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This will be a more-or-less OOB build of Eduard's 1/48 ProfiPack boxing, using the kit-supplied decals for the 1./SG4 example. The kit is on order, as is the AM I plan to use: Quinta Studios' cockpit set, QD48128, for the Eduard A-8, and Master's gun barrel set, AM-48-019, for the A7 and A8. In the meantime, here is the markings page extracted from the kit's instruction booklet: The colours look a bit skew-whiff because its a single-page PDF print from Eduard's downloadable PDF instructions, but you get the idea - something slightly unusual for an Fw190. More when the kit and AM shows up! Cheers, Mark

F-86D Dog Sabre Upgrades (for Revell/Monogram) 1:48 Eduard The original Monogram tooling of this quite different-looking Sabre is quite aged now, originating just after the turn of the millennium, but it’s still the best kit in the scale, and has been reboxed in Revell and Monogram boxes (mostly) since then, the most recent being the boxing we reviewed here. Just because the kit is older, it doesn’t mean that it has been forgotten about though. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner. Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. SPACE 3D Printed Cockpit Decals (3DL48116) 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 decal sheet is filled with new 3D instrument panels that require removal of the moulded-in details, plus a short section from the top of the panel to match the new part. There are also decals for the two side panels, each of which have PE backing panels on which the decals are applied. The centre radar screen part is inserted in the middle of the new panel and has a PE hood to roll into shape. The coaming is filed down to correspond with the accompanying guides in red, then a replacement top is installed once the fuselage halves are together. In addition, there are wide side console decals, with a sloped edge, adding kit handles and some lengths of 1mm rod to give it extra relief, again removing the kit details, then adding skins to the inner edges of the cockpit sill on both sides. The early ejector seat is draped with a set of painted four-point crew belts, with a large RBF tag draped down the back cushion, and two more threaded through the side rails of the seat frame. The kit belts will need scraping and sanding away before this of course. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1351) These belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. As well as the crew belts, you also get a set of the comfort pad under the buckle, with a side-profile showing how the shoulder belts should drape over the top. They are identical in form and function to the SPACE set above. Masks EX940) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition, you get a set of hub/tyre masks for all the wheels with a cut in the top for fine adjustment, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Masks Tface (EX941) Supplied on a larger sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with everything above, but also give you another set of canopy masks tailored to fit the inside of the glazing so that you can paint the model’s interior and give your kit that extra bit of realism. Having used these sets on my own models now, I can confirm that they are extremely accurate, and it's good practice to place the outer masks first to act as a guide for alignment of the inner masks. 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

