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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

Hot off the bench and a lovely build. Lots of AM used mainly Brassin Weapons and the Quinta cockpit set. Painted with MRP and Mr Hobby paints, weathered with oils and AK weathering pencils. Link to the build:- Enjoy. https://www.flickr.com/photos/158059068@N08/53763418677/in/album-72177720314321315/

A-1H Seat PRINT (648842 for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Tamiya’s Skyraider kits are products of the last millennium, which is surprising, because they are still excellent kits, and the de facto standard for the type and scale, with no likelihood of anything coming along to usurp it. Although this set arrives in a flat package, the directly 3D printed parts are safe inside a clear plastic clamshell box inside the package to prevent the parts from rattling about. The part is printed resin, attached to the base via thin tendril-like fingers that are easy to cut off and sand the little upstands away, leaving it ready for action. Consisting of just one part, it represents a highly detailed rendition of the Skyraider’s seat, complete with riveted front, and back cushion with piping around the edge. The attachment point for the seatbelt is also present, giving the belts a realistic location that grounds them in reality. The four-point belts are draped over the seat base and back, curled around with their furniture visible as if they had just been left there by the pilot, eager to get to the mess for a top up on his own fuel tank. Preparation involved nipping the support tendrils off the back of the seat, then filing the remaining bumps flush with the surface, after which the seat is ready for painting and installation. Conclusion The detail is fantastic, and even though the belts are curled around, they should be easy enough to paint with a good quality brush and some patience. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

F4F-4 Gun Bays (648853 for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin We’ve reviewed the superb new tool F4F-4 Wildcat from Eduard recently here, and I’ve even built one of the earlier F4F-3s here, so can testify to its excellence as a model kit. Just when you thought you could get your wallet back out safely, along comes another 3D printed resin set that will blow your socks off, if you’re even bothering wearing them any more due to the number of times they keep getting removed by each release. As good as the base kit is, you can always increase the level of detail over and above what’s achievable using injection moulded styrene, and this set proves that without question. As is now usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, it arrives in a shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and with the thick instructions folded around acting as padding. The parts are printed resin rather than the usual poured cast resin, so are attached to their print-bases via thin tendril-like fingers that are easy to cut off and sand the little pip-like marks away, leaving them ready for action. There are two bags of 3D printed resin parts and one containing a large fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, and you’ll need to do a little simple surgery to the wing parts of your kit, excising the bay cover panels, plus opening up the shell-ejection chutes and narrow access panels from the lower wings before you start. There is also a 1:1 template for you to mark out the interior of the upper wing so that you can thin the styrene by 0.6mm in preparation, which will have the positive side-effect of making the edges of the open bays a more realistic thickness, as well as shortening the spar to accommodate the bays. Each bay is built in mirror image, starting with the main body of the double inner bay, which has two small PE parts fitted into in the wall. The two resin guns are inserted barrel first through the holes in the front of the bay, gluing the breeches to the bay floor via slots and tabs. The ammo feeds are then laid over the tops of their location, followed by the ammo boxes from underneath later in the build. The process is repeated in a simplified fashion for the outer bay, which holds the extra machine gun that was added to improve firepower, with the moulded-in ammo feed disappearing downward. A link between the inner and outer bay is first fixed to the inner where the ammo boxes fit, then the outer bay is joined, with another area for the ammo that feeds the outer gun. The extended bay can then be inserted between the wing halves and everything glued in place, closing the wing around the bays, then adding the lip around both sides using the PE framing parts. The PE bay covers have another layer added to the centre, leaving the edges thinner, and looking like they should fit into the open bays. These are either laid on or near the aircraft, or folded forward non the top surface. This is by nature of the additional .50cal guns a more involved set than the early mark, but the instructions give the impression that lessons have been learned in simplifying the process. Conclusion The detail on these sets is phenomenal, and if you’re not wedded to having all your models buttoned up and ready for flight, they add tons of visual interest to your model. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

