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B-24H Upgrade Sets (for Airfix) 1:72 Eduard Airfix released their newly tooled B-24H Liberator in 1:72 recently, and if you haven’t seen it, we reviewed it recently here, as it’s a nice kit. 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 & Engines (73829) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete set of new layered instrument panel sections that run across the width of the cockpit, the substantial centre console with throttle quadrants are given the same treatment that includes a forest of levers pushed through the quadrant surface; the footwells have a detailed skin applied to the floor; four-point seatbelts are included for the two flight-crew; another instrument box in front of the centre console is provided, applying a new surface to the larger box below it, and detailing the sides, top and adding control levers before gluing the two components together; both cockpit sidewalls are festooned with equipment boxes with pre-painted faces and dials, some based upon kit parts, but others new; the overhead console that is missing from the kit is built up on a PE base, gluing the completed assembly to the underside of the canopy between the crew. The four Pratt & Whitney R-1830-35 Twin Wasp engines are upgraded with a wiring loom that wraps around the bell-housing, with a scrap diagram showing where the wires should end, and extra detail is added to the magnetos on the bell-housings. The kit superchargers have flapper covers fitted to the exhausts, removing the tip to keep its length standard. The aft end of the engine nacelle cowlings near the wing trailing-edge is thinned to a more realistic thickness, removing some details on the wings within the confines of the inner nacelles and are filled, creating four flat boxes with mesh fronts that are supported by a pair of brackets that glue into place. There are four of these, and one is fitted into the footprint of each nacelle. The four cooling gill parts are thinned by 0.2mm along the outer surfaces to accommodate replacement skins with the individual gills etched in that can be wrapped around them, two per engine, top and bottom. Nose & Radio Compartment (73830) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete set of detail parts for the Norden bomb sight, and new box in the front of the bomb aimer’s compartment, and a huge quantity of other equipment boxes dotted around the nose compartment are included, some using kit parts as the base for a new pre-painted front, but many on the sidewalls are missing from the kit, and are folded up from PE then faced with a pre-painted front to increase the detail. The ammo feeds leading from the boxes are given a skin that represents the ammo feed in more detail, adding more detailed surfaces to the ammo cans at the same time, and making the missing bomb-aimer’s seat from a length of 1mm rod from your own supplies, putting a PE seat on top and adding lap-belts over the top. The rear of the compartment is also upgraded with a large VW logo-shaped framework that carries several new equipment boxes, fitting it onto the short bulkhead in the front of the cockpit floor, after skinning the front with a new PE part. Moving into the centre fuselage section, control panels on the bulkhead are upgraded with pre-painted PE parts, and fitting a regulator to two nearby oxygen bottles. The radio compartment is substantially upgraded with a new PE floor that also includes a short wall with corrugations etched-in, and installing a framework for the toilet, which is represented by a length of 1.8mm rod from your own supplies again. A large vertical equipment rack is made from PE with painted fronts, installing it under a pre-existing box on the starboard side of the hatch, adding more boxes top the opposite bulkhead. A table is fitted with painted fronts to the moulded-in radio gear, folding up an oscilloscope on a tapered support to the side before fixing it in place over the new floor. The floor hatchway is extended with folded sections of the skin applied to the floor, adding lap-belts to the seat nearby, and two more regulators to O2 bottles in the compartment, and two more in the waist gunner’s position, applying a detail insert to a step in the floor, plus tops to the ammo boxes. The ammo box on the waist guns have their chunky triangular supports removed that are replaced by a separate PE shelf, additional PE around to top and outer surfaces, and a length of ammo link that is strung between the box and the breech, which also has a new PE top-surface fitted to the top. The final part returns to the bomb aimer’s position, adding a windscreen wiper to it on the outside. Undercarriage (72739) This larger bare brass set contains some important enhancements, requiring removal of the ribbing in the upper wings, and the latticework in the bay wall parts. The remaining structure of the bay inserts are skinned with ribbed surfaces, a new roof part, an inner structure of one of the wing formers, folded into two layers to give it extra relief, adding small sections of wall around the edges, then installing new latticework in two steps. The first step brings back the three complete ribs and stringers, creating the fourth partial rib from two parts that are folded double before installation, taking note of the scrap diagrams nearby. The smaller ribbing sections are skinned on both sides near the socket for the main gear legs, which have a new PE bay door fitted to the lower section, removing the chunky