F6F-5 Hellcat Late (8229) 1:48 Eduard ProfiPACK The Grumman Hellcat was a US Naval World War II carrier-based fighter aircraft designed to replace the earlier Grumman Wildcat. Although the two aircraft do look externally similar, the Hellcat was a completely new design that was fresh from the drawing board, and featured the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 as used by the Chance Vought Corsair and the Republic Thunderbolt, amongst others. It proved to be a well-designed fighter able to stand up to the rigors of carrier operations and the rough air fields used in the Pacific Theatre of operations. Grumman's initial design was so well-sorted that the Hellcat became the least revised aircraft of WWII. In total 12,200 Hellcats were built for the US Navy, The US Marine Corps and the Royal Navy, helping the Hellcat achieve more kills in WWII than any other allied fighter. The -5 was the second production type with a more powerful variant of the R-2800 that was further augmented by adding water injection, whilst improvements to the flying surfaces and the armoured windscreen enhanced performance and survivability, plus adding a centreline station for a drop-tank to extend range as the missions stretched further into enemy territory during the Island Hopping phase of the war. Most other variants were based on the -5, given a letter suffix depending on what equipment was fitted. Post war the Hellcat was phased out of day fighter service, but continued in US service as late as 1954 as a night fighter. One notable exception was in late 1952 when F6F-5K Drones carrying 2000lb bombs were used to attack bridges in Korea. Post war the aircraft were also used by the Aeronavale (French Navy), using them in Indochina; and the Uruguayan Navy who flew them until the 1960s. The Kit This marks a welcome re-release of Eduard's range of Hellcats from earlier this millennium, with a few tweaks and changes to the package. The tooling is still the same, and that's already a well-known quantity, with plenty of detail that's augmented by the extras that come with the ProfiPACK boxing. Inside the gold-themed box you will find five sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, two frets of Photo-Etch (PE) brass - one of which is nickel-plated and painted, a sheet of pre-cut masks (not pictured), two decal sheets, and the glossy instruction manual that has the colour profiles printed on the rear pages. Detail is good, although it's not quite leading-edge technology that we now expect from Eduard's brand-new releases, but it's a good kit that captures the look of the Hellcat and gives the modeller plenty of markings options. Construction begins in the cockpit, with the instrument panel upgraded with a lamination of PE parts that have glossy printed domes over each dial for ultimate realism. The side consoles have PE overlays, or decals to place over the moulded-in details, and if you don't fancy the PE instrument panel there are also decals included for that area too. The controls are added to the floor along with the seat with multi-part four-point PE belts, rear bulkhead, control column and rudders, and the fuselage is then closed around it after some interior painting plus the tail wheel and an insert under the cockpit. The slot that should be opened if you're portraying an aircraft that carried a drop-tank is indicated in red, just behind the lower insert. The elevators with separate flying surfaces are next, and the rudder is added to the tail fin, with the option of posing it deflected if you wish. Up front the two banks of pistons are fitted together and have a PE wiring loom added, with a diagram showing how it should be bent around the pistons, and the bell-housing at the front contains the shaft on which the prop will later spin if you're careful with the glue. This is fixed in place on a stub at the front of the fuselage, then enclosed in a three-part cowling with a PE grille installed in the bottom section during assembly. The exhaust stubs are glued into their troughs, and peek out from under the cowling once in place. The wings on this kit are attached in the same manner as the elevators, fitting into recesses in the sides of the fuselage, rather than the usual slot and tab or full-width lower that you often see. This is due in part to the barrel-like fuselage and the wing placement on the lower middle of the fuselage, rather than at the bottom. Each wing has two halves and these have the gear bay and gun inserts glued within before closure, and then accept the flying surfaces at the trailing edge before they are slotted into the afore-mentioned recesses on the fuselage sides. Small details in the gear bay and recognition lights are added to the underside along with the arrestor hook in the tail, then they are joined by the main gear, which are sturdy single struts with separate oleo-scissors, retraction jacks, captive bay doors on small links, and crisp resin wheels with a separate outer hub to show off the internal structure. The spoke interstices are flashed over, so will need to be cut or sanded away from behind before fitting, and while this might appear a little fiddly, it is well worth the effort when you see the finished article. The main gear is fitted in place Along with a small forward-folding door, the correct location of which is shown in scrap diagrams to ensure you get it aligned correctly. A curved L-shaped pitot probe is attached under the starboard wing, painting the aft red, and the tip silver. Depending on your decal option you can fit bombs under the wings on stubby pylons with sway-braces, a centreline fuel tank with PE sway-braces fixed forward of the main attachment point, small bombs on pylons inboard of the gear bays that need holes drilling during wing assembly, or three rockets of HVAR or Tiny Tim types under each wing. The windscreen is glued to the front of the cockpit cut-out, and the canopy can be depicted open by swapping out the closed part (H1) for another slightly wider one (H2) from the clear sprue. A full set of canopy masks are supplied that are die-cut to match the frames, adding scrap tape to cover the convex top pane of the canopy where the tape masks couldn’t conform easily, or filling the area with liquid mask if you prefer. Toroidal masks are also included for the main wheel hubs, and small C-shaped masks are also provided for the tail-wheel, although they aren’t mentioned in the instructions. Finally, there are a pair of walkway masks for the wing roots that allow you to first paint the root black or dark grey, apply the masks and then lay the main colour down over it. Markings There are six decal options in this boxing, all of which are painted Naval Sea Blue all over, and differentiated by their unit markings and minor crew personalisations. From the box you can portray one of the following options: Lt. Eugene A Valencia, VF-9, USS Lexington (CV-16), February 1945 Lt Cornelius N Nopoy, VF-31, USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24), August 1945 BuNo.70597, Lt James L Pearce, VF-17, USS Hornet (CV-12), March 1945 BuNo.72663, Ens William A Sinnott, VF-24, USS Santee (CVE-29) July 1945 BuNo.72296, Lt Louis A Menard Jr., VBF-12, USS Randolph (CV-15), February 1945 Flottille 1F, PA Arromanche, French Indochina, 1951 The decals are printed by Eduard and are in good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The stencils are on a separate sheet, and are marked on a page of the booklet, separate from the rest of the markings to avoid confusion from trying to read overly busy diagrams. Don’t forget that as of 2021, the carrier film from Eduard decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier-free, making the decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view. Conclusion A welcome re-release of this plucky, robust WWII naval fighter that saw extensive action in the Pacific, and a wide choice of decal options from various US carriers that served late in the Pacific theatre, plus a French airframe for good measure. 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