F-16 Exhaust Nozzle P&W F100 (648854 for Kinetic) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Kinetic have recently overhauled their 1:48 F-16 range with new toolings an boxings appearing of numerous variants in the Air Forces of several operators. Eduard have been busily working on producing new sets to increase the detail, and we have the exhaust nozzle for the Pratt & Whitney F100 engine in for review. As is now usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in a deep Brassin branded cardboard box to accommodate the diameter of the assembly, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags and the instructions folded around acting as padding. This set has just four 3D printed resin parts, but the detail is totally off the charts. The petals of the nozzle are crisp and well-detailed, which extends into the interior, where textures and shapes are replicated on every surface. The exhaust is attached to the hollow trunk, which is printed in a dark grey almost black resin, hiding the exquisite details rendered on the interior until it is painted, but we have attempted to bring out the details by lightening the interior in the photos. At the forward end of the trunk, the afterburner ring and rear of the engine are glued into position after painting using Gunze Sangyo Mr Color codes, which Eduard seem to prefer, and with good reason. The completed exhaust assembly then slots into the rear of the kit, the trunking sliding within the fuselage. Conclusion The detail is exceptional, and when painted sympathetically, it will look about as real as most modellers can achieve without selling their souls to some malign deity of their own imagining. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

WWII German 10-ton Jacks, Wire Cutters, Towing Cable Eyes & Trench Binoculars (635024,26,27,28) 1:35 Eduard Brassin PRINT The weakest point of an AFV kit is often the so-called Pioneer Tools that are carrier on and around the hull of tanks, half-tracks and other armoured and soft skin vehicles. They are usually simplified by necessity, and for simplicity’s sake they have chunky details that include a rough approximation of the clasps that hold the tools in position. To add additional realism to your models, these new 3D printed PRINT sets from Eduard’s Brassin range bring superb detail to these neglected areas, surpassing the detail of the rest of the kit at times. Although the sets arrive in a flat package, the directly 3D printed parts are held safe inside a clear plastic clamshell box inside the package to prevent crushing of the details. The parts are 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. Each set is printed in the same grey resin that seems to achieve the holy grail of 3D printing by being flexible AND strong, resisting damage from us ham-fisted modellers. The detail is phenomenal, and I’m almost tired of hearing myself typing that, but it’s true. WWII German 10-ton Jacks (635024) This set contains three jacks in glorious detail with four more incredibly thin printed claps each that hold it in place on the vehicle. It’s not easy to see the level of detail that’s there through the supports and protectors, so I took the liberty of building one up, which was a painless process, although you should be extra careful when cutting the grab handles and the jack handle from their supports, as it would be easy to damage them. WWII German Wire Cutters (635026) There are five pairs of wire cutters and a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) for the clasps for added realism. The detail is stunning, and I’m running out of superlatives. WWII German Towing Cable Eyes (635027) This well-protected print base contains ten towing eyes, enough for five cables, and when cut from the base there is a small hole in the bottom of the part that could be reamed out to accept braided cord or wire to complete the cable. WWII German Trench Binoculars (635028) There are five sets of trench binoculars on one print base in this set with recessed lenses top and bottom, as well as the adjustment dials at the base. These binoculars were often seen projecting from the commander’s cupola to permit him to view the outside without putting his head in harm’s way during combat. Conclusion Detail on all these sets is simply stunning in terms of quality, quantity and finesse, streets ahead of the traditional resin offerings that were standard just a short while ago. How time are changing. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

F-16 Radar Early & Late (648855 & 648856 for Kinetic) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Kinetic’s new F-16 kits are readily available now, and Eduard have created these new sets to detail up the radar with 3D printed details unsurpassed by most other methods of construction. These two sets both arrive in their own shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, the Photo-Etch (PE) in another bag with a piece of card to protect them), and the instructions folded around acting as padding. The sets contain the same number of parts, five parts on four bases in 3D printed resin, and one PE part, although the details differ very slightly. Each set is a drop-in replacement for the kit nose cone, the bulkhead sliding inside the front of the fuselage until it butts up against the lip, then the radar backing plate is attached to a pivot on the bulkhead, and has the PE radar panel applied to the front. The radome is superbly detailed, hollow and thin, with the angle-of-attack probes moulded/printed-in, and four studs printed on the inner lip that the instructions advise not to remove during liberation from the print base. There is also a hinge-point inside the radome that mates with its opposite on the bulkhead, using the kit pitot probe to plug the hole in the tip. The two unused parts so far are FOD guards that can be painted red and glued over the AoA probes for a parked up example, which is thoughtful. The painting call-outs are given throughout the instruction steps in Eduard’s preferred brand, which is Gunze Sangyo’s Mr Color range, with enamel (C codes) and acrylic (H codes) supplied along with the colour names underneath. F-16 Radar Early (648855) F-16 Radar Early (648855) Conclusion Gorgeous detail on both sets, inside and out. If you plan on modelling your F-16 with the radar exposed, this is exactly what you need, and there are definite differences in the two sets, as evidenced by the late having an egg-crate texture on the bulkhead, while the early version does not. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

