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Spitfire Mk.II Gun Bays & Mk.IIb SPACE Cockpit (648611 & 3DL48007) 1:48 Eduard Brassin We reviewed Eduard’s new state-of-the-art new Mk.IIb kit recently here, and now we have a few interesting aftermarket sets in the shape of a resin set of gun bays for the wings, and a new style of cockpit set from Eduard called SPACE that comprises a mixture of new 3D printed decals and regular Photo-Etch (PE). I think we’re seeing the start of a trend here folks. Spitfire Mk.II Detail Set SPACE (3DL48007 for Eduard) This arrive in a flat resealable package, with a new branding and a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Inside is a sheet of pre-painted PE for various aspects of the cockpit details, plus a new 3D Printed instrument panel, with dials and their glazing depicted by a final clear layer, giving it a realistic sheen, and looking very convincing. Eduard’s new system lends itself very nicely to the Spitfire’s panel, so the end result is excellent. The PE parts on the nickel-plated sheet include head-armour; seatbelt retraction reel; back armour; painted four-point seatbelts; flare-rack for the front of the seat; a new compass face in 3D printed material; ring & bead gunsight; small details for the sidewalls; rudder pedals and their straps; pull-handle for the canopy; rear-view mirror and entrance door mechanisms. The final parts are the gear-position indicator that requires a 0.3mm hole to be drilled in the top surface of the wing. Spitfire Mk.IIb Gun bays (648611 for Eduard) As is now usual with Eduard's smaller resin sets, they arrive in the new shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as additional padding. There are 28 resin parts in the box, plus a fret of bare brass PE, and three small sheets of instructions. The first section of the instructions shows which parts of the wings that should be removed before construction begins, including sections of the upper and lower wing skins, and a small section of one outer part of the wheel well to provide clearance for the new parts. Furthermore, the bays reach back as far as the ailerons, with two small sections removed from the rearmost lip. The set provides enough parts for both wings, so the same process is applied to both wings. With the preparation completed, the gun bays are begun, making each one up with a letter to distinguish which bay goes where. The bay walls are made up from folded PE walls with perforated floor parts, then the resin gun breeches are inserted. The inner station carries a cannon with a large bucket-shaped drum magazine, which necessitated the familiar wing bulge to accommodate it. This is the simple one, as it only has one piece of additional PE fitted over the mag. The two outer guns are .303 Browning and have PE front faces and actuator cams fitted, with a resin barrel stub at the front. There are two cannon bays and four machine gun bays, so a fair amount of repetition that should ensure you get faster at making them up. The bays are then inserted into the wings, the cannons into the upper skin, the Brownings into the lower skin along with a bay for the ammo cans, which are fitted later. The machine guns themselves are also installed after their bays, and have a mount added to the front from below afterwards, with a scrap diagram showing the correct orientation of this multi-legged part. A full set of scale-thin resin bay doors are included in the set, with 12 in total in both sides of the wing. Careful painting should give your Spit potential for a great re-arming diorama. Colour call-outs are given in Gunze codes throughout, which should help immensely with getting your model looking good. Review sample courtesy of

Messerschmitt Bf.110G Wheels & G-4 Exhaust Stacks (648603 & 648606 for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Eduard’s 1:48 Bf.110 kits have been with us for a few years now, and they have re-released them over the years with many variants of this well-known heavy fighter released in their boxes, the later G series being amongst them. These two new sets are just what the detail doctor ordered if you are in possession of any of the G kits for the wheels, or a G-4 for the exhaust stacks. As is now usual with Eduard's smallest resin sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Bf.110G Wheels (648603) This set includes the three wheels with a slight weighted sag, each on their own casting blocks, plus the tail wheel yoke in stronger white resin to resist bending under load over time. Also included is a sheet of yellow Kabuki tape (not pictured) that has masks for each of the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation neatly and with very little effort. A scrap diagram shows the correct orientation of the wheels on the gear leg, with an arrow showing the direction of travel. Detail is excellent as you can see, with fine raised radial tread and sidewall detail crisp and visible. Bf.110G-4 Exhaust Stacks (648606) The G-4 was a nightfighter with a crew of three. The tell-tale glow of the exhaust stacks in the dark was a huge danger to the crews, offering a perfect target for gunners in the bomber stream. Various methods were used to damp the light down, with a tubular system used for the G-4 that had a frontal intake and a further intake inserting cold air into the flow at a bend to enhance cooling of the exhaust gases and eliminating any remaining visible glow by the time it exits the system. This set includes four large castings, one set of tubing for each side of the two engines, and they’re a drop-in replacement for the kit parts. In addition, there is a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) that provides the triple-pointed intake meshes for the intake fronts. The stacks attach to their casting blocks at the rear, and if you are planning on depicting them accurately, you will need to drill out the cut-off point to create a realistic-looking hollow exhaust lip. As always, take care with the drilling, after marking out the centre of each one with a punch or sharp pointed tool. Review sample courtesy of