Mi-17 Detail Upgrades (for AMK) 1:48 Eduard AMK released their take on the Soviet Mi-17 heavy military helicopter last year (2022), with subsequent boxings broadening the range. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner. Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Cockpit Interior (491352) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other bare brass for structural elements. A complete set of new layered instrument panels, sidewalls, equipment boxes and side consoles with added levers for the cockpit are in full colour, with two pairs of foot pedals for the crew controls; brackets, webs and stowage boxes for the cockpit interior; appliqué panels on the exterior; scissor-links for the oleos, and a set of two-part windscreen wipers. SPACE 3D Printed Cockpit Decals (3DL48119) 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 decal sheet contains a full range of instrument panels and equipment box fronts, complete with glossy dials and excellent 3D relief of the parts. The electrical panel is also replaced by a new front, with all the main decals having the traditional Soviet blue/green background around the instrument bezels. There are also drop light boxes with traffic lights in the cockpit that is replicated in the doorway of the aircraft to let the passengers know when to release a load or passengers from the door. The two main instrument panels have an additional layer added in the centre, further improving the depth of the panels, and of course all these decals should be applied over the background once the original kit details have been removed by scraping or sanding flat. The PE sheet contains two full sets of crew four-point seatbelts for the pilots, plus a couple of boxes on which some of the decals are applied to replicate missing boxes from inside the kit cockpit. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1353) 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. Similar to those in the SPACE set above, the package contains two full sets of crew four-point seatbelts for the pilots, available for those not opting to go the 3D printed route. Cargo Floor (481110) This larger bare brass set contains an important upgrade to the floor of the passenger compartment, starting with a long skin for the floor with details and treadplate etched into the surface, adding numerous treadplated access panels over this, along with two long runners, the kit representations of which will need to be removed from the kit floor along with a trapezoid shape at the front. With the kit bulkhead between the cockpit and passenger compartment, the trapezoid shape on the new floor is augmented by laying a folded part with supports into position where the kit part would have been. Cargo Seatbelts STEEL (491353) 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 set comprises six sets of pale grey belts per side of the aircraft for application to the seats under the circular windows in the fuselage of the Mi-17, made from thirty-seven individual parts, and including belts for the jump seats found in the compartment. Masks (EX942) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, side windows and other clear parts, with a few compound curved panes handled by using frame hugging masks, while the compound curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape at your choice. Masks Tface (EX943) Supplied on a larger sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with everything above, but also give you another set of canopy masks tailored to fit the interior of the glazing so that you can paint the interior and give your model that extra bit of realism. Having used these sets on my own models now, I can confirm that they are extremely accurate, and it's best to place the outer masks first to act as a guide for alignment of the inner masks. Conclusion A great range of sets to pore over and choose from to improve the detail on your new AMK Mi-17 kit in the places that you are interested in to make the focal points of your model more impressive. Review sample courtesy of