F-35A Exhaust Nozzle & Ejection Seat Sets (648860 & 648858 for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Tamiya can’t be described as prolific producers of new toolings, but their kits usually impress when they arrive, with the new F-35A in 1:48 being one such triumph of styrene engineering. Eduard have wasted no time in producing upgrades for those in our hobby that ask more of their modelling experience, and we’ve got two sets in for review from their Brassin range. As is now usual with Eduard's resin sets, they arrive in the new Brassin cardboard box, the exhaust nozzles having a deeper box due to its size, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. F-35A Ejection Seat (648858) This set replaces the kit part that is highly visible in the aircraft’s goldfish bowl of a canopy, which although it is tinted gold makes the seat and/or pilot a focal point of the model. Consisting of a bag of nine 3D printed resin parts, and another with a pre-painted Photo-Etch (PE) sheet and a small sheet of decals inside, both protected by a sheet of card. The seat chassis is printed as a single part, into which you place the seat cushion and headrest, followed by the back cushion that locates on three rounded pins that have matching depressions in the chassis. The central buckle for the seatbelts is resin and installs in a groove in the seat cushion, and is joined by either a resin or PE ejection pull-handle that is positioned just forward of the belt. Around the back of the seat, there are some short lengths of 0.3mm wire you need to provide, with lengths and shapes given to assist you with accurately cutting and shaping them, then a frame is glued over the seat back, and more short wires are added between the two parts. Finally, an oxygen bottle for high-altitude ejections is strapped horizontally across the frame, with a large roughly triangular box fixed above it behind the headbox. Turning the seat around, the seatbelts are made up and installed in a three-step process, which is best done after painting to protect the metallic and pre-painted belts from splashes. The location of the decals are shown on the last step, showing the colours of the various areas, although colour call-outs in Gunze Sangyo Mr Color codes are given throughout the instructions. It’s a superbly detailed set that will improve the cockpit immensely with some careful painting. Incidentally, the right seat handle was broken off on my example, but was simple to glue back in place with a little super glue, so check yours for damage. F-35A Exhaust Nozzle (648860) This set has just four 3D printed resin parts, but the detail is simply off the charts. The petals of the nozzle are crisp and well-detailed, which extends into the interior, where textures and shapes are replicated on every surface. The exhaust is attached to the hollow trunk, which is printed in a dark grey almost black resin, hiding the exquisite details rendered on the interior, which we have attempted to bring out by lightening the interior in the photos below. At the forward end of the trunk, the afterburner ring and rear of the engine are glued into position after painting with Gunze Sangyo Mr Color, the codes for which are used throughout. The completed exhaust assembly then plugs into the kit parts G17 and G18 within the fuselage. Again, the detail is exceptional, and when painted sympathetically, it will look about as real as most modellers can achieve without selling their souls to the modelling gods for additional skills. Conclusion Two 3D printed sets that will upgrade very visible aspects of this new kit from Tamiya, and really are worth the extra effort to use. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

A6M2-N Rufe Landing Flaps (648851 for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin We’ve just finished our review of the brand-new Mitsubishi A6M Zero derived Floatplane, the Suisen 2, more commonly known as the Rufe, which you can see here, and it’s a beautiful kit that’s every bit as well-detailed as its cousin, also from Eduard. If you’re inclined to cram as much detail into your models as you can, then Eduard also have you covered, with a raft of individual upgrade sets that allows the modeller to pick and choose which areas they’re interested in improving, or go mad and splurge on the lot, as your budget and inclination dictates. You’ll find the first batch of sets here, wing gun bays here, and now the landing flaps are in our sights. Inside the shallow Brassin card box are six 3D printed parts, two of which are in a crystal clear plastic clamshell box to protect them from damage, as they are quite delicate. A fret of Photo-Etch (PE) is also included in its own card backed ziploc bag, with the two flap sections also separately bagged. The combination of PE and printed resin has conspired to simplify the installation of the set, requiring just the flap area in the lower wing to be removed to provide space for the new parts. The delicate boxed parts are the spine and ribs for each bay, and are joined together, then have more smaller PE parts layered over them to create the bays that slide into the trailing edge of the wing and are joined by a small resin divider between the flaps and ailerons. The flaps themselves have been printed as a single part, which fits into the flap bay on two hinges near the centre of the bay, painting the bays and flap interior surfaces in Aotake, that mysterious metallic blue/green primer. There is also a stencil decal shown on the final step of the instructions, which can be found on the stencil decal sheet provided with every Eduard Rufe kit boxing except for the Overtrees. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