scissor-links from the separate retraction jack, replacing it with a new PE unit, adding another scissor-link to the nose gear in a similar manner. The nose gear bay has its two doors replaced by folded PE parts that have a lip to improve adhesion of the hinges, with retraction eyes at the rear ends of each one. US National Insignia (CX668) Masking off the main markings of models removes any pitfalls associated with using larger decals, such as thickness of the carrier film, unintended decal movement before setting, and the perennial scourge of decaling – silvering - where microscopic air bubbles become trapped under the carrier film, reflecting light and giving the completed decal a silvered look. Using masks, it’s possible to paint several colours in very thin layers with an airbrush, leading to a set of markings that are more harmonious with the overall paint finish, and later appear to have been sprayed on along with the main colours. It also makes weathering or chipping the markings as simple as it is with paint. This set is tailored for the Airfix kit, and arrives in a flat-pack resealable package, backed by a small instruction sheet held within along with a sheet of vinyl masks. Why vinyl rather than kabuki tape? Vinyl is more robust and requires more tension to deform it, lending the material to letters, digits and shapes that require precision of size and shape to look correct. The masks include parts for the national markings of the aircraft so you can paint the stars-and-bars on the model, which could be an introduction to using masks and an airbrush to create more realistic markings on future models. Positioning the masks should be straight-forward, but if you have placement issues you could place the positive masks as a guide, then lower the negative masks into position over them, weeding out the positive masks once you are happy with their location. Depending on what colours you are spraying, and the shades you are using, it may take multiple steps and some element of adding and removal of masks, which you can keep together by adding a separate piece of tape across the group of shapes to keep them aligned in between uses. It would also help keeping the groups apart from each other during use, so you don’t get the individual mask sets mixed up. A perfect opportunity to try something new with your modelling, helping to increase the realism of your work by removing the carrier film and associated issues from the equation, at least for the major markings. Conclusion Superb sets that improve the detail in spades, from which you can choose which you want or need. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

B-24J Liberator Upgrade Sets (for Hobby Boss) 1:48 Eduard We reviewed the first batch of Eduard upgrade sets for the new Hobby Boss Liberator, which you can see here – do come back though, as these sets are fun too. Now the second tranche has arrived, and there’s even more detail. 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. Nose & Radio Compartment (491451) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete set of detail parts for the Norden bomb sight, and new box in the front of the bomb aimer’s compartment, and a huge quantity of other equipment boxes dotted around the nose compartment are included, some using kit parts as the base for a new pre-painted front, but many are missing from the kit, and are folded up from PE then faced with a pre-painted front to increase the detail. Moving into the centre fuselage section, a control panel is upgraded with pre-painted PE parts, adding a circular device over a shallow circle on the base part on the port side, and fitting a regulator to two nearby oxygen bottles. The radio compartment is substantially upgraded with a new PE floor that also includes a short wall with corrugations etched-in, narrowing the compartment floor and then filling the gap between it and the fuselage sides with more PE parts. A table is given an angled support underneath, adding a small slatted shelf near the hatch, then building up the radio gear, replacing the front with a pre-painted surface, and fitting a grab handle on the side, installing it under one of the tables. The floor hatchway is surrounded by more PE, adding dials to a box mounted on the wall near the hatch, and creating a new radio box with pre-painted face on the table, plus another tapering box with a circular screen that is sat on a PE riser platform, rolling a circular glare-shield for around the screen. An Elsan (or comparable) toilet is rolled up from PE, with a seat and top cover, then it is inserted into a surround, which is also made from PE parts and installed next to the radio table – who’d be a radio man on long trips? Another shallow box is folded up and has a shallow surround folded to retain a 4mm length of 2mm diameter rod in the centre from your own supplies. It looks like a massive toilet roll holder, but other than its location next to the toilet, I’m almost certain that’s not its real purpose. The forward bulkhead of the radio compartment has a pair of equipment boxes stacked against it, faced with pre-painted fronts, and a grab handle top and bottom of each one. A small piece of PE is fixed to the top of the radio operator’s seat’s mounting beam, and the final part returns to the bomb aimer’s position, adding a windscreen wiper to it on the outside. Undercarriage (481140) This larger bare brass set contains some important enhancements, starting with a replacement for the tail-bumper, folding a lightened