Dornier Do.17Z Bomber Guns & Wheels (648608 & 648609 for ICM) 1:48 Eduard Brassin ICM have been busily flooding the market with variants of the Flying Pencil for a while now, and it’s a good thing as there is plenty of demand. They’re also detailed, modern kits and fill a void in my favourite scale. Eduard have even released their own special edition that uses ICM plastic, and have created these sets to upgrade the detail, regardless of whose box it is in. If you have a Do.17Z of any other brand, these two sets would probably fit too, although that’s for you to decide. Don’t blame me! As is now usual with Eduard's smaller resin sets, they arrive in the shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around, acting as padding. The smallest Brassin sets arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Do.17Z Wheels (648608) This set is bagged, and includes the three wheels with a slight weighted sag, each on their own casting blocks, plus the tail wheel yoke and the fairing that is trapped between the fuselage halves during main construction of the model. Also included is a sheet of yellow Kabuki tape (not pictured) that has masks for each of the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation neatly with very little effort. A scrap diagram shows the correct orientation of the wheels on the gear leg, with an arrow showing the direction of travel. Detail is excellent as you can see with radial tread and sidewall detail crisp and visible. Do.17Z Bomber Guns (648609) This delicate set is boxed for protection, and contains three bags of parts. One bag has six insanely fine MG15s, which are chambered for 7.92mm rounds. The other casting blocks contain fourteen twin drum mags for the guns and as spares for the racks that surround the gunner’s seat, with a choice of egg-shaped bags for the spent brass, or a larger concertina bag for the same use. The third bag has a small piece of white card that protects the Photo-Etch (PE) that contains the fronts of the drum mags, a strap for each one, plus a pair of ring and bead sights for each gun. The very aft of the gun’s breech and the bubble-catcher on the barrel should be removed with a sharp knife, and the cocking handle is replicated by a piece of 0.5mm wire or rod that you supply from your own stock. Painting instructions are included throughout using Gunze codes and colour names as usual. Handily, the pencil carried a complement of 6 of this type of gun. Review sample courtesy of

P-38H Gun Barrels (648596 for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Brassin After the launch of Tamiya’s new P-38F Lightning in 1:48, a limited edition of the P-38H in a special box has arrived, drawing in more modellers to their excellent kit. Here comes the aftermarket! 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. This set contains barrels for the nose of your kit that are drop-in replacements once you have removed a couple of moulded-in pips inside the kit’s nose cone part. There are four barrels on a spacer part that ensures correct arrangement, which slides in through the top four holes in the nose, with a further short barrel that has a moulded-in collar to obtain the correct projection for the lower gun. Each barrel has a tiny “bubble-catcher” tube added to the tip, so ensure you cut thos off before installation, and you should note that the barrels aren’t hollow, but in this scale it is hardly visible, and you can always drill them out if you feel the need. The cooling jackets are perforated and there is the correct step-in where the jacket ends and the very tip of the muzzle is exposed. Casting is excellent as usual, and this quick upgrade to the detail should improve your model incrementally at low cost, which is exactly the intent. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

BDU-33 & Mk.76 Bombs (648567) 1:48 Eduard Brassin BDU-33s and Mk.76s are practice bombs that can be dropped from a carrying aircraft’s ejector racks, and upon impact they emit a puff of smoke to aid spotting. One variant emits a flame in addition to the smoke, so that it can be spotted in the dark, while the other is a simple smoke charge for daylight only. They’re just over 2 feet long, so an aircraft can carry quite a few for practice bombing. The Mk.76 Practice Bombs are subtly different around the fins, and both types can be fitted with cylindrical outer fins in addition to the normal cruciform type. As usual with Eduard's small Brassin resin sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, much the same as their PE sets but with different branding, and a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Inside are seven casting blocks of resin parts, a small Photo-Etch (PE) fret, a small sheet of decals and the instruction sheet. There are six each of the two types of bomb, and each type has a separate fin-set for the ringless version, and another six for the optional ringed fins, which are smaller to fit within the brass cylinder. The brass cylinder will need to be rolled from the parts on the PE sheet, and annealing the parts will assist with this. The remaining parts on the fret are flat circular caps that glue to the tip pf the BDU-33 body. The bombs are painted a bright sky blue, and small diagrams show this using Gunze codes, as well as the stencil positioning for each one. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

F-6D Cockpit (648600 for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Eduard’s new Reconnaissance Mustang, the F-6D went under the microscope here, and now we have a finely detailed 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 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 shape printed on. The instruction booklet tells you in large red letters to check the table of alternative parts before proceeding, as there are five variations possible with the parts provided, depending on which block P-51D airframe your decal choice was based upon. Get that set in your mind before you continue, perhaps adding notes to the instructions yourself. It’s also worthy of note that there isn’t a pre-printed 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 necessary removal of kit parts, which is surprisingly simple, although there will be a lot of plastic consigned to the parts bin in their entirety once you are finished. The cockpit floor gets cut almost in half at the step, and has two raised sections removed from the remaining part, while the fuel tank under the radio needs two small segments removing from the forward part to accommodate the details on the sidewalls later on. Two tiny pieces are removed from the port sidewall too. Now the seat is made up using the pre-printed PE 4-point seatbelts, PE support braces, and a choice of three headrests that attach to the seat armour/mount part. The instrument panel has three main configurations, with five further options for the centre panel, which is where many of the alternate parts come into play. Once complete and painted, the decals are applied, followed by the various PE “sticky-out” bits that are present. The new forward floor is highly detailed and is attached to the front of the remaining plastic floor after being fitted out with the control stick, the kit fuel tank, some black-boxes behind the pilot’s seat, and the seat itself. The radio gear is also installed on a support frame, then fitted to the top of the fuel tank, which has filler and level indicators glued in, with a tiny decal for the dial on the level gauge. You’ll need to find a short length of 0.2mm wire to link up with the floor-mounted repeated gauge, which also has its own decal. More wire is routed through the radio pallet, with a concertina tube up each side behind the seat, then it’s on to the sidewalls. The resin sidewall parts are well detailed to begin with, but they are both augmented with resin and PE parts, 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 properly. The new resin gunsight has its glass replicated by a piece of acetate sheet, with a tiny pre-painted PE instrumentation cluster on the left, and a back-up ring-and-bead sight on the right of the unit. It fits into the underside of the kit coaming, and is joined by the other kit instruments that are stashed there, then has the new resin rudder pedals inserted into the back of the instrument panel on pegs, with the coaming fitting from above, and the result cross-checked with the side profile diagram supplied. The cockpit and sidewalls are brought together to create a tub, then the fuselage is closed around them and the coaming, kit deck and a new resin lightened canopy stiffener are added to finish the set off. Conclusion A super-detailed set for a super model of a legend of the skies. Excellent use of resin to improve a focal point to your model, with a wide choice of options from the various originator types. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

GBU-54 Non-Thermally Protected (648564) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Based upon the 500lb Mk.82 iron bomb, the GBU-54 is one of the smaller Joint Direct Attack Munitions, JDAM for short. It comprises a kit including steering fins at the rear, and a seeker head at the front, with a conduit linking them together along with a series of straps that fit around the bomb’s circumference. They are available in bare and thermally protected variants to protect them against heat, with the latter type usually used on carriers. This set includes resin parts for four bombs with smooth-surfaces. As is now usual with Eduard's smaller resin sets, they arrive in the new shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. Inside the box are eight main parts and twelve smaller inserts in grey resin, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE), and a decal sheet containing stencils for four bombs. The bombs are built around the central bomb body, to which the rear guiding fins are added along with a choice of three types of insert just forward of the fins. Each body is attached to a pour block at the rear, which is then covered by a small PE circle. Just forward of the tail is a cut-out into which a choice of three inserts is applied, moving the sensor slightly forward or back, depending on which one you choose. A scrap diagram shows the correct orientation of the fins with regard to the carriage lugs that are moulded into the top of each bomb. Detailed painting of the various aspects of the bombs are called out on the instructions, while the stencils are shown on a colour diagram overleaf, with the colour codes also in a table on the opposite page. Conclusion You can’t beat Eduard weapons sets for detail, with crisp moulding throughout. My only qualm is a wish for more information about the optional aspects of their sets and kits. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

AN/ALE-41 Chaff Dispenser (648601) 1:48 Eduard Brassin This pod is the Naval version of the AN/ALE-38, and is a High-Capacity Bulk Chaff Dispenser, originally manufactured by Marconi and latterly by BAe Systems. It dumps chaff into the slipstream of the carrying aircraft in an attempt to confuse and distract any chasing missile that relies on radar to home in on their target. They’re usually used in conjunction with flare dispensers to cover both spectrums likely to be used by an incoming threat. As is now usual with Eduard's smaller resin sets, they arrive in the new shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. Inside the box is a bag of six larger resin parts, plus ten smaller parts, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE), and a sheet of decals containing stencils for the two pods you can make. Once the pod is cut from its casting block, four lugs of two types are inserted into the holes in the top of the body, with a pair of brass strips alongside. One of two resin covers fill the depression in the nose, and you have a choice of exposed chaff tubes or covered in the rear section, which fits onto a keyed lug at the back of the body. The painting and decaling drawing on the front shows the location of all the stencils, plus the various colours called out in Gunze codes as is usual for Eduard. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

SUU-25 Flare Dispenser (648561) 1:48 Eduard Brassin The SUU-25 is a modern flare dispenser pod made by Arnold Defence that holds eight flares, double-stacked in four tubes for either target marking, or for illuminating areas/targets. Eduard's smaller Brassin sets share the same packaging as the PE sets, arriving in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. It’s a simple set with only three resin parts on two casting blocks. The pod is cast with the pour block on the rear, onto which a choice of open firing mechanism or cone-shaped cover is grafted once you have smoothed out the cuts, and hollowing out one side of the join should help with alignment here. That’s construction out of the way, making up one pod, which you can paint and decal by following the diagrams, using Gunze paint codes as usual. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

RS-2U Missile (648593) 1:48 Eduard Brassin The Kaliningrad K-5 or AA-1 Alkali if you follow the NATO codes, was an early Soviet guided missile that began development in the early 1950s and reached service as the RS-2U with Soviet fighters and interceptors in '57. It wasn’t particularly effective due to its guidance method, but still lingered in service well into the '70s, mainly due to the aircraft it was designed for having the same fate. It was supplanted by the more capable R-55 that eschewed the beam-riding targeting for semi-active radar, then by the AA-2 Atoll that was reversed engineered from a Sidewinder brought home buried in a Mig after combat near Taiwan. As is now usual with Eduard's smaller resin sets, they arrive in the new shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. The box contains twelve main resin parts and 32 smaller parts in the same colour, plus the instructions and a small sheet of stencil decals. The missile body has the wafer-thin main fins moulded in, and is attached to the pouring block at the rear. The block is cut off, and covered by the domed rear-end, which is removed from its block at the front, both of which would benefit from dishing with a motor tool a little to improve the fit. The four steering vanes attach near the forward taper, and at the trailing edge of the main fins four tiny tubes are glued into small recesses in the tips. Some of these were loose in the bag on my example, so make sure you check for escapees before you toss the bag in the bin. An adapter rail runs along the top of the missile, glued on two lugs that fit into recesses in the missile body. The painting guide is on the front of the instruction sheet, using Gunze codes as usual and showing the location of the stencils on the small sheet. Review sample courtesy of

US 1000lb Bombs (648565) 1:48 Eduard Brassin During WWII, American bombers used a variety of sizes of free-fall bombs, depending on the task in hand and the capabilities of the carrying aircraft. On the larger side was the M65 General Purpose bomb, which was suitable for larger targets, and had a large spinner at the rear that armed the fuse as it fell away from the aircraft, in order to reduce the chances of accidental detonation beforehand. The impeller is protected within a boxed-in fin unit on a long shaft that enters the bomb casing from the rear, passing through more than 500lbs of explosives on the way to the fuse in the nose. It is held onto the aircraft by two lugs on the top and is held stable by the anti-sway braces on the pylon, with another solitary lug on the underside that allows the weapon to be mounted on a British aircraft. As is now usual with Eduard's smaller resin sets, they arrive in the new shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. This set includes resin parts for two bombs, each made up of body and tail-fin parts, plus a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) parts that make up the spinner at the rear and a tab on the fuse at the nose. The body is cut from its casting block at the rear and the cut is covered by a slotted circular PE cover, from which the three-part spinner projects. The tag at the nose is slipped over the fuse, and then the fin unit is mated to the body in four grooves that match up with the tail’s forward section. A diagram on the front of the instruction booklet shows how to paint and stencil the bombs, using the usual Gunze codes there and for the detail painting that is pointed out as the parts are brought together. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

GBU-54 Thermally Protected Bombs (648598) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Based upon the 500lb Mk.82 iron bomb, the GBU-54 is one of the smaller Joint Direct Attack Munitions, JDAM for short. It comprises a kit that includes steering fins at the rear, and a seeker head at the front, with a conduit linking them together along with a series of straps that went around the bomb’s circumference. They are available in bare and thermally protected variants to protect them against intense heat, primarily in the event of a fire on a carrier, delaying the likelihood of “cook off” detonations hampering fire-fighting efforts. This set includes resin parts for four bombs with the rough-textured thermal protection coating applied to the surface. As is now usual with Eduard's smaller resin sets, they arrive in the new shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. Inside the box are eight main parts and twelve smaller inserts in grey resin, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE), and a decal sheet containing stencils for four bombs. The instructions give construction guidance and painting call-outs in Gunze Mr.Color paints, as usual. The bombs are built around the central bomb body, to which the rear guiding fins are added along with a choice of three types of insert just forward of the fins. Each body is attached to a pour block at the rear, which is then covered by a small PE circle. Just forward of the tail is a cut-out into which a choice of three inserts is applied, moving the sensor slightly forward or back, depending on which one you choose. A scrap diagram shows the correct orientation of the fins with regard to the carriage lugs that are moulded into the top of each bomb. Detailed painting of the various aspects of the bombs are called out on the instructions, while the stencils are shown on a colour diagram overleaf, with the colour codes on the opposite page. Conclusion You can’t beat Eduard munitions for detail, with crisp moulding throughout. My only qualm is a wish for more information about the optional aspects of their sets and kits. It can’t have escaped your attention that Eduard suffered a horribly destructive fire at their warehouses recently, so this is preventing sales of their products from their site, with it closed temporarily. We’re still linking to their site as the situation should resolve itself soon, but if you’re desperate you might still be able to avail yourself of supplies that had already left their warehouse to shops beforehand. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

SUU-30B Early (648558) 1:48 Eduard Brassin The SUU-30B was an early cluster bomb, containing up to 665 BLU-24 or -26 tennis ball-sized bomblets for area denial and anti-personnel warfare, as well as destruction of unarmoured materiel if it happens to be in range. It can be carried on a pylon for a “dumb” iron bomb, and once released the canister opens and disperses the bombs over the area, some exploding immediately, others on timers to extend the area denial and increase enemy casualties amongst the repair crews. This and the dud bomblets were one of the causes of the general ban of the cluster bomb due to the potential to injure civilians and children long after the fighting has ended. Some notable countries have refused to sign the treaty, notably the US and Russia amongst others. As is now usual with Eduard's smaller resin sets, they arrive in the new shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. Inside the box are four resin bodies on separate pouring plugs, four caps on a single block, a sheet of Photo-Etch (PE) brass fins & fittings, plus a decal sheet and instruction sheet. Each bomb is built around the main body, which is cut from its base at the rear and then covered up with a circular PE panel, with the four simple fins added into the slots in the rear of the body, without the angled tips that are found on the later variants. At the nose the cap slides into a hole, and it and the two moulded-in suspension lugs are painted silver, while the rest is painted olive drab. There are full painting and decaling instructions on the front of the booklet, using Gunze Sangyo codes as usual. Review sample courtesy of

ALARM Missiles, GBU-31(V)1B JDAM, SUU-30A/B Early 1:48 Eduard Brassin Eduard’s range of resin weapons expands monthly, with this tranche containing three of various types. Each one arrives in the new slimline Brassin cardboard box, with the accompanying reduction in packaging, using the poly bags to protect the resin and Photo-Etch (PE) parts along with the instructions wrapped around them and the decals. The instructions contain painting guide drawings and colour callouts in Gunze colours, as is standard for them. ALARM Missiles (648549) The name ALARM stands for Air Launched Anti-Radiation Missile, which was an air-to-air missile fielded by the UK until 2013, and still in service with the Saudis at time of writing. This set contains resin parts for four missiles, each of which have a main missile body with resin mid- and aft-fins, plus four PE fins near the nose. Another PE part is attached to the rear to depict the exhaust ring, then the launch rail is fitted with another small PE panel on the rear too, with an optional adapter rail fitted depending on use. A scrap diagram shows the correct distance that the tip of the missile should be from the front of the adapter rail to ensure you attach it in the right place. SUU-30A/B Early (648557) Confusingly called the CBU-24 when filled with BLU-26 or -36 submunitions, this cluster munitions dispenser saw service in Vietnam until withdrawal in the 90s. Resin and PE parts for four canisters are included along with stencil decals, and the units are made up by adding four PE fins to the slots in the tail of the main body, plus a fuse in the nose that slots neatly into a hole in the front. At the rear is a PE cap that covers the cut-off area where the casting block was removed. GBU-31(V)1B JDAM (648562) Built around at 2,000lb Mk.84 iron bomb, the JDAM kit turns it from dumb to smart by adding a straked “girdle” around the middle and seeker head at the nose that commands the tail unit to adjust its line of flight using the umbilical between them. They are carried by many modern fighters as well as bombers, so a box of four of them should come in handy. The main body has the girdle and main section of the tail fin moulded in although you must add the tensioning straps, then you add the aft section, with a keyed join and suitably thin fins. The strakes are PE parts that fit into slots on the bomb sides, and at the nose you have a choice of three fuses, finishing off at the back by adding a PE end-cap and a small stiffening plate on the underside of the tail unit between the fins. Review sample courtesy of

Tiger Moth Upgrades (for Airfix) 1:48 Eduard & Eduard Brassin Airfix’s new kid on the block is the diminutive trainer, the Tiger Moth, new in 1:48 and reaching the shops round about now and selling well according to Airfix. Upgrade Set (491073) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete set of new layered instrument panels and two sets of seatbelts for each pilot on the painted set, cockpit floor skin with seat framework, as well as a new seat for the rear cockpit internal structure also supplied. On the wings a huge number of inspection hatches on the wings and tail, actuator tabs for flying surfaces, angle of attack marker and pitot, both attached to the outer struts between the wings. The fuel tank on the top wing centre is fitted with detail skins on the sides, the engine is given a number of detail parts and a pair of brand-new cowling panels to replace the thick kit parts with more in-scale parts. Under the fuselage are some new and replacement parts, then the cockpit doors are also replaced with new in-scale parts, making those areas more realistic. Zoom! Set (FE1073) 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. Resin Wheels (648556) Kit wheels are generally in two halves or have a seamline all around, which means you have the resultant joins or seams to deal with, possible mould-slip issues on single part wheels, and sometimes less than stellar 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 seamline and superior detail making a compelling argument. This set includes two wheels with moulded-in hub caps, a sheet of pre-cut kabuki tape masks for easy demarcation cutting, and a small set of decals to be applied to the hub caps in three colours, with a small diagram showing the correct orientation of the decal to the ground. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Lancaster Wheels (632144 for HKM) 1:32 Eduard Brassin Hong Kong Models’ 1:32 Lancaster has received a little more love recently as those that were looking out for the much-vaunted WNW kit are perhaps realising that a bird in the hand is definitely worth two that might never even reach the bush (terrible analogy, I know). This set of resin replacement wheels arrives from Eduard in their new cardboard box, needing a large one to accommodate the rather large tyres that the Lanc wore so it could operate from a grass field if the need arose. Inside the box are three pieces of resin on separate pour blocks, plus a set of pre-cut kabuki tape masks (not pictured - yellow is hell to photograph). There are two humongous main wheels with a substantial flat spot at the bottom that would be on the ragged edge of acceptable, eliciting cries of “put some air in those tyres!” from the crew chief in all probability. They would look more at home on grass, allowing for additional sinking of the tyre’s carcass into the soft ground, but they might not suit some people's tastes. The anti-shimmy tail-wheel is also slightly flattened, although not as much as the main wheels, partly because they are solid rubber in reality. There are masks for all wheels, allowing the easy cutting of demarcation between tyre and hub without hassle, although you will need some additional masking to cover the rest of the tyre if you are using an airbrush. The slots for the gear legs are keyed, but a scrap diagram shows the correct orientation to the ground when fitted, and colour call-outs are given along the way using Gunze paint codes. Conclusion As long as you are happy with the level of sag on the main wheels, the detail is excellent, with concentric rings on the sidewalls and smooth tread as befits the wartime Dunlop rubber used at the time, with maker’s marks and spec. in raised text on the sides. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

B-24 Wheel (632145 & 632149 for Hobby Boss) 1:32 Eduard Brassin Hobby Boss’s big-scale B-24 is a massive kit, and with massive kits come massive wheels with massive seams round them. Not any more! Eduard have created two sets of replacement resin wheels for the Big Liberator, substituting those annoying seams for a small contact patch pour stub and some exceptional detail. There are two sets as mentioned, one in a thin Brassin cardboard box, the other in a fat one for no reason that I can divine, but not to worry – it’s all recyclable and a lot better for the environment than the old clamshell boxes, and easier to stack too. B-24 Wheels – 8-spoke Front Wheel (632145) This set contains three wheels and a separate hub with eight spokes to it as you’d expect. There is also a mudguard for the nose wheel with a ribbed framework and a small flat-spot where it fits to the nose leg, and a full set of masks (not pictured) for painting the hubs with a perfect demarcation. The main wheels are handed monolithic parts with moulded-in hubs, while the nose wheel has a separate cap, which you will need to remove the flash from the interstices between the spokes before you glue things together. B-24 Wheels – 9-spoke Front Wheel (632149) This is ostensibly the same set as above, but with a 9-spoke hub cap instead, which will be useful if your chosen decal subject flew with a higher spoke-count. Construction is the same, just one extra gap between the spokes to clear flash from. Conclusion Take care with the correct handing of the wheels, and other than that they are a drop-in replacement that adds a huge amount of detail as well as a very slight sag to the tyres, inferring weight to the model. The masks are always welcome to ease painting. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

B-17G Update Sets (for HKM) 1:48 Eduard & Eduard Brassin HKM gave us all a little surprise last year with a scale-down of their 1:32 kit, much to the excitement of anyone that has a soft spot for the Flying Fortress, like me. We reviewed the first tranche of sets early this year here, and now Eduard are ready with their second tranche, which also includes a selection of resin sets. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. The resin sets are supplied in the new cardboard boxes that are a little bit more environmentally friend as well as being easier to stack. Wooden Floors & Ammo Boxes (491072) To save weight and give a little more traction, the floors of the B-17 were made of plywood and as we all know it’s a bit of a knack to replicate a wooden finish. This set makes that easy, and contains two sheets of nickel-plated brass that are also pre-printed with wooden textured, the second of which is printed on both sides due to both sides being visible when it is used. The floor panels are first, requiring some plastic lumps to be removed first before the single-sided parts are glued in place. The long walkways have fold-over edges that give the parts depth a more realistic finish, and the cockpit has stepped sections with extra detail where needed, and a captive edge strip is wrapped around the table. Then the various ammo boxes are folded up, detailed with hinges and wood-painted stiffening bands, with two in the front, one in the waist position plus another two bigger boxes, then two more in the tail, all highly detailed and looking so woody you’ll think it was wood. In other words, the wood effect is excellent and highly realistic. B-17G Ammo Feed Chutes (481012) This set gives you the links between your brand new ammo boxes and the guns that you’ll see further down below. Supplied on one square fret, the ammo guides bear a passing resemblance to long straight ferns on the fret, and would be quite difficult to fold up without the useful template that comes with them. It folds up to three PE thicknesses, and you can wrap the “ferns” around it and fold them into a rectangular profile, drawing out the template at the end and curving it in a similar manner to the kit parts, with a few examples shown in the instructions for the nose gun and ball turret feeds, plus an additional feeder ramp for the latter. B-17G Undercarriage & Exterior (481011) This set arrives on a large rectangular fret of bare brass and does exactly as it says on the pack. The main gear bays in the inner nacelles are first to be detailed, with straps around the internal supercharger trunking, small skins and stiffener parts, plus additional straps round the other tubes etc. The bulkheads also get the treatment, some of the parts having been pressed into shape by a ball-point pen from behind first, then a set of filler caps on the top of the wing are added along with some grilles here and there, then liners and grilles for the leading edge intakes with optional FOD guards for both sides. The tips of the landing gear are fitted with tie-downs, the tail-wheel bay is decked out with internal skins, and some small panels are added in front of the bomb bay and under the front of the chin turret. B-17G Guns (648539) A resin set of guns, many with separate barrels, and some having additional parts for their mounts around the airframe. Firstly, the two waist guns are fixed up with their mounts on the lip of the window with a pivot-mount on top, through which the barrel sleeves before you put on the ring-and-bead sight, and cocking handle on each one. The two cheek guns have a similar mount and the same construction of the other guns, with another one in the radio-compartment. The turrets all have separate barrels with a choice of unadorned, or angled flash-hiders at your whim or as your references dictate. The ball-turret guns fit against the end panels, the top turret guns fit against a small fillet that fits within the turret, the chin turret guns attach one either side of the central pivot, and the tail’s Cheyenne turret guns lock in place either side of their control pivot. B-17G Superchargers (648536) This set gives you all the resin parts you need to replace the kit superchargers with highly detailed trunking and the units themselves, consisting of six parts, the two outer superchargers complete with their trunking moulded in, and the inner nacelles with the superchargers located behind the gear bay and the additional trunking separate, diving back into the nacelle, then popping back out again behind the bay. Once the casting plugs are removed the parts should be a drop-in replacement for the kit parts, so very little additional work, especially as the casting plugs are a filigree that should minimise clean-up of any remaining marks, and the detail is exceptional. B-17G Undercarriage Legs BRONZE (648540) The B-17 is a BIG aircraft, and if you’re loading it up with aftermarket, even if that’s aftermarket bombs for a short run, the weight on the main gear might be a little much over the longer term. White metal gear is an improvement, but it is still easy to bend or deform, unlike bronze, which is a tough, rigid metal that doesn’t deteriorate over time, isn't prone to weaking inclusions and won’t let you down. This set contains three gear legs, two main and one tail, plus four resin parts that go together to make two retraction jacks for the main gear legs. The main legs require very little preparation, with only the possibility of small blemishes that are sometimes a factor of the manufacturing process that require filling before you can paint. The tail gear leg has a length of curved bronze sprue between the leg and the stabilising struts, which should be cut off with nippers, a motor tool or something suitable that you have to hand. Once prepared they are drop-in replacements for the kit parts and offer orders of magnitude more strength. Conclusion This is another round of excellent additions to this modern kit. If you’re planning on building one B-17 in 1:48, these sets will make sure you’re going to build the best you can with the most detail. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

A-26B/B-26 Invader Upgrade Sets (for ICM) 1:48 Eduard & Eduard Brassin We’ve been blessed with a LOT of new A-26 and B-26 kits from ICM in 1:48, and if their past performance is any gauge, we’ll be getting a bunch more variants before they’re done. This group of sets helps to increase the detail further than the kit allows, with Eduard’s usual modular approach so that you can get the parts that appeal to you, or go crazy and buy them all for the ultimate detail-fest. As standard 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. A-26B Interior (491068) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass, with a small sheet of pre-printed clear acetate. A complete set of new layered instrument panels with the new “droplet” glossy dials overprinted and centre consoles are the major parts on the painted set, with new seat and cockpit details; radio gear faces; sidewall instrumentation and canopy internal structure also supplied. Additional parts are also included for the rear crew section under the glazed portion of the aft gunner's position, with the kit gunner's equipment adjusted to fit the new PE parts, replacing his seat, the main part of the sighting mechanism, and retaining only a few parts from the it. The acetate sheet is pre-printed and should be cut up and used for the pilot's gunsight. It may have escaped your notice and they don't show up too well in these scans, but some of the new pre-painted instrument panels that are being produced by Eduard currently have a gloss finish to the instrument faces, replicating glass on the real thing. Somehow, they also manage to get these surfaces to look slightly convex, which improves the look and realism of the replacements to the kit parts. A-26B Invader Seatbelts (FE1069) Eduard 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 Pilot's four-point harness, you also get a set of lap belts for the forward gunner, rear gunner, and navigator's seats. A-26B Invader Bomb Bay (481009) Another large sheet of PE for this important area of the aircraft, unless you're closing up the doors of course! Firstly, lots of small details are removed to allow the detail skins to be fitted to the sidewalls, forward and aft bulkheads, with an additional piece on the curved part of the spar that runs through this area. The bay edges and bay doors are given new interior skins, plus more accurate and detailed hinges, while the bomb racks are added in pairs over each sidewall, holding two of the kit bombs (or resin alternatives) per rail. The kit bombs also have new fins, shackles and spinners attached before installation. B-26 Invader Wheels (648534) Kit wheels are generally in two halves, which means you have the resultant joins to deal with, possible mould-slip issues on single part wheels, and sometimes less than stellar 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 seamline 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 usually a drop-in replacement. This set contains parts for two main wheels with diamond tread and highly detailed moulded-in hubs, while the nose wheel has a similar tread-pattern and two separate hub halves to improve detail and show light between the spokes. Conclusion The detail in these sets are legendary, so choose what you want to focus on (those wheels!), and go for it. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Heinkel 111 Wheels Early & Late (648542 & 648543) 1:48 Eduard Brassin We’re all probably well-aware of ICM’s recent range of He.111 kits, which is growing by the month and even contains a Zwilling, much to my own surprise and delight. Eduard have been releasing a number of sets to up the detail, with these two wheel sets the latest from the Brassin line. As is now usual with Eduard's smaller Brassin sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Each set contains two grey resin main wheels and a tail wheel on separate pour blocks that attach to the parts on the slightly flattened contact patch for minimal clean-up, plus a set of masks (not pictured) to ease the task of painting them. He.111 Early Wheels (648542) These wheels have a deep radial tread pattern on the contact patch with Continental branding and specification on the sidewalls of them all. There is also a new yoke for the tail wheel in darker grey resin that appears to be stronger than the lighter grey. He.111 Late Wheels (648543) These wheels have a raised radial tread pattern on the sidewalls that fades as it reaches the rolling surface. The Continental branding is much larger and specification on the sidewalls is absent - apart from the code BF44. Conclusion Superb detail as always with Eduard resin, and as they’re drop-fit and don’t have any seams to hide, why wouldn’t you want a set? Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

F-14D Upgrade Sets (for AMK) 1:48 Eduard Brassin After much delay the AMK F-14D was released (reviewed here), and here we have some rather nice detail and upgrade sets to go with it from Eduard, who have a long history of first rate resin and Photo-Etch (PE) sets for those hungry for more detail in their models. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE), small resin and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. The larger set arrives in the new shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. F-14D Seats (648535) The Tomcat is a two-seater, and both SJU17A NACES seats (AKA Martin-Baker Mk.14) are supplied in the set with additional resin parts for the canopy breakers; seat cushion; umbilical, and a full set of pre-printed PE seatbelts, pull-handle and leg restraints. The instructions include painting guide with Gunze Mr Color call-outs, and after main painting the stencil decals are applied for the ultimate in realism. The seats are identical, so applying the seatbelts in a slightly different pattern will assist with realism, giving the impression that the crew have just departed for the mess. F-14D Wheels (648530) Kit wheels are generally in two halves, which means you have the resultant joins to deal with, possible mould-slip issues on single part wheels, and sometimes less than stellar 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 seamline 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 usually a drop-in replacement. In this Brassin set you have two highly details main wheels with separate brake detail and a duo of smaller nose wheels to cope with the harsh carrier landings. You also get masks for the hubs/tyres to cut perfect demarcations. Upgrade Set (491053) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete set of new layered instrument panels, cockpit wall and side consoles are the primary parts on the painted set, with new rudder pedals and floor skins; boarding ladder; chaff & flare boxes; refuelling probe covers; slate end skins; canopy internal structure and rear-view mirrors; fold-down foot pegs for the pilots; slime-lights on the nose and sides; additional vents with backing fans, plus a set of delicate, detailed afterburner rings to slip inside the two exhaust trunks also supplied. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1054) The new ultra-thin and bendy steel frets are becoming common in the Eduard line, and if you aren't going for the resin seats, you can get the PE from that set separately to improve the kit parts with pre-painted belts; anti-flail leg straps, and ejection actuation hoops Tface Masks (EX673) Supplied on two sheets of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. On the second sheet there is another set of canopy masks tailored to fit the interior of the glazing so that you can paint the interior and give your model that extra bit of realism. It's especially useful on kits of this level of detail, as it will simplify painting enormously. Review sample courtesy of

P-51D 110gal & 165gal Fuel Tanks (648531 & 648532) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Mustangs used a few types of drop tanks when they were accompanying the bombers or ranging far and wide during the latter stages of WWII, and although some were made of compressed paper, others were stamped metal. We’ve got two highly detailed resin sets here. As is now usual with Eduard's smaller resin sets, they arrive in the new shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. P-51D 110gal Fuel Tanks (648531) This set contains two tanks (one for each wing. Shocker!), plus four anti-sway panels all in resin, with a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) circular valves to replace the moulded-in resin representations that may or may not get obliterated during the removal of the casting blocks. Eduard even include a scrap diagram with distances in case you completely sand them away, allowing you to replace them easily. The tanks fit onto the kit pylons with a brace on each side that fits into a slot in the tank, plus a short piece of 0.6mm wire from your own stocks to portray the feed tube. A small sets of decals are included for stencilling, and you can see the paint and decaling instructions on the front of the booklet, using Gunze codes for the paints, as usual. P-51D 165gal Fuel Tanks (648532) Ostensibly the same in terms of construction as the set above, only larger to accommodate the increase fuel load and with different seam lines. There are no drain valves on the bottoms of these tanks though, so no PE parts are needed. The seam runs vertically around the tanks too, and has a different layout of the stencils, which is visible on the front of the instructions again. You’ll need some 0.4mm wire to play the part of the hose too, so remember to get something in stock before you begin. Review sample courtesy of

Hey everyone Since my Tamiya Spitfire is coming to an end I decided to have a look through my stash to see what I could build next and at the bottom of the pile I spied an Eduard 1/48 Spitfire with quite a lot of AM, these being the Brassin engine, gun bay and brass undercarriage legs I don’t have the Brassin cockpit for this kit as I really don’t think it adds very much to it and its more than adequate straight out of the box and because I have the Profipack version (8282) you get photoetch for the cockpit included. Since I’ve been looking at period photographs I have a hankering to build a desert camouflaged bird that’s heavily weathered. I haven’t made a start yet as I’m concentrating on getting my Mk.1 finished but I’ll post some pictures later of what I intend. cheers all Iain

Eduard 1/48 Spitfire Mk.IXc 1 Sqn SAAF, Luqa Malta June 1943 Kit: Eduard Scale: 1/48 After market: Brassin Rolls Royce Merlin, Brassin Mk.IX Spitfire cockpit, Brassin Mk.IXc gun bays, Master cannon. Paints: Tamiya and Vajello I threw a lot of after market at this kit, mostly resin and mostly Eduard (Brassin). On the whole I was very impressed with the levels detail, the quality and how they were engineered. However if I were to build another Spitfire I wouldn't bother with the Brassin cockpit. The level of detail offered by the resin replacement really doesn't add that much to the model and its construction although fairly easy, was difficult to install into the plastic fuselage halves and even though I was very careful with its placement I still had a misaligned fuselage which only showed itself when it came to add the resin Merlin. The resin Merlin really was a little model by itself and the levels of detail are astounding. The actual construction was very straight forward and as long as you take your time separating the pieces from the resin casting blocks it went together well as did the resin gun bays. My only grip with the Merlin is that Eduard don't provide any details for the ignition leads on the top of the engine, I did think about adding them but I did't have a thin enough wire and to be honest I am worried out ruining the engine. The model was painted to represent Spitfire EN286, AX*8 of 1 Sqn SAAF, Luqa, Malta June 1943. I didn't realize that the roundels should be a more orange colour not the red that I painted them, however I'm happy with how they turned out. I weathered the model using oils and I'm very happy with how easy they were to manipulate and I'm happy with how they look. My Spitfire Mk.IXc Thank you. (WIP here) Til next Iain

Hi, here is the model I've completed last year. Tamiya's F-14 with added extras, Brassin cockpit and armament, some PE from Eduard and Furball decals. Painted with MRP paints, weathered with AMMO weathering products.