A6M2-N Rufe Gun Bays (648849 for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin We’ve just finished our review of the brand-new Mitsubishi A6M Zero derived Floatplane, the Suisen 2, more commonly known as the Rufe, which you can see here, and it’s a beautiful kit that’s every bit as well-detailed as its cousin, also from Eduard. If you’re inclined to cram as much detail into your models as you can, then Eduard also have you covered, with a raft of individual upgrade sets that allows the modeller to pick and choose which areas they’re interested in improving, or go mad and splurge on the lot, as your budget and inclination dictates. You’ll find the first batch of sets here, and we’ve now got the gun bays on in our sights. This set is a renaming of the same set for the recent Eduard Zero, performing the same task of replicating the detail found under the gun bay doors for the wing guns of the Rufe. 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. There are sixteen 3D printed resin parts and a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) inside the box along with the instructions, the first step showing the portions of the wings that should be removed in red, preparing the way for the new parts, but showing its heritage by also depicting the gear bays of the Zero in the drawings. Just pretend you didn’t see those, right? The panels removed can be discarded, so cutting from the centre and sanding it to the correct shape should be the simplest method. The main bay parts have the cannon slotted into the long partition, and the drum magazine in the compartment next to it, adding a length of 0.3mm wire from your stock from the front of the breech, snaking away into the interstices of the wing. The magazine compartment is trapped on both top and bottom with a PE frame, while the gun bay has PE on the lower, all of which fit inside the frames rather than on top of them so they don’t increase the height of the assembly. The finished bay is glued into the lower wing and has a pair of PE rib sections inserted into the leading edge on either side of the gun barrel, adding small stiffeners midway to the front. The bay doors slide into their hinges at the trailing edges of the bay, and the removable panels from the leading edge and underside are painted as per the rest of the model to be placed around the model as if by the maintenance crew once the model is completed. All the colour call-outs through the build process are given in Gunze Sangyo codes, as is usual with Eduard kits and upgrade sets, as it is their paint system of choice. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

F-14D Exhaust Nozzles (648560 for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Tamiya's überkit of the mighty and much-loved F-14D Tomcat is superb, and Eduard have been bringing out lots of sets, with this Brassin set following up to further enhance the detail in the rear, where injection moulding can't offer the level of detail and finesse that resin can. Especially Eduard resin, which is amongst the best quality currently available. The set arrives in the usual black box for larger castings, and under the layers of protective foam and the instructions, you will find two ziplok bags, one of resin and one containing the Photo-Etch (PE) parts, which are further protected by a piece of white card. The trunking is quite long on the Tomcat, so is made up of two parts. The tubular section is covered with superbly detailed corrugations along its length, with the rear face of the engine inserted along with the delicate PE rendition of the afterburner ring, which is made up of three parts, and will need care in correctly assembling it, to which end a number of diagrams are provided to help. The trunking has attachment notches for the engine faces, and the exhaust petals flush fit at the rear by lining up the two blocks at the top. The F-14 is often seen with one nozzle compressed to its smallest aperture and the other relaxed, but this moulding has two identical open nozzles that have a full set of pre-cut kabuki tape masks (not pictured) that are applied to the exterior to achieve the pattern seen on the nozzles. It’ll take some time to apply, but the results should be well worth the effort. The finished assemblies slide inside the fuselage, and have the block on each trunk/nozzle to assist with alignment. Sympathetic painting will be the key to showing off these parts to their best effect, so spend some time researching the colours typically seen within the trunk and on the nozzles, making good use of the masks. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

F-35B Wheels (648819 for Italeri) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Kit wheels are generally moulded 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. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE), small Brassin and Mask sets, the set arrives in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Inside are three wheels on separate casting blocks, plus a sheet of kabuki-style masking tape, cut to shape to allow you to cut the demarcations between the tyres and hubs with ease. Detail is superb, with crisp raised Michelin maker’s mark and statistics on the sidewalls, and circumferential tread on the contact band. They are attached to the casting blocks via the contact patch for ease of removal without ruining any detail, and there is a slight bulge there to depict the weight of the airframe on the tyre. They are a drop-in replacement for the kit parts, and are patterned specifically for the new 1:48 Italeri kit, but could probably also be adjusted to fit any other F-35B kit you may have on hand. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