strut that is held at an angle by the kit’s actuator. The nose gear bay doors have their lightening holes filled, and a new PE surface added with the holes replicated, plus a hinge part, one set for each door, plus a narrow PE strip that links them together so they move in unison. The main gear legs have the chunky tie-down lugs removed from the lower ends, replacing them with new PE parts that have a peg to slot into a 0.3mm hole that is drilled into the legs where the old eyes were. The wheel hubs are covered with flat PE hub caps, and the raised area on the outer bay has a curved detail skin glued to the vertical surface. The main gear bays have their rear wall detail removed, to be covered later with a more detailed skin, while the front wall has a pair of folded-up PE boxes added, but not before the outboard wall is also stripped of detail and has a new skin and additional framework laid over the top. Two stringers that fall within the bays are totally stripped of their detail on one side and half way on the other, adding new skins and raised framework once the work is done, which includes filling the lightening holes, possibly using sections of suitably sized styrene rod as the instructions suggest. Take care to position the framework parts carefully, as there are large number of them, plus tops for the thicker areas, which will need to be bent to conform to the contours of the kit parts. A small rib section joins the two stringers together near the centre, and it doesn’t escape the upgrades, adding details to the top and both sides, adding a small part to the face, and a lug to the top. All this work goes on in both bays in mirror image, creating a huge improvement to the level of detail within. Bomb Bay (481141) This large bare brass set contains a major upgrade to the detail inside, starting with the rear bulkhead, which has a skin laid over the bland plastic, adding deep vertical ribs to the surface, plus a pair of cog-like parts below a set of rollers in a former, which are made up over three steps in a scrap diagram nearby. The kit C-beams applied to the roof are replaced by more in-scale beams folded from single parts, but it’s not clear whether the kit cross-members are needed or not. The bulkhead under the radio room has raised detail removed before it is skinned with a new PE detail part, adding four vertical beams to each side of the hatch, two replacement plates, additional boxes, cogs, and a header to the hatch, then detailing the roof with a PE skin and beams that are folded up from PE, one of which has four tiny cross-braces glued into the C-shaped recess, using lines etched into the parts as a guide. A winch with end-plates is folded up and attached to one roof section, then the wall section above is skinned and similarly detailed with beams and brackets on each side, comprising several parts each. The central support beam within the bay is detailed with more cogs, and a new equipment box on a palette is folded up to replace part T40, and fitted within the diagonals as per the scrap diagram. The fuselage sides have plenty of detail moulded-in, and the last parts of the PE set are three circular parts per side on stand-off brackets that look similar to a wristwatch. Bomb Racks (481142) This brass set is larger than the others, and is in a larger package that is otherwise similar. Bomb Bay and Bomb Racks sounds similar, but this set has a specialised remit, starting with three-part bomb carriers with shackles, two-part spinners for each of the bombs, and a replacement set of tail fins that are each folded from a single part. A spinner has its blades twisted before it is glued to the nose of each bomb, and a lifting lug is folded and replaces the moulded-in lug that each bomb carries. The forward bomb racks are handed, and should be marked accordingly before they are fitted into the bay, while the rear racks are both identical. The build process is broadly similar however, consisting of a half-etched rear plate, the ladders folded to shape, a detail skin for the ‘rungs’ with a central insert, and small details that are inserted into the outer vertical surfaces of the racks on both sides. A scrap diagram shows the correct layout and layering of the parts from above, then once completed, the four racks are fixed between the bay roof and bottom centre rail instead of the kit parts. Conclusion The detail added with these sets and the other will result in an incredible interior, and if coupled with the first batch, the exterior too. You might not need or want them all, but the choice is wide and entirely up to you. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Consolidated B-24J Liberator Upgrade Sets (for Hobby Boss) 1:48 Eduard For decades, quarter-scale (1:48) modellers had only the Monogram kit in -D and -J forms to build, and while it was a good model for its day, the raised panel lines and simplified detailing was off-putting to some modellers. After Hobby Boss released their 1:32 kit, some modellers wondered if they would ‘shrink’ it down to 1:48, despite the flaws inherent in the larger kit. They were right, and as always there are ways to improve the detail using materials other than injection moulded styrene. 