Bf.110C ProfiPACK (8209) 1:48 Eduard The Bf.110 was twin engine heavy fighter of mid-30s design that was approaching obsolescence by the beginning of WWII, but with successive upgrades it soldiered on right to the end of the war, although hopelessly outclassed by that time, and easy prey to later war Allied fighter designs if it strayed too close to the front lines. The C variant was the first production variant made in significant quantities, and ran with more powerful Daimler Benz 601 engines with the familiar upwards sweeping exhaust stacks. There were many sub-variants of this variant, one of which had an experimental installation of a 30mm Mk./101 cannon in a blister under the nose of a dozen airframes, firing along a trough cut in the nose to give clearance for the short barrel and exiting shells. The more mainstream variants were generally used as Zerstörer destroyers/heavy fighters, for reconnaissance, as a fighter-bomber, or night fighter, with bomb racks installed when needed, improvements to crew armour, and uprated variants of the DB601 engines to give it more power. The D series that replaced it on the production lines was a longer-range version that could be stationed as far away as Norway and still loiter over Britain for a reasonable period. They were based upon the C, and used the same engines throughout production until they were replaced by the Emil, which standardised the fuselage extension introduced in the D. The Kit Arriving in gold-themed top-opening ProfiPACK box with an attractive painting of the subject engaged in a dogfight that it seems destined to lose to the faster, more agile Spitfires. Inside the box are six sprues of grey styrene, two of clear parts, two sheets of Photo-Etch (PE), one of which is nickel-plated and pre-painted, a long sheet of yellow kabuki tape masks, two decal sheets, one of which is very tall and narrow, the other containing all the stencils for the model, which are dealt with on a separate page of the instructions for clarity. The instruction booklet is printed in colour on glossy paper, and has colour profiles of the decal options on the rear pages, shown from four angles, and with additional drawings that show areas that wouldn’t otherwise be visible. This boxing is based upon their 2007 release that is regarded by many as the definitive 110 in this scale, although additional parts and sprues have been added along the way. The detail is excellent, with many smaller parts contributing to the finished article. Construction begins with the cockpit, which is well detailed with a mix of styrene and PE parts, with a choice of PE or plastic instrument panels and side consoles, plus a set of PE seatbelts, all of which are pre-painted, adding PE rudder pedals instead of the plastic parts. The radio gear in the rear area of the cockpit is assembled with PE faces replacing the moulded-in detail of all the boxes, which must be sanded off before proceeding. The cockpit sidewalls are given a similar treatment, and it is all brought together to form a tub that encloses the radio operator and rear-gunner's stations, to which the pilot's separate section is attached at the front, with the belly cannon pack seen in the centre of the finished cockpit. The pilot's sidewalls are detailed with more parts, and the fuselage is closed with a mini-instrument panel added to the bracing between pilot and radio operator's stations, and shell ejection inserts fixed under the cockpit during closure. The gun-pack in the upper nose is built up and installed with ammo feeds, the upper cowling having two strengthening arches glued inside, and then added over the guns, the finished assembly mated to the front of the fuselage. The rear gun and fairing are made up and installed at the rear of the cockpit, adding a PE trigger guard, ring sight, and a pair of styrene drum magazines fixed over the top of the breech. The wings are mid-mounted, so are made in halves, making up the engine nacelles from two halves with a pair of bulkheads trapped within, and the roof is moulded into the wing lowers, with some structure and smaller details added before the nacelles are mated. Two sidewall parts add extra detail, and two-part intakes in the underside are created and installed, taking care with alignment. The radiators are attached under the wings, just outboard of the engine nacelles, and have PE radiator faces and splitters added to the styrene bay, one under each wing, then are covered over by the cowlings. The completed wings and elevators with vertical rudders at each end are added to slots on the sides of the fuselage, and the ailerons are separate parts that you can pose deflected if you wish, while the elevators and H-tails have all their flying surfaces moulded-in. A choice of tail wheel is included, one with separate yoke to hold the one-part wheel in place, or an all-in-one strut and wheel if you prefer. The main gear is nicely detailed and made up from eight parts including separate scissor-links, plus a two-part wheel with radial tread. Scrap diagrams show the correct positioning of the wheels and the retraction mechanism for the landing gear to assist with construction. Bay doors are added to each nacelle, adding mast, towel-rail and circular D/F antennae to the underside of the fuselage, mass-balances to the ailerons, plus PE mesh protected intakes and landing lights to the leading edges of the wings before the exhaust stacks are added to the nacelle sides. Made up from separate stacks of varying sizes and orientations, six sets of stacks assemble on each of four back-plates to be installed in the slots on the sides of the nacelles. The exhausts are not hollow lipped, but this shouldn't show too much on the finished items. The props are single parts with a spinner and backplate, attaching to the nacelles on a short peg. Glazing on Old Ironsides is extensive, but Eduard have included a full set of masks for this and the wheels, so rest easy. It is a complex arrangement, cherry-picking parts from two sprues, and adding some detail parts inside, which would be best glued with either PVA, GS-Hypo cement or even with clear gloss varnish. Separate parts are included to allow you to pose the canopy open or closed and the gun deployed with its glazing tipped back, so choose your parts carefully here. There are is an antenna and PE hand-holds on the sills and frames, with an armoured windscreen on some variants, as well as a the two-part hinged and sliding panel around the gunner's position, which is shown with two steps to obtain the correct look. Markings There are five varied decal options in this release, three wearing a relatively standard splinter camouflage, while two are a little bit out of the ordinary. From the box you can build one of the following: Bf.110C-2, Wnr.3578, 9./ZG26, Barly, France, August 1940 Bf.110C-4, Wnr.2095, 4./ZG1, Trier-Euren, Germany, June 1940 Bf.110C-2, Wnr.3257, Hptm. Heinz Wagner/Stfw. Adolf Schmidt, CO of 4./ZG76, Abbeville, France, August 1940 Bf.110C-2, Wnr.3026, Lt.K Koch, 1./ZG77, Kirkenes, Norway, October 1941 Bf.110C, 1./NJG3, Benghazi, Libya, May 1941 The decals are printed by Eduard and are in good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The stencils are on a separate sheet, and are marked on a page of the booklet, separate from the rest of the markings to avoid confusion from trying to read overly busy diagrams. Don’t forget that as of 2021, the carrier film from Eduard decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier-free, making the decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view. Conclusion Another great Bf.110C boxing with the new removable carrier-film decals, and plenty of detail that is augmented by the inclusion of two sheets of PE. The Eduard 110 is now generally recognised as the definitive in this scale, and makes for a nice package. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hi comrades! Here is my take on Eduard's Bf-110G. Not the easiest kit to build. Some corrections made to belly (AIMS set), guns are by Master, radar aerials from AML, gun tunnels and brake lines are added from scratch. Thanks for looking.

Hi everyone, Finished this late war Gustav a few days ago. It’s Eduard’s latest box for the G-14 AS version, using everything OOB except wheels and exhaust stacks. Painted with a mix from Mr.Hobby Aqueous, AK RC and MRP. Got my inspiration from a photo at E.Monbeeck Lu/Ga #4 publication.

Hi all - here's my most recent project, Eduard's MiG-15bis in 1:72 scale, from their 7461 Weekend Edition boxing. It's in the colours of a Soviet Air Force aerobatic team, flown by Major V.M. Fokin in 1951. All brush painted with Vallejo acrylics, everything OOB. This 'weekend edition' took me the best part of 3 months - partly due to my very incremental personal modelling rhythm, but also due to a number of frustrations: Construction - Reading others' experiences of this kit mad me aware that I would probably have alignment issues with the nose - despite extensive dry fitting, this was very much the case. Boatloads of Milliput needed and all the attendant filing, sanding, rescribing, etc. Not why any of us got into modelling is it! Painting - My paint for the dark blue upper surfaces was Vallejo's Model Air 71313 Dark Mediterranean Blue. A very pretty colour but the worst coverage of any paint I have ever used. Could hjave been a duff batch but even straight out of the bottle it was watery and rubbish. I must have put on about 10-15 coats and it's still translucent under bright light. As a brush painter you live or die by the coverage of your paint and this was awful. It also made touch-ups very difficult... you really don't want to be doing 10 coats of paint to touch up some masking imperfections! Stencils - Par for the course with Eduard but there were a crazy amount of stencils, which took the best part of a week to complete at my pace. Nothing to be done really but it does suck the life out of a project a little. The red stencils do look good on the dark blue though. Canopy masking - I use Mr Masking Sol R. Normally produces acceptable results but for some reason here it performed really badly - when demasking I lost huge chunks of paint from the canopy frame (more dark blue to repaint, lol) and I was left with a jagged edge on other parts if it. Next time I will just cough up and buy the precut masks. Varnish - I wanted a nice shiny finish. Given the subjecr was from an aerobatic unit we can assume the VVS would have kept these birds pretty clean. I used Mr Super Clear gloss, but I really wasn't happy with the results - not a smooth finish and looks grainy under the light (I did polish between coats so I did everything I could to keep it shiny). Could have been user error but I think next time I need a glossy finish I will just go with a single coat of satin. All that said - the MiG-15 is a beautiful aircraft and it's an unusual scheme. I wouldn't recommend the Eduard kit to an inexperienced modeller and I wouldn't recommend the dark blue paint to anyone! I think it came out OK-ish in the end as long as you don't look at it too closely 😅 I've also added a couple of comparison pics with an Airfix MiG-17 I built a couple of years ago. I think seeing it next to the familar shape of the 15 makes the crescent-like 17 look even cooler and otherworldly...

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

1/72 Eduard Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX first CAD picture: https://www.facebook.com/161026690575664/photos/a.909009385777387.1073741841.161026690575664/909012812443711/?type=3&theater

Hi Comrades! Here is my recently completed Spitfire IXe from Eduard "Operation Velveta" limited edition kit (with Techmod decals) Great kit! The model depicts the prototype at the end of 1949 with highly weathered look. No stencils, no antenna wire. Thanks for looking

A6M2-N Rufe Tface Masks (EX934) 1:48 Eduard 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. Supplied on a large sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy both inside and out, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition you get a set of hub/tyre masks for the three wheels of the beaching trolley and the aircraft’s wingtip lights, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Since using this innovative and accurate masking system on a recent build of and Eduard F4F-3 Wildcat here, I have become a huge fan, and will search out a set for any of my future builds thanks to the realism, crispness and extra detail they bring to the canopy area. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

A6M2-N Rufe SPACE Cockpit Set (3DL48114) 1:48 Eduard The Eduard SPACE sets use 3D printing techniques that lay down successive layers of different colour resin on decal paper, creating highly realistic almost fully 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. This set contains both a sheet of 3D printed decals and a small fret of nickel-plated Photo-Etch (PE) for the seatbelts, two straps to adapt the rudder pedals into a rudder bar, plus a ring sight that is installed at the front of the standard gunsight. The decal sheet includes fronts for the cockpit sidewall, the side consoles and equipment in the lower wall area, which extends to several boxes. The instrument panel and additional binnacles that surround it are also included on the sheet, and as with the rest of them, the raised details should be removed beforehand. It’s a couple of months since we’ve had a SPACE set in for review, and I’d quite forgotten how good they look. 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

Rufe Dual Combo (11171) 1:48 Eduard The A6M2-N was developed by Nakajima from the Mitsubishi A6M Zero that we know so well, and was intended to be an interceptor in remote areas where the lack of airfields wouldn’t hinder its operation. It used the majority of the Zero’s fuselage with an adapted tail, plus a substantial single float underneath, and two smaller wing-mounted floats to maintain balance when on the water. Fewer than 330 were made in total, and it saw active service in defensive battles as the noose tightened around the remains of the Japanese Empire toward the end of WWII. It was originally based upon the initial Zero Type 0 airframe, but changed as the Zero itself was improved, some later Rufes based upon the Type 21, finishing production in 1943. The floats reduced its top speed, and made it slightly less agile than its progenitor, but the aircraft that it was pitted against were often second-line Allied types anyway, the more advanced Allied aircraft reserved for the war in Europe, which was intended to be concluded first. It also faired well in anti-bomber operations, where it gave a good account of itself, although suffering substantial losses in the process. It was deployed in 1942 where it was given the name Suisen 2, although the Allied codename was Rufe, just to keep things confusing. As well as serving from remote jetties and make-do refuelling points, it was also flown from dedicated Seaplane Carriers, despite being a floatplane itself, and was engaged in numerous different operations such as reconnaissance, bombing from underwing stations, in addition to its interceptor and fighter roles that it seems to have performed well in, despite the drag and weight reducing its top speed by around 40 knots when compared to the Zero. It was often transported to its next assignment by Seaplane Tenders, conserving fuel and reducing breakdowns that might occur during a maximum range flight of just over 1,100 miles. At war’s end, a single example was overhauled by the French for use in Indochina, but that was quickly lost in an accident, probably due to the pilot’s unfamiliarity with the type. The Kit This is a new tooling from Eduard, based on their recent Zero model, and this first boxing includes two kits in Dual Combo guise, in the same manner as the Zero was launched. The kit arrives in a large top-opening box, with a painting of two Rufes wearing different schemes that are flying over a stylised patterned backdrop, with the word Limited indicating that it won’t be around forever, so snap one up now if you're so minded. Inside the box are ten sprues in grey styrene, two sprues of clear parts, two frets of pre-painted nickel-plated Photo-Etch (PE), a large sheet of pre-cut kabuki tape masks, one large decal sheet and two stencil sheets, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour with profiles for the decal options on the rear pages. The majority of the sprues are brand-new, with just one that contains the engine and other small parts re-used from the earlier Zero, and the clear parts. That said, the other sprues that are similar but with slight variance in part locations and quantities, which benefits from the work done on the Zero tooling earlier. Detail is exceptional on modern Eduard kits, with raised and recessed features, finely engraved panel lines and rivets across the exterior, and even a beaching trolley included on the sprues. Having built a Zero (unfinished as I type this, to my shame), I’m confident that this kit will go together similarly well, making the modelling time expended on its building extremely pleasurable. Bear in mind that all the sprues are provided in duplicate to allow the completion of two models of the Rufe, giving you the chance to depict it in different camouflages, and/or with different levels of wear and tear. Only the main decal sheet and masks aren’t doubled-up, containing all the individual markings, leaving the stencils on two identical sheets. The instruction booklet has a four-page detailed description of the type from conception through production and service to the end of WWII, written by Jan Bobek, one of the directors of Eduard, who is clearly very interested in the Rufe. After the usual sprue diagrams, which are a useful tool for checking your box for completeness, construction begins with the cockpit sidewalls that are moulded into the fuselage halves, augmenting the ribbing with equipment and controls on both sides, some of which is PE, the rest styrene, and a choice of painted PE or decals for the instruments on the faces of the boxes. The rest of the cockpit interior is then started with the styrene rudder pedals clipped off the part and replaced by new PE loops on the remaining bars. The pilot’s ventilated seat is laced with four pre-painted belts and attached to the fuselage frame by a pair of brackets and is joined by an adjuster with a curved PE bracket, the styrene version of which is first removed from the original part. The cockpit floor is well-detailed with rivets and is a shallow V-shape, with a small insert filling a gap in the underside, then the pilot’s control column and linkages are all installed on the topside along with the rudders, which are shown from above to assist with placement. The lower sides of the cockpit contain various equipment boxes, which are all either stripped of styrene detail to be replaced by PE parts or covered with decals, and they are then brought together with the rear frame, seat, and floor to create the cockpit assembly, which is then further detailed with more PE on the side consoles or optional decals, has the layered PE instrument panel built up and inserted into the front of the assembly, which then has the two nose-mounted machine guns added to a shaped part that slots into holes at the front of the cockpit. Behind the pilot a trio of tanks that are glued vertically to the back of the frame, then the completed assembly is put to the side briefly while the fuselage is glued together, adding the enhanced three-part rudder with clear light, and a section of the cowling in front of the nose as you go. Once the glue has dried, the cockpit can be inserted into the fuselage from below, using the gap in the fuselage where the wings will later sit. Like many WWII fighters, the new lower wing half is a single part, which is stiffened by a short spar that stretches across where the gear bays would have been, and on the exterior is a large teardrop location point for the single float. On the inside of the wings there are engraved lines where the folding tips can be cut loose, but for this boxing the folds are ignored or filled later, as it is indicated that only some of the Rufes had this facility. Holes in the lower wing are flashed over and should be opened with a 0.6mm drill if you are mounting bomb racks, then once the wings are closed, a pair of clear wingtip lights and styrene ailerons are added, and a scrap diagram shows how the trailing wing root should look once glued, to ensure you don’t make a rod for your back down the line. The rear fillet of the wing assembly is ribbed inside, and is fitted out with some small parts, although they can barely be seen. The elevator fins are separate from their flying surfaces, and while the fins are two parts each, the thin trailing surfaces are single parts with rib detail moulded-in. These and the wings are added to the fuselage along with some tiny fairings for the aileron actuators, filling the hole where the head cushion for the pilot would normally fit, and a little bunny (yes really) that reminds you to add some nose weight to the model to prevent it sitting on its tail. The model is looking more like an aircraft now, but has no powerplant, which is next to be made up. Both banks of pistons of the Nakajima Sakae radial engine are present, plus a ring of rods front and back, with a two-part reduction gear bell-housing and wiring loom at the front. This assembly fits on a stepped ring that glues to the tapered front of the fuselage, then a brief interlude has you making up the bomb load from halves, adding a PE spinner to the tail and the perpendicular fins with either a square plastic or PE ring at the very rear. Each bomb has its own mounting frame that connects it to the wing via the holes drilled earlier. The engine cowling is built up around a cylindrical jig that should remain unglued unless you enjoy feeling foolish. The intake lip is dry-fitted to a step on the narrow end of the jig, then two almost semi-cylindrical cowling halves are added, locating in slots in the aft lip of the jig, and gluing carefully to the lip at the front. The intake trunk is inserted into the gap in the underside, and this too has its own groove in the lip, and when that glue is dry, the assembly can be slipped off the jig, and the final section that contains the gun troughs can be added along with another pair of small inserts at the bottom-rear where the exhaust stacks are glued. The finished cowling can then be slid over the engine and secured in place with more glue and some appreciation of the engineering involved. For some markings options the small panel lines around the wingtip fold mechanism should be filled, as certain airframes didn’t have the capability. The float is all new, as you’d expect, and comprises the two main halves with the support linking it to the aircraft moulded-in, plus a circular oil-cooler in the front, adding PE mesh and louvres to the front. The forward section of the keel is separate, leaving you to add optional fairings over fuel tank purging equipment that was present on early aircraft, and the rudder to the rear. The bunny makes an appearance again, inciting you to add nose weight to the float to help keep it on the straight and level. As the float projects a long way forward, any weight added here will be more effective. The stabilising floats are simply two parts each, then the main float is located on the raised mount under the wings, with a pair of struts fitted to the aft spar to stabilise it. There is also an optional crew ladder on two Y-supports, should you wish to use it. Under the wings the small floats are inserted into their sockets and an optional pair of bombs are mounted on the holes drilled earlier, roughly where the outboard ends of the wheel bays would be. The three-bladed prop is moulded as a single part, with a front and rear spinner half, which slides onto the axle at the front of the engine. On the topside, the gun-sight installs on the coaming, allowing fitting of the windscreen, then you have a choice of a closed canopy that is a single part and an aerial, or in the open option that has the fixed rear, a slightly larger sliding canopy that fits over the rear, and the same aerial post. Inside the sliding portion are a pair of small PE detail parts, and if you spring for additional Tface masks, it may be best to apply the masks before the PE parts. Four formation lights on stalks are fitted into sockets in the mid-wing, the wing-mounted gun muzzles are inserted into the leading edge with a pitot probe on the port side. The beaching trolley is used as the name suggests to pull the Rufe out of the water for maintenance etc., and was made from wood and metal, starting with a box frame with two V-supports and four vertical risers, plus a tapering front section that has a small castor wheel between the ends. A rectangular sub-frame is made from two layers of styrene, adding a pair of trunnions to either side of the spoked wheels that have solid rubber tyres, and can be left mobile to roll your Rufe around on later. The sub-frame is attached under the main structure, which has a small V-support added to the front, allowing the aircraft to sit within the trolley for movement, with the addition of an inverted T-support behind it that also has a V cut into the upper end that prevents it from tail-sitting once stationary. Scrap diagrams show the finished assembly from various angles to help with completion. The painting guide shows the trolley in grey, but there is conjecture whether it was painted in a dark blue, as discussed in the first few pages of the booklet. Markings There are eight decal options on the main sheet, with later versions having green topsides, while the early airframes are all-over grey in the Pearl Harbour era colour scheme. From the box you can build two of the following: Yokohama Kōkūtai, Tulagi Island, Solomon Islands, August 1942 5th Kōkūtai, Kiska Island, Aleutians, August 1942 C/n 15, Lt. (jg) Keizō Yamazaki, Kōkūtai 802, Shortland Island, February 1943 Kōkūtai 802, Faisi-Pororang Base, Shortland Islands, February 1943 Kōkūtai 452, Bettobi Lake, Shumshu Islands, Kuriles, July 1943 Kōkūtai 802, Emidj Island, Jaluit Atoll, Marshall islands, October 1943 Ensign Jin’ichirō Ozawa, Saebo Kōkūtai, Sasebo Air base, Japan, September 1944 Kōkūtai 934, Ambon Island, Moluku Islands, March 1944 The decals are printed by Eduard and are in good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The stencils are on two separate sheets, and are marked on a page of the booklet, separate from the rest of the markings to avoid confusion from trying to read overly busy diagrams. As of 2021, the carrier film from Eduard decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier-free, making the decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view. In addition to the decals, there are two full sets of masks for the exterior of the canopies as well as the main and castor wheels of the trolleys, plus the wingtip lights, all of which are in pre-cut kabuki-style tape, and are dealt with on a separate page of the instructions. Conclusion A fabulous new tooling of this unusual fighter floatplane. The pre-painted PE and masks make a great product better, but having two of them in the box makes it awesome. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

With how fast the other one’s going together, the temptation to start another Spitfire was getting tii great to ignore. So the lucky winner is Eduard’s Mk VIII, in the Profipack boxing: All sealed up in the bags still: I’m intending to keep the AM to a minimum on this one, both for time (not having to wait for a delivery) and cost. However, the upper cowling is well known to be a pig to remove the seam from, so it seems wise to use the Barracuda seamless cowling, especially as I already have a couple: Which brings me to the subject, JF470, based at Fano Air Base, Italy: “Simple” Medium Sea Grey/PRU Blue paintjob, but with clipped wings (standard ones this time) and some bright markings. I’ve already made a reasonable start, having got all of the cockpit parts cleaned up and mounted ready for primer. If you really want to see what that looks like, have a look at my Malta Spitfire’s thread lol. One change I have made though is to use 0.3mm brass rod for the link between the compressed air cylinders, which looks more scale appropriate. I’ll try to remember to take a photo of that tonight. James

Hi all This is Eduard's weekend 1/48 Bf109F-4 trop, finished as the aircraft flown by Uffz. Franz Schweiger of 6./JG 3, based at Santo Pietro, Sicily during 1942. Nice kit and the decals went on particularly well - only let down by the somewhat translucent tactical numbers and bar. Hope you like the pics

My last build, Eduard final box for their 190 A-4 options, using Exito decals Wulf Pack pt.1 depicting a rather unusual markings for a SG 101 machine somewhere in France during 1943. all OOB except the decals and the seatbelts Outdoor photo with natural light cheers!

Recently completed this Eduard 1/48 scale Spitfire Vc. Another honoring the men who flew and fought in defence of our Island. Portrayed in a faded Dark Med Blue colour to show the effects of the local weather on the paint. Also opted to add 250lb bombs (from the Airfix Vb kit) under the wings which at the time was a local contraption

Here’s my latest completion, Eduard’s 1/48 FW-190A-5, built to depict the aircraft piloted by JG54’s Kommodore Anton Mader while based in Estonia in spring 1944. Decals are by Xtradecal, guns are by Master, and I’ve used some of the Eduard PE and their resin wheels as well. Paint is mostly Tamiya and Mr Hobby, with MRP for the RLM 61 & 62 for the main camouflage. It’s also my first time freehanding the camo with my airbrush, and I’m pretty happy with the result. There’s more variation in the paint in reality, I just can’t get my phone camera to pick it up properly. The WIP can be found below: James

WWI is very definitely not my thing - I have build the odd Airfix kit back in the distant past, like a Camel I seem to recall being particularly fond of as a young kid - which gradually shed parts and finally disappeared in a tidying spree. I do however have a very good friend who is not a modeller and who loves WWI aircraft and in particular the SE.5A. I decided to surprise him on his birthday and built him this example from the Eduard Royal Class kit. Not being an expert at all did in fact help to some extent - I was on a winner from the start with the colours. I did loads of research on the colours - well - in reality nobody seems to know what the colour should be anyway and after reading "eye witness accounts" who describe the colour variously as Green, Brown, Green Brown or Browny Green I settled for a base of Mr Hobby H52 Olive Drab which seemed to fit the description for me. The undersides were based on H85 Sail Colour. The wooden interior and prop were painted in the time honoured fashion with oils over Tamiya Khaki/clear orange - a technique which I enjoyed although most is hidden inside. I was very nicely surprised by the quality of the Eduard kit with was superb with great detail and excellent fit and I chose Mick Mannock's aircraft because I had heard of him. The hard part, and the part which I was most worried about, the rigging, actually turned out reasonably well - I used pre-stretched monofilament fishing line. It wasn't until I took the photographs that I realised that I have missed some fairly prominent rigging lines but since my friend does not know - this is unlikely to be rectified. I managed to fairly easily pre drill tiny holes and superglue the ends of the lines in place and stretch them slightly with a red hot pin. I even quite successfully (in my mind anyway) modelled the double lines here and there All in all, I have to say that I quite enjoyed the whole thing but that was in part because I was able to give my friend something which he really liked. I certainly will not be building any more WWI aircraft in a hurry but I can recommend this kit! Cheers Malcolm