P-38J Seat PRINT (648811 for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Although this set arrives 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 fingers that are easy to cut off and sand the little upstands away, leaving them ready for action. Consisting of just one crisply printed resin part, plus a small fret of nickel-plated pre-painted Photo-Etch (PE) STEEL that contains seatbelts plus comfort pad, the set should be a relatively straight forward replacement for the kit part, with the addition of substantial fine detail, plus the highly realistic seatbelts that should drape over the seats well thanks to the softer, thinner steel substrate. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

German WWII Pioneer Tools & Clamps (635018, 635019 & 635021) 1:35 Eduard Brassin PRINT All AFVs are issued with a set of pioneer tools when they take delivery of their vehicle, which are usually clamped on the outer surface of their ride using metal or metal and leather clamps that were (relatively) quick release for easy access. The crew would use them to repair their charge, dig latrines, trenches and other such earth works, and if they were really unlucky, they’d have to use them to dig out their own or a comrade’s vehicle if it became mired in mud or snow. Eduard are using their new 3D printing facilities to create a range of accessories to detail up your AFV models – specifically WWII German with this batch. Many AFV kits are simplified when it comes to pioneer tools and their clamps, so adding a selection from these sets should improve the look of your finished model. 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 fingers that are easy to cut off and sand the little upstands away, leaving them ready for action. All the sets have protective arches around the more vulnerable areas of the printed parts, although inside the little boxes and pinned down by the adhesive pads, they should reach you in the same condition as they left the factory. WWII German Hammer (635018) This set contains a printing base with four hammers, one of which is without clamps so that it can be depicted in-use or laid down somewhere. In addition, there is a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) that should be folded up onto an open-sided box to accommodate the square end of the hammer’s head. WWII German Axe (635019) Containing four printed axes on a base, three of them have two clamps along the shaft, while the fourth is without them to allow its use in a diorama or candid position. A small PE fret is included to be folded into a shroud that the axe head slots into to protect the crew and any riders from injury. Curiously, one axe is designed to be stowed vertically, which would be risky unless it was up against a vertical surface. WWII German Clamps Type 2 (635021) This set has three print bases with clamps in different positions. The largest base holds thirty clamps in the closed position, with a further ten un-latched but closed, and another ten in the open position. This will give you a choice of poses for the equipment in use or absent, as if it was removed by different people with their own idea of how to leave the empty clamps. Conclusion Detail is excellent throughout, and the removal of the parts should be simple, although it’s best done under magnification for surety of cut, making sure the carpet monster is away at the time. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Yak-9D Wheels (648821 for Zvezda) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Kit wheels are generally moulded 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. As is now usual with Eduard's smaller resin sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are wrapped around. Inside are three resin wheels on separate casting blocks and a sheet of masks for them. Each wheel is attached to the casting block at the contact patch, which has a small flat-spot and bulge that indicates the weight of the airframe on the tyres. Detail is excellent on the hubs, and the main wheel tyres have radial tread on the contact surface, while the tail-wheel has a circumferential tread with radial lines on the sidewalls. Once they’re cut from the blocks, installation is as simple as sliding them onto the axles of the main wheels, and flexing the kit's tail-wheel yoke to admit the replacement resin part. In addition, there is a sheet of pre-cut kabuki-style masking material (not pictured) included in the package, which should allow you to cut the demarcation between the tyres and hubs sharply and without any effort. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Buccaneer S.2C/D Wheels (648814 Airfix) 1:48 Eduard Brassin 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 drop-in replacement set comprises three wheels on separate casting blocks, each of which is attached at the bottom where you will also find a slight weighting to depict the pressure of the airframe above. The detail is stunning, as we’ve come to expect from Eduard, with circumferential tread on the contact surface, detail and raised maker’s mark plus statistics on the sidewalls, and intricate hub detail on the front and rear, which includes the brakes around the axle. The set also includes a sheet of kabuki-tape masks (not pictured) to allow you to cut the hub/tyre demarcation with minimal effort, adding a little extra masking to cover the rest of the tyre surface. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

MG34 Machine Gun w/Ammunition Belt (635020) 1:35 Eduard Brassin PRINT The MG34 was the primary machine gun used by the German forces during the majority of WWII, only replaced by the more advanced MG42 that was engineered to be cheaper and easier to manufacture than its predecessor. It was designed by Rheinmetall and produced in the Spandau Arsenal, which gave rise to one of its nicknames, and was chambered for 7.92mm rounds that were fired from an open bolt, with a cyclical rate that started around 800-900 rounds per minute, but was changed to a selectable 600-1,000rpm in later variants, the lower rate principally provided to conserve ammunition and reduce the heat build-up in the barrel that could lead to warping. The rounds weren’t prone to cooking off in a hot weapon however, as they weren’t fed into the chamber until the trigger was depressed again, but as a crew only carried around 1,800 rounds it was sensible to fire in short controlled bursts to maintain supplies. Changing out a hot barrel was a two-man affair, and was one of the tasks that was simplified in the MG42, which included an oven-mitt-like glove to protect the operator’s hands. Ammunition could be fed to the breech in different manners, starting with a 50-round modular length of reusable metal link that could be joined together to create longer lengths. A small drum mag clipped to the side of the breech contained 50 rounds that could be modified to take 75, or a cloth bag filled with rounds on link zig-zagged into the space could be used instead. The infantry version of the weapon was usually mounted on a bipod attached to the front of the weapon, while the vehicle or static pivot lug was mounted centrally at the base of the barrel and clipped into the pintle-mount socket in its intended position. Although this set arrives 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 fingers that are easy to cut off and sand the little upstands away, leaving them ready for action. This set includes a single highly-detailed MG34 that is protected between two risers, and a print-base of accessories that include a C-mag, a cloth bag and a length of unused link that is protected at each end by a C-shaped riser. Construction is simple once the parts are liberated from their print-bases, and consists of deciding which ammunition source you intend to use with your model. The instructions show the paint codes for each part of the model using Gunze codes, most of which will be metallic shades apart from the wooden butt-stock. Conclusion The crisp detail of this set will improve the look of any model you care to place it in, and it’s a simple upgrade into the bargain. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

P-38J Cockpit (648812 for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Brassin PRINT Tamiya’s new range of P-38s has been augmented by the new -J, which is a great kit, but you can always improve on injection-moulded perfection with resin, especially the new 3D printed sets that Eduard are now producing. Having used one of their cockpits in an F4F-3 I built recently, they are at the pinnacle of aftermarket technology, offering superb detail with a relatively low part count. As is now usual with Eduard's more complex resin sets, they arrive in a deep Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding, augmented by a pair of foam sheets top and bottom. Inside the box are three large bags containing twenty-two printed resin parts, a sheet of pre-printed, nickel-plated Photo-Etch (PE), a decal sheet, a slip of over-printed clear acetate, and the instruction booklet, which consists of three sheets of A4 printed on both sides and folded into an A5 booklet. There is a small amount of preparation to be done before you can start building, cutting off two rounded nubs from the rudder pedals if you are using the gun bay set in the nose (648790), and a section of the inside of the lower fuselage that would otherwise baulk the cockpit floor. Two more rods are removed from the rear of the cockpit opening in the upper fuselage later on too, so it’s as well to get it all done at outset. 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. The build phase begins with the pilot’s seat, which is fitted to the head armour on a moulded-in frame that has another piece of equipment behind it. The PE seatbelts are all applied over the painted seat, including additional comfort pads beneath the buckles. The seat and its bulkhead are lowered into the floor along with a lever, and there are some more decals in addition to the detail painting to be done. The switch panel in front of the main panel is glued to a tab on the top of the rudder pedals, with decals applied to both visible faces, then it is inserted into the cockpit to be joined by the L-shaped control column and a choice of two instruments that fit into a slot in the top of the switch panel. The steering yoke slips into a hole in the end of the column, and a resin spacer is socketed in the front of the cockpit, leaving it out if you plan on using the gun pack (648790). The cockpit sidewall details are printed on a thin sidewall, with a choice of parts for the starboard side, and a PE adjustment wheel on the port, plus lots of detail painting and some decals again. The main instrument panel is a single printed part with a decal applied over the top before it too is inserted into the cockpit, which is inverted and glued to the upper fuselage half after cutting the afore mentioned rods from the rear. There is a choice of two styles of gun sight to consider for application into the windscreen after painting and adding the curved acetate glazing that is pre-printed on the sheet. A triple-layered PE roll-over hoop is made up with a pair of handles added for good measure, ending up glued into position at the open edge of the windscreen. There is a choice of two styles of radio rack at the rear of the cockpit, each of which is a single print that is painted up and has stencil decals applied to the sides, adding a roll-over bar over the top, and the more detailed option also has an equipment box fitted near the front, and some 0.35mm wire from your own stock, with the lengths called out to assist you. The decals are called out in scrap diagrams, and the more complex option also has more stencils applied once painted. The internal structure with the spar moulded into it needs the stiffening webs removed, and your choice of radio racks is dropped into the space behind the pilot. Conclusion There’s not much you can say about Eduard’s growing range of cockpit sets other than sublime, and get some. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Bristol Beaufort Mk.I Upgrade Sets (for ICM) 1:48 Eduard ICM made a lot of Britmodellers very happy when they announced their Beaufort kit, and now that we have the kit to pore over, it’s been worth the wait. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner, offering detail that injection-moulded styrene can’t provide. Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Detail Set (491318) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. The first item to be replaced is the pilot’s seat, which is a complex assembly made from a large number of parts, with a third diagram showing the completed assembly. There are two circular meshes for the intakes inserted in the wing leading edges, then the attention turns toward the cockpit again. A complete set of new layered instrument panels, highly detailed sidewalls that are covered with instruments and equipment boxes, and side consoles with added levers for the cockpit and a new seat for the bomb aimer. The turret’s interior is cut up, keeping some portions and discarding others to replace them with new more detailed PE parts. The twin Lewis guns are detailed with new tops and handles to their plate magazines, and adding extra details that include an armour panel, while the side-mount Lewis gun gets a magazine upgrade plus ring-and-bead sights. The engines are upgraded with three V-shaped spacers that hold the circular part in position, which also receives a central boss. The last job is to glue a sight inside the windscreen in front of the pilot. SPACE 3D Printed Cockpit Decals (3DL48094) The Eduard SPACE sets use new 3D printing techniques that lay down successive layers of different colour resin, creating highly realistic almost full complete panels that are supplied on a decal sheet. They can depict metallic shades, plus glossy, satin, and matt colours too, which really ups the detail on everything they print. In addition, a small sheet of nickel-plated and pre-painted PE is included for the aspects of the set that lend themselves better to this medium, such as seatbelts and rudder pedals. The PE sheet contains three sets of lap belts that are applied to the seats and turret, plus a four-point set for the pilot, making an oval hole in the back of the kit seat to pass the Y-shaped end of the shoulder harnesses through. The 3D decals are applied to the instrument panel and copious instruments and equipment boxes on the sidewalls, adding a few PE levers to the panel, and PE backing plates for many of the boxes on the sidewalls. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1319) 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. The pilot has a set of four-point belts that require an oval hole to be made in the back of the kit seat to accommodate the end of the Y-shaped section behind the shoulder harness, with three sets of lap belts in the cockpit and the turret. Bomb Bay (481094) This comprehensive bare brass set contains two sheets, one larger, the other smaller. You will need to remove the raised details inside the kit bomb bay before you install the new detail skins in the centre section, adding a rear bulkhead and an additional rectangular cover if you intend to fill the bay with bombs rather than a torpedo. Another bulkhead is applied to the front of the main bay after adding several detail parts, some of which require folding. The curved front section of the bay is covered with another skin that you will need to roll to fit, and has a W-shaped brace added partway along. The rear section of the bay has two strips fitted to the outer edges, then the centre-section is filled with four folded bomb shackles and another cover to the forward section opening if you are mounting bombs. If you are installing the torpedo, a complex carrier is folded up and glued in the centre of the main bay, adding a pair of small wheels on short lengths of wire from your own stock on the sides. The bomb bay doors are reduced in size 1mm each end and along the top edge, then slimmed down at the top in preparation for the new skin that is laminated, folded and applied to the outer surface of the kit parts to improve detail and replace the thicker kit inner bay doors. Review sample courtesy of