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 & Engines Set (491450) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete set of new layered instrument panel sections that run across the width of the cockpit, the substantial centre console with throttle quadrants are given the same treatment that includes a forest of levers pushed through the quadrant surface; the footwells have a detailed skin applied to the floor; another instrument box in front of the centre console is denuded of detail and has a substantial upgrade, applying a new surface to the larger box below it, and detailing the sides, top and adding control levers before gluing the two components together; both cockpit sidewalls are festooned with several equipment boxes with pre-painted faces and dials, some based upon kit parts, but others new; the overhead console that is missing from the kit is built up on a PE base, gluing the completed assembly to the underside of the canopy between the crew. The four Pratt & Whitney R-1830-35 Twin Wasp engines are upgraded with a wiring loom that wraps around the bell-housing, with a scrap diagram showing where the wires should end. The aft end of the engine nacelle cowlings near the superchargers is thinned to a more realistic thickness, removing some small portions of the supports for the pipework before adding PE strip around the edges, and fitting brackets where the material was removed, which must be done four times in total. Some details on the wings within the confines of the inner nacelles are removed and filled, creating four flat boxes with mesh fronts that are mounted on trapezoid bases, and supported by a pair of brackets that stand on grooves etched into the bases. There are four of these, and one is fitted into the footprint of each nacelle. Zoom! Set (FE1450) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the more structural elements. SPACE 3D Printed Cockpit Decals (3DL48180) 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. Two 3D decals are applied to the floor in the crew footwells, with distances marked in white on the black background, and a large 3D decal is applied to the main panel after removing most of the raised detail originally moulded into the part, also taking the sanding sticks to the centre console, removing moulded-in detail to replace it with decals that provide more details that are already painted better than most of us can manage. The throttle quadrant is shown being removed, but it isn’t clear what is to be done with it after this, and there don’t seem to be any suitable decals, so if your edition of the instructions show it being removed, check carefully before doing so. The other sections of the centre console are stripped of detail and have it replaced by new decals, plus a couple of PE wheels and levers. Both cockpit sidewalls are festooned with several equipment boxes with 3D decal faces and dials, some based upon kit parts, and more fitted to the bulkhead framework between the cockpit and the nose, then the overhead console that is absent from the kit is built up on a decal base, gluing and then completing the assembly on the underside of the canopy between the crew, using pre-painted PE boxes as the base for two instrument clusters. Bulkhead E7 at the rear of the bomb bay is shown having the upper section hollowed out, leaving a 3mm strip around the edge, the reason for this being that it is where three sets of lap belts for the crew are positioned, so the removal makes the model more accurate in the process. Each of the three sets of belts are pre-painted and have comfort pads under the buckles, laying them as if they had been left by the crew after they went to action stations or headed for de-briefing after the mission. More lap belts are provided for the two nose crew, with two sets of four-point belts for the pilots, lap belts for the navigator, and one last set for the upper turret operator just behind the canopy. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1451) 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. To begin with, Bulkhead E7 at the rear of the bomb bay is shown having the upper section hollowed out, leaving a 3mm strip around the edge, the reason for this being that this is where three sets of lap belts for the crew are positioned, so the removal makes the model more accurate in the process. Each of the three sets of belts are pre-painted and have comfort pads under the buckles, laying them as if they had been left by the crew after they went to action stations or to de-briefing after the mission. More lap belts are provided for the two nose crew, with two sets of four-point belts for the pilots, lap belts for the navigator, and one last set for the upper turret gunner just behind the canopy. If this text appears familiar, that is because this set shares most components with the SPACE set above. Masks (EX1041) Supplied on two sheets of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. As well as the main canopy greenhouse, you get masks for the nose, the turrets, the many windows on the sides of the fuselage, and the bomb-aimer’s window, allowing you to cut the demarcations perfectly with little effort. Masks Tface (EX1042) Supplied on a four sheets 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 on a number of occasions, 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, where there typically aren’t any raised frames to act as guides. US National Insignia (EX1043) Masking off the main markings of models removes any pitfalls associated with using larger decals, such as thickness of the carrier film, unintended decal movement before setting, and the perennial scourge of decaling – silvering - where microscopic air bubbles become trapped under the carrier film, reflecting light and giving the completed decal a silvered look. Using