two vertical pylons and a diagonal strut in an N-arrangement, which attaches to the tubes on the top, adding PE bracing strips between the two forward straps. There is one set of three tubes to use under each wing, paying attention to the kit instructions for the location of the holes you will need to drill out to secure them. 75gal Drop Tanks (672373) This set includes a crystal-clear clamshell box inside the flat packaging to protect the 3D printed tank parts, of which there are four, printed on two linked bases, and they are held in place via fine tendrils than should be simple to cut away. When relieved of their print-bases, the tank halves are hollow except for a fine latticework inside them that helps to keep them rigid, and the two halves interlock along the horizontal centreline, using a shallow lip to hold them in position. A small sheet of decals is provided for the stencils, and the same diagram shows where you can add two lengths of 0.2mm wire for added realism to feed the aircraft with fuel from the tanks. Another diagram shows where the wire is routed along the kit pylon and into the wing, using colour coding to assist with orientation. Wheels (Five Tread Styles) This set is available with five different styles of tyre tread, and consists of two main wheels and tail wheel on separate casting blocks that are a drop-in replacement, plus a sheet of kabuki-style masks that are pre-cut with a set of hub/tyre masks for the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. We have the Block Tread tyres in for review, but you can check over the other patterns by following the links below: Diamond Tread (672366) Oval Tread (672367) Block Tread (672369) Diamond Tread 2 (672370) Block Tread 2 (672371) P-51D-5 Löök Cockpit set (674012) This set contains a combination of pre-printed resin and PE parts to detail up your cockpit quickly and efficiently. There are two resin parts that make up the instrument panel in front of the pilot, the second part a central console between the pilot’s knees, with glossy faced dials already painted for you on black resin, which is densely packed at this scale, and beyond the skills of 99.9% of us modellers. Additionally, there are four-point seatbelts for the pilot, complete with brown comfort pads that fit under the buckles, etched from STEEL to give a more realistic thickness and drape. Review sample courtesy of

FM-1 Upgrade Sets (for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Tamiya’s Wildcat range in 1:48 was broadened last year by the addition of the British operated FM-1 Martlet, operated by the Royal Navy in large numbers under the Lend/Lease agreement. Now we have some after market parts to increase the level of detail in quick, easy ways that won’t break the bank. As usual with Eduard's smaller Brassin sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package similar to their PE sets but with different branding, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Bulkier small parts are further protected by being shut inside a low-profile crystal clear clamshell box inside the packaging, the parts prevented from rattling around by a small sticky patch in the centre of the box. Some of the sets are all directly 3D printed parts, and they are attached to their print-bases by many fine fingers that taper at the top end to reduce clean-up once you have liberated the part(s) from the base. A little light sanding is usually sufficient to make any marks disappear, after which you can start putting parts together. FM-1 Exhausts PRINT (6481015) Consisting of two angled hollow exhausts, these ultra-fine parts should be a drop-in replacement for the kit parts, with much more finesse than their styrene equivalents. FM-1 Wheels (6481016) Containing two traditional resin wheels, two 3D printed spoked hubs, two flat PE hubs, and a sheet of kabuki-style masking material that is pre-cut to simplify painting immensely, you can choose to use either style hub, cutting the wheels from their casting block that is located on the contact patch, where you will find a slight flattening of the tyre under the weight of the airframe. They are drop-in replacements, and packed with detail. FM-1 Seat PRINT (6481017) This set contains a 3D printed seat and a set of STEEL Photo-Etch (PE) belts that are nickel-plated and pre-painted to give your model realism. The seat is a drop-in replacement for the kit part, and the belts are easy to mould to the shape of the seat pan to give a realistic drape, thanks to the thinner, more flexible metal they are printed upon. Conclusion The great thing about these sets is that you can pick and choose what you want to focus on, they’re not going to blow your budget, and the detail is exquisite. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

P-51B/C Engine (6481004 for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Eduard released their new P-51D Mustang to much joy, followed later by the razor-backed P-51B/C both in 1:48, making theirs the new de facto standard in the scale. We’ve already seen a handful of upgrade sets already, and reviewed a group of them here a little while back. Now the engine set has arrived. As usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in a Brassin-themed black-orange-and-yellow cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags between layers of grey foam, and the instructions folded around acting as additional padding. This set will furnish you with almost everything you need to depict the Rolls-Royce Merlin, or Packard-built Merlin in astonishing detail, after removing a short section of the nose from your kit, safe in the knowledge that as it was designed by the same folks that engineered your kit, so it’ll fit well, as I’ve found in the past. As to what else you’ll need, that extends to the usual paint and glue, especially super glue (CA), and some lengths of fine wire of various diameters including 0.2mm, 0.3mm, 0.4mm, 0.5mm, and 0.6mm, all of which have their diameter and length shown on the instructions, along with a representation of the shape it should be formed to in colour to further assist you. Inside the box are fifty-five resin parts in two shades of grey, a small Photo-Etch (PE) brass fret, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on both sides of five sheets of A4 paper. Detail is exquisite, and the build process is covered step-by-step over thirty instruction stages, with the adaptation of the fuselage halves only undertaken at step 29. Construction begins with the engine block, which has the space in between the cylinder banks detailed by adding an insert into the V, fitting the generator to the side, and detailing the supercharger with seven additional parts. The part that filled the void between the cylinder banks is wired with twelve lengths of 0.2mm wire courtesy of a highly detailed step with seven exploded views to assist with their locations. The reduction gear housing is fitted to the front of the block, adding the horseshoe-shaped header tank and some pumping gear over the top, fixing some wires to the port side of the block, between the block and the supercharger on both sides, then adding several mechanical linkages from the PE sheet on both sides. The magneto and boost control equipment are mounted over the supercharger, and more wires link it to the engine, followed by fitment of the six exhaust stubs on each side, with a choice of shrouded or unshrouded pipes, painting the shrouds the exterior camouflage colour. Engine bearers are built from two sides with a horseshoe cross-member, plus PE actuators on the starboard tip. Additionally, a hose is applied to the starboard bearer for P-51B-5 and P-51C-1s, then the Merlin can be lowered onto the four bearers, fitting a long actuator down the port side from the PE sheet. The next few steps install several hoses around the engine, then detailing the firewall bulkhead with a strapped down tank, a PE skin to the lower portion, several wires of 0.4mm diameter, and a resin hose, after which it can be mated to the rear of the engine bearers, running another wire down the top of the starboard engine bearer, and more hoses linking everything in the rear together. A spider-like assembly of 0.6mm wires is measured, cut and put together over the top of the motor, with scrap diagrams showing where they terminate, adding another into the rear along with two PE actuators, and a small resin block. The framework that holds the upper cowling is mounted over the engine, attaching to the tops of the engine bearers, whilst under the motor, you have a choice of two styles of supercharger intake trunk, one for the two types mentioned above, with a choice of a flush insert in the nose cowling, or one with auxiliary intakes on the sides, which gave rise to the perforated or louvred panels under the nose of the Mustang. A small PE part is added at the rear, and if you fitted the aux. intakes, there is a PE actuator and a small insert at the front of the unit. Your choice of intake is fitted to the motor, linking at the rear to the bottom of the supercharger. With the engine upright again, an actuator fits between the engine bearer and supercharger intake on the port side, and a PE strip is added to the starboard side of the intake for some options. A single resin part forms the structure of the nose in front of the engine, with two more formers fitted under the motor toward the rear, completing the assembly. Now you must remove the nose from the kit’s fuselage halves, as per the drawings marked in red, after which the engine assembly should slot straight in, adding the propeller axle to the front, and optionally you can mount the prop, depending on what state of undress the engine is intended to be. There are now all the cowling panels that are removed to expose the engine, eight in total, all but one require nothing more than to remove them from their casting blocks and paint them. The panel under the nose has two holes toward the front, into which the three optional inserts fit. You can have a flat panel for those airframes without the aux. intakes, louvred panels, or perforated panels with four rows of eight holes in the centre of the parts. These are glued into position and should sit flush with the rest of the panel, except for the louvres that project outward slightly. Markings There are no decals, but there are full painting instructions on every step of the booklet, using Gunze Sangyo Mr Colour H and C codes to assist with painting. There are also suggestions to help with the colours of the cowlings, which will of course be painted on both sides and strewn around the model. Conclusion Another awesome engine set with a significant wow factor. Take care to follow the instructions carefully, try not to rush, and remove paint from any mating surfaces, as tolerances are close for it to make a difference. Once complete, it should make viewers’ eyes pop when they see the level of detail. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

P-51B/C Mustang 3D Printed Upgrade Sets (for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin We reviewed the new 1:48 P-51B/C Mustang here recently, and as is the way, Eduard have created plenty of after market sets to further improve the detail of your new purchase, and this tranche are all 3D Printed under the Brassin branding. The larger sets arrive in a shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding, while the smaller sets arrive in a flat resealable package similar to their PE sets but with different branding, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. The printed parts are safely ensconced in crystal clear clamshell boxes inside the pack, secured inside by a piece of double-sided tape that prevents them from rattling around during shipping. Wheels - Various Treads (648986-90) These sets include two main wheels with varying treads depending on which you choose below, plus two outer hubs for the main wheels, a tail-wheel with integral hub, and a set of pre-cut kabuki tape masks that allow cutting of the demarcation between tyre and hub with little effort. They have a slight weighting effect at the bottom of the tyres, which is where the parts are connected to their base, which makes removal simple, and if you make a mistake during cutting, your shame will be hidden under the model once completed. We requested just one of the sets as an example, which we have pictured below. If you need to see photos of the others, follow the links to view the Eduard site. Diamond Tread (648986) Oval Tread (648987) Cross Tread (648988) Block Tread (648989) Diamond Tread 2 (648990) Seats – Various Types The P-51 flew with three different styles of seat in the cockpit - one at a time of course (until after the war), and Eduard have created resin sets of each one to add more detail to your model with little additional effort. Each set includes a 3D printed seat that is printed as one monolithic part, and includes a set of pre-painted, nickel-plated Photo-Etch (PE) seatbelts to add more realism. The belts include fold-over chest adjustment buckles, and comfort pads under the clasp, with the release lever folded over perpendicular to the straps. Again, we requested one seat, and you can see the other by following the links below. Seat Type 1 (6481002) Seat Type 2 (6481003) Seat Type 3 (6481009) Hamilton Standard Propeller – Cuffed & Uncuffed (6481006 & 1007 for Eduard) A very obvious difference between Mustangs was their prop, usually a Hamilton Standard unit, and either cuffed or uncuffed, which is a short fairing at the base of the prop that widens the blade toward the spinner. Both types have been released, and we have both to review. They are built in the same manner, and have the same parts breakdown, consisting of four separate blades, a front and back portion of the spinner, central boss and a prop-shaft that is glued into the front of the fuselage. In addition, a resin jig is provided, plus a small fret of PE that includes three tiny circular parts, one of which inserts in the tip of the spinner. Construction begins with drilling out the centre at the rear of the boss with a 2mm bit, to a depth of 5.3mm, which can be achieved by measuring and placing tape on your bit before you begin. If you have a drill press, all the better. The boss is then inserted into the jig without glue, and the first blade is plugged into the hole with a little super glue securing it in place. The next three are done the same way by rotating the boss 90° in the jig, leaving them to cure before closing the two halves of the spinner around the freshly-assembled prop. If you intend to depict the prop in a maintenance situation, there is detail moulded into the interior of the spinner halves, and additional painting instructions in their usual choice of Gunze Sangyo codes. The completed (or dismantled) prop can then be slipped over the newly installed prop shaft, placed on a winch, or workbench, depending on what you have in mind for it. Hamilton Standard Propeller (6481006) Hamilton Standard Propeller (6481007) Bazooka Rocket Launcher (6481008) The Mustang could carry a bundle of three-tube rocket-launchers under each wing for ground-attack missions, which this set replicates in excellent detail. The set contains two packs of rockets, with separate end caps for the rear that give the impression of hollow ends or covered rears, plus two mounting legs with a diagonal brace between them. Two PE straps join the front support with the strapping in front, bending them slightly so the ends sit square, as shown in the diagram. Conclusion A great range of upgrades that will add detail and individuality to your model, with minimal effort and maximum reward. Just beware of inhaling resin dust, as it’s not good for your lungs. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

P-38J Lightning Left (Port) Engine (648936 for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Tamiya’s recent new tooling of the P-38J/F/H Lightning in 1:48 gave the modelling world a new de facto standard kit of the type, and provided us with an excellent, well-detailed kit of this iconic twin-boom fighter from WWII. You can always improve on the detail possible with injection-moulded styrene however, and we’ve already had some aftermarket sets from Eduard. Now we have a larger resin engine set to allow you to open up the cowling to display the Allison V-1710 engine, but bear in mind that the engines themselves were handed to cancel out torque steer, so if you intend to open up the right/starboard engine, this set won’t be suitable, and neither will the cowling parts of course. As is usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in a Brassin-themed black-and-yellow deep cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags on a layer of grey foam, and the instructions folded around the top, acting as additional padding. Inside the box are forty-eight 3D-printed resin parts, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) with seven parts, some of which are duplicates due to their small nature, a decal sheet, and a thick instruction booklet that consists of five sheets of folded A4, printed in colour on both sides. Throughout the 32 steps, Gunze Sangyo colour codes are given, and where additional wire from your own stocks is needed to add extra detail, you will be given the length and diameter to help you plan ahead. As is normal for 3D printed parts, they are attached to their print-bases by many fine fingers that taper at the top end to reduce clean-up once you have liberated the part(s) from the base. A little light sanding is usually sufficient to make any marks disappear, after which you can start putting things together. Construction begins with removal of the kit engine nacelle from the kit parts, carefully following the red markings shown in the first four steps of the instructions. Small sections of other parts are also removed in this step, so take care and cross-refer with the kit instructions to ensure you don’t slip up. At the side of this series of steps is a separate diagram showing the location of all the decals on the engine block and some of the sundry parts around the nacelle, and as they don’t appear to be picked out during the build, you’d be well-advised to mark them on the instructions before you get too far. The first two parts will need extensive painting and those make up the engine block and the ancillaries behind it, which plug together after some extensive detail painting, and the addition of a little nose-weight inside the hollow engine to replace the kit-supplied ball-bearing that would otherwise fill the space. The coolant expansion tank is a horse-shoe shape that sits over the prop-shaft housing, and this also has a circular PE ring applied to its front, adding two short lengths of wire to the aft end of the tubes that run down the top edge of the inner face of both cylinder banks. The ancillary block is wired up with short lengths of different diameters of wire, which are marked in separate colours to set them apart. Over the top of the ancillaries a pair of ignition distributor boxes are laid, one on either side of a joining tube, with a pair of scrap diagrams showing it in relation to the wires that have just been added. More wire is threaded from the front to the rear and underneath the engine, fitting two short tubes to junctions behind the coolant tank, and at the rear, a tapering hose for the supercharger, which should end outside the port engine bearer, which has more wire routed down its top side and under the prop-shaft, with two accessories also attached to the bearer. Turning the engine around, the starboard engine bearer is fitted, flipping the assembly over to add another hose under the accessories, and with the assembly righted again, yet another hose that runs from back to front is threaded through and joined by another accessory on the starboard side. More wire links the new accessory box to something that will be mounted later, meanwhile fitting another box and a curving hose that has a scrap diagram showing where it links to the rear of the engine. There’s yet another box with some wire leading into the mass of accessories at the rear, with more wires leading to both the boxes already in situ. Another box and wiring is fitted, plus scrap diagrams showing where they lead. At the rear is another firewall assembly that mounts behind the motor, detailing it with two more hoses, one wide, the other narrower, bringing it in to mate with the engine bearers, linking up the loose wires that finally find their end-points. At the end of the intake tubes is a paired intake lip that is attached on a pair of keyed pegs, with some detail painting in case you’d forgotten that this had been going on. The underside of the nacelle is an impressively detailed part, and needs painting inside and out, fitting a hose down the port side, a box on the starboard side, and at the rear a complex intake trunking that slots in from the rear. On the underside, and probably best done later, a wide cooling flap with PE support is installed, along with another pair of smaller outlets on the sides, with their own PE actuators. A scrap diagram shows some more detail painting that will need to be done at this point. The engine is lowered carefully into the nacelle, which is starting to become a rather impressive assembly, adding exhaust collectors on each side of the motor, finishing the path of two hoses with L-shaped sections that dive into the depths of the engine, with another scrap diagram helping with locating them. The top cowling will be depicted removed unless you’re some kind of masochist and intend to hide all your work away, so the top framework is a curved cruciform shape, which has a resin tube and a length of wire run down the underside of the spine before it is applied over the engine within the nacelle. That’s it! The nacelle is complete, but you still need to paint the surprisingly large number of surface panels that are removed to access the engine for care and maintenance. Each one is printed vertically, and on some you can just about see some layer lines, so after priming them, check to see if those have disappeared, and if not, give them a very light sanding. There are twelve in all, and the inner faces will be silver, while the outers will be camouflage colour, but you might want to loosely apply them to the model to ensure you have any demarcations noted before you start painting. Markings The whole instruction booklet is dotted with detailed colour indicators that have the H and C codes for Gunze Sangyo’s Mr Color range, along with the names of the colours in case you can’t get to a paint conversion chart at the time. The small decal sheet is printed digitally, and the carrier film can be carefully peeled away if you wish, leaving just the thin printed part on the model, which is an improvement if the presence of carrier films bothers you like it does me. Conclusion There just aren’t enough superlatives to cover the quality and detail evident on this set. The space between the cylinder banks however is almost a victim of its own success, as you might struggle to get your paint brush in between the equipment that is moulded into the monolithic block. It’s an awesome example of 3D printed model parts, and the amount of effort that has been expended in designing it is incredible. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

F-4E Parachute (648910 for MENG) 1:48 Eduard Brassin A lot of fast jets land at high speed, and need to slow down in a hurry, especially if they have landed at a shorter runway than usual. They do this by applying the wheel brakes, air-brakes, but also many jets have a parachute pack that they can deploy at the rear to further retard the speed of their aircraft. The ‘chutes don’t go on fire because they’re made from a tough, fire-resistant material, but also because the aircraft’s throttles are either at idle or in reverse, assisting with the braking. The F-4 was designed primarily as a carrier aircraft, where it would usually land using an arrestor hook, which brought it to a halt in a hurry, but that puts a huge stress on the airframe, shortening its lifespan, so is to be avoided when possible. When landing on runways, rather than deploying an arrestor wire, which is specialist equipment that might not always be available, they use parachute packs that are deployed from the rear of the aircraft, inflating due to the airspeed, allowing some of the air to bleed through the slots in the material, as they’re intended to slow it down, not pull the tail off. They were used as a matter of course on even the longest runways, although crews were trained on parachute-free landings, just in case. The Set This set sets you thinking when you see it, as it’s hard to imagine a parachute fitting in the box, but it does. The ‘chutes aren’t excessively large, and at 1:48 scale it fits neatly. As is usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, it arrives in a Brassin-themed black-and-yellow cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as additional padding. There are six 3D printed resin parts in two separate Ziploc bags, plus a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass in another bag with a protective sheet of white card protecting it from bending in the box. Adding a parachute to your Phantom model will be key to a landing or post-landing taxiing diorama, and the detail is exceptional, even having a flattened edge to the ‘chute where it presses against the runway after initial deployment. Construction begins with cutting a small recess in the tail of your Meng Phantom kit so that you can slide the resin para-pack compartment into position, which has the door moulded open and out to the rear. The parachute is printed as a single part, which is attached to the base on the lower edge, and should be simple to remove and clean-up, adding a 7.8mm length of 0.4mm styrene rod from your own stores to the top, fixing the drogue bag to the end, and the drogue ‘chute itself on an eight-pointed PE star that represents the short lengths of cord that allows it to open. Between the parachute and the compartment is another 64.5mm length of 0.75mm rod with a 1.5mm ferrule for the last 3mm, all from your own stock, which ends with a 3D printed O-ring (plus a spare) that gathers the individual cords of the parachute. These cords are depicted by fine PE strips that are anchored at the inner end by a strip, enabling you to form it into a small circle, spreading out the opposite ends so they can be attached to the circumference of the parachute, locating them on the tabs that project from the underside of the billowing ‘chute. Markings There are paint call-outs in Gunze Sangyo codes throughout the build, many of the cords are in white, the parachute and its lines yellow, and the drogue ‘chute in a light tan colour. Check your references for your particular example if you want to get maximum accuracy. Conclusion This is quite an unusual set that you’d think would be a niche product, but maybe its existence as a relatively simple method of creating a ‘chute-assisted landing scene will create the market and result in a lot more F-4s in landing dioramas going forward. If it succeeds, we’re more likely to see a proliferation of these sets for other aircraft. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Beaufort Mk.I Engines (648983 for ICM) 1:48 Eduard Brassin ICM made the British modelling public, particularly those with a thing for WWII and 1:48 scale, very happy when they released their brand-new tooling of the oft neglected Bristol Beaufort. We’ve had several boxings now with various markings and weapons loads, and now we have a set of hyper-accurate engines to add an immense level of detail to your model. As is usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in a Brassin-themed black-and-yellow cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags between two layers of grey foam, and the instructions folded around acting as additional padding. The sixteen resin parts in the box are all 3D printed, and are attached to their print bases via thin finger-like supports that are easily but carefully cut away, sanding away any remnants before proceeding. The detail is phenomenal, particularly the engine blocks, which are almost complete, just needing careful painting to bring them to life. Construction begins with the engines, making two, installing the bell-housings and prop-shafts to the front, following the painting instructions that give Gunze Sangyo codes throughout. The two exhausts and collector rings are made from two parts each, the collector rings inserting into the back of the cowling lip, while the outer surface should be painted in your chosen camouflage colour, as should the other cowling panels. The cowling lip is fitted to the front of the painted engine, the stubs of the collector ring mating snugly* with the feeder pipes that exit each cylinder of the radial engine, and these are joined at the rear by the highly-detailed ring of cooling gills and their mechanisms, after which it can be glued to the model when you are ready to do so. The two curved cowling panels per engine are separate parts that can be left nearby, on trestles, or on the wings once painted, and these are similarly well-detailed, having a near scale thickness to add even more realism to your model. * I tested the fit whilst handling the resin, and they stay together without glue, such is the level of fit. Conclusion It’s difficult to keep using all these superlatives about these 3D printed resin sets, but they really are that good. The part count is low, the detail is off the charts, and preparation should be pretty simple if you have some fine sanding tools, while the result will be well worth the effort you put into it. Extremely highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

F-35B Lightning II Upgrades (for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Brassin & Löök Tamiya have released a range of F-35 kits in 1:48, and as usual, their models are highly detailed and go together well. You probably already know what I’m going to say next, but I’ll say it anyway. You can always improve on the limitations of injection moulded styrene, so if you’re in the mood for some extra detail, read on. Eduard have released a range of sets that you can choose your focus from, using whichever matches your needs, budget or skill-set. The Brassin resin sets arrive in deep cardboard boxes, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, sheets of foam top and bottom, plus the instructions folded around acting as extra padding. F-35B Lift Fan (648995) This set consists of just two parts in 3D-printed resin that are a direct replacement for kit part V24, adding extra depth to the fan in two layers rather than one, which will be visible under the stators moulded into the upper fuselage half. The surround is painted a metallic shade, while the blades are painted white. The parts are printed diagonally for best fidelity, and are removed from their bases by separating them from the tendril-like supports and flatting the remaining blemishes as required. Cockpit (6481000) Consisting of fifteen 3D-printed parts, some of which are substantial, plus a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) that is nickel-plated and pre-painted, and a small decal sheet, this set replaces the kit cockpit with incredible detail. The build begins with the ejection seat, which is constructed from nine resin parts, three PE parts, plus a full set of PE belts that are draped over the cushions in a total of eleven stages that also includes some fine wire from your own supplies around the rear of the seat. A set of profiles show the painting and decaling of this intricate assembly that will far outstrip the kit seat once installed. The cockpit has comparatively few parts, but the detail is similarly impressive, with equipment in the rear linked by realistic-looking wiring, and sleek side consoles. The tub is almost complete out of the box, and has a set of rudder pedals installed in the foot wells, along with some well-described detail painting, and three controls that include a HOTAS pair of sticks. The expansive wide-screen Multi-Function Device (MFD) spans almost the full width of the cockpit in front of the pilot, with a centre console below and two side panels incorporated in the part, plus a choice of illuminated or switched off panel decals, and detailed painting instructions in a scrap diagram nearby. The last major resin part is the canopy frame, which is printed with lightening holes, handles and subtle riveting, some of it in places that would be impossible using anything other than 3D printing. A tongue at the front of the part slots into a recess in the cockpit tub, and a pair of PE actuators are attached to pivots under the frame, sliding into the kit slots on either side of the cockpit sill. Löök Cockpit Set (644259) If you don’t want to go the “whole hog” with a cockpit like the one above, the Löök set should fit the bill as a quick and easy improvement. It consists of a 3D printed resin instrument panel that is also pre-printed with instrument and control details, which replaces the kit panel part number W26 within the coaming. The PE fret includes a full set of crew seatbelts, plus a pull-handle that gets the pilot out of his incredibly expensive aircraft when things become untenable. The kit part should be cut flush with the seat surface, and a small hole drilled between the cut-out in the cushion to give the new PE part a recess for added grip. Conclusion This has been one of those sets that has caused an increase in my stash again. I picked up the kit because I just couldn’t resist the detail in the sets we’ve had in for review. Extremely highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of