Yak-9D Exhaust Stacks (648805 for Zvezda) 1:48 Eduard Brassin PRINT We reviewed the new Yak-9D from Zvezda recently here, and now Eduard have begun to release some additional detail sets for the detail-hungry modeller who isn’t satisfied with the capabilities of injection-moulded styrene. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE), small Brassin 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 is further protected by a crystal-clear clamshell box that closes securely with a friction-toggle. Inside the box are two rows of four beautifully printed exhausts on a single print-base that have hollow D-profile tips. The kit includes a full depiction of the Klimov engine for inside the cowling, with individual stacks included, but they don’t have hollow tips. The replacements do have hollow D-profiled tips, and are supplied as two paired exhausts in the centre openings, and two more singles at the ends of the block, replicating the pegs at the base to secure them into the engine block. Once removed from the print base they are a drop-in replacement for the kit parts, with the only difference (apart from the detail) being that you need to use super glue (CA) to locate them in their slots. A superb update to the kit parts that are eminently simple to use. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Yak-9T Exhaust Stacks (632182 for ICM) 1:32 Eduard Brassin PRINT We reviewed the new Yak-9T from ICM recently here, and now Eduard have begun to release some additional detail sets for the detail-hungry modeller who isn’t satisfied with the capabilities of injection-moulded styrene. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE), small Brassin 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 is further protected by a crystal-clear clamshell box that closes securely with a friction-toggle. Inside the box are two sets of beautifully printed exhausts on a single print-base that have hollow D-profile tips. There are two paired exhausts in the centre and two more singles at the ends of the support strip, which has locating shapes at each end. Once removed from the print base they are a drop-in replacement for the kit parts, with the only difference (apart from the detail) being that you need to use super glue (CA) to locate them in their slots. A superb update to the kit parts that are simple to use. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

F4F-3 Wildcat Gun Bay & Undercarriage Bay Sets (648793 & 648795) 1:48 Eduard Brassin We’ve reviewed the super new tool F4F-3 Wildcat from Eduard recently, and I’ve even built one, so can testify to its excellence as a model kit. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the aftermarket waters (eh?) along come another pair of 3D printed resin sets that will blow your socks off…again. As good as the base kit is, you can always increase the level of detail over and above what’s achievable using injection moulded styrene, and these sets prove that without question. As is now usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in a deep Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, sometimes layers of foam, and with the instructions folded around acting as padding. The parts are printed resin rather than the usual poured cast resin, so are attached to their print-bases via thin tendril-like fingers that are easy to cut off and sand the little pip-like marks away, leaving them ready for action. F4F-3 Gun Bays (648793) There are two bags of 3D printed resin parts and one containing a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, and you’ll need to do a little simple surgery to the wing parts of your kit, excising the bay cover panels, plus the shell-ejection chutes from the lower wings before you start. Each bay is built in mirror image, starting with the main body of the bay, which has two small PE parts fitted into in the rear wall. The two resin guns are inserted barrel first through the holes in the front of the bay, gluing the breeches to the bay floor via slots and tabs. The ammo boxes are then laid over the tops of their location, followed by the curved feeder chutes, and finally adding the lip around the bay using the PE framing part. The bay can then be inserted between the wing halves and everything glued in place, later adding the two wafer-thin bay covers per wing, which have extra detail on their inner surfaces, which will be visible once they are installed. F4F-3 Gear Bay (648795) This set has three bags of highly detailed 3D printed resin parts, and you’ll need to source some wires of various fine diameters to complete the task fully. Work starts with the tapering engine mount frames, which receives the circular ancillary equipment cluster that is the rear of the engine itself. To this are added a pair of filter boxes with intake trunking that wrap around the underside of the mount, or for the earlier -3A sub-variant, a smaller box is slung under the frame instead. The large tapering tank that sits between the top two struts is next to be fitted, and the improvement in detail here is excellent. Some 0.7mm and 0.35mm wire will be required to simulate the hoses linking the tank to the engine, with several scrap diagrams showing the shape and length of the wires, aided by them being marked out in different colours on the diagrams for your ease. The original kit firewall with integrated spars is replaced by a new super-detailed part, which has the gear bay actuation chains on their sprockets glued on pins, further improving the detail. The divide that separates the two sides of the bay is also replaced by a more detailed part, then the engine bearer assembly is brought together with the bulkhead, illustrated clearly by more scrap diagrams. Then there are yet more hoses to install, 0.35mm and 0.5mm in diameter with eight in total that take up a whole page in the instructions. The bay assembly is then completed by adding the gear legs, using the kit parts or the bronze aftermarket set 648779 if you feel the urge. The last step shows the completed gear bay being trapped between the two fuselage halves, but of course you’ll also need to put the cockpit in there, so it’s a little simplified to suit the theme of the instructions. Conclusion Both sets are at the top of aftermarket detail standards at time of writing, and for anyone wanting to portray a Wildcat in the process of re-arming, the gun bay set is a shoe-in. The gear bay set really increases the detail in that department too, much of which is visible through the sideways facing openings where the retracted wheels sit. Both sets have concise instructions with Gunze paint codes called out through every step, and include lengths and diameters of all the extra wires used to complete the detailing. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of