masks, it’s possible to paint several colours in very thin layers with an airbrush, leading to a set of markings that are more harmonious with the overall paint finish, and later appear to have been sprayed on along with the main colours. It also makes weathering or chipping the markings as simple as it is with paint. This set is tailored for the Hobby Boss kit, and arrives in a flat-pack resealable package, backed by a small instruction sheet held within along with a sheet of vinyl masks. Why vinyl rather than kabuki tape? Vinyl is more robust and requires more tension to deform it, lending the material to letters, digits and shapes that require precision of size and shape to look correct. The masks include parts for the national markings of the aircraft so you can paint the stars-and-bars on the model, which could be an introduction to using masks and an airbrush to create more realistic markings on future models. Positioning the masks should be straight-forward, but if you have placement issues you could place the positive masks as a guide, then lower the negative masks into position over them, weeding out the positive masks once you are happy with their location. Depending on what colours you are spraying, and the shades you are using, it may take multiple steps and some element of adding and removal of masks, which you can keep together by adding a separate piece of tape across the group of shapes to keep them aligned in between uses. It would also help keeping the groups apart from each other during use, so you don’t get the individual mask sets mixed up. A perfect opportunity to try something new with your modelling, helping to increase the realism of your work by removing the carrier film and associated issues from the equation, at least for the major markings. Review samples courtesy of

Two posts, in one day, that is not standard practice. But here goes nothing. While closing the Mikuma build I have already been doing some small works on the next buil. After much deliberation I have decided to make the bismarck first. This has a simple reason, after that I wan't to solely focus on the IJN. The long term many decades ahead goal is to build one ship of every class of destroyers, cruisers, carriers and battleships in the Imperial navy. So bismarck first, so It can keep Hood company. If I come to it I may also build the Eugen to get a Denmark straight trio in my display cabinet (I don't care for POW). A few important things first, The kit: Revell Bismarck 1/350 The extras: Pontos Set Bismarck 1941 The paintscheme Here stuff gets a little interesting. I want the scheme to be accurate in the sense of what colors went were etc. She is supposed to be shown in early rheinubung colors as in the picture This gives some dynamism to the ship without making it too, I do not know how to put it in english but I might wanna say lively or too imposing, I rather have a subtle painscheme. For that purpose I may employ a little bit of artistic creativity and Remove the blackwhite sidestrips as if the crew was working to paint them over. This would also make the paintjob a lot easier compared to the official setup. I have debated using colorcoats and asked around for some issues that would arise, but in the end I have decided to stick with my current set of tamiya colors. The codes I will use are as follows Hull red: XF 9 Hull red(4 parts) + XF 7 Red (2 parts) + XF 10 Brown(1 part) Bootstrap: XF 69 NATO BLACK (not certain but probably as this is not 100% but a tad less Turret Roofs and fake bow / aft: XF 24 or XF 63 Freeboard: XF 66 Superstructure: XF 19 Anyway I have already done some works, Glued the hull, removed a few pieces, found some parts to be damaged (tip of the bow was broken off) so I have been busy sanding and applying putty, yay, kit had been dormant in stash for over a year so no refund for the damage sadly. Ship is huge and the pontos set is even worse. But I really like to see this ship come together, German ships are very nice in looks so lets not screw this one up. It needs a lot more sanding so I have ordered more sandpaper and also the missing paints (24, 69). My glue is gone cause i mix the putty with glue to make it thin so I need to wait a week until it all arrives.

As per the title, I am looking for tips on making PE cockpit panels more realisitic, weathered and coloured correctly. When I look at the fret with the PE it looks great but doesnt seem to look so good in the model. The colour seems to be slightly off and there is a graininess to the surface. All in all its not realisitic to my eye. I have looked online for videos but dont really seem to be coming up with anything. I would be interested in your views, tips and tricks and links to help improve this aspect of my modelling. Thank you all

dear fellow modellers, I would like to show you this very small helicopter. It is one of the first designs by Kamov and made its first flight in 1949. The engine only had 55 hp. The kit is by AMG and consists mostly of photo etched parts, which makes building it a challenge, at least for me. The instructions were not very helpful in some areas and I had to rely on fotos to construct the complicated mechanical parts. One of the fotos available in the internet shows a Ka-10 landing on a truck, a ZIS 150. That would make a nice scene, I thought. As it was not possible to integrate a pilot figure into the seat and the control elements, I decided to show the aircraft in a kind of fictional scene after landing on the truck. The closest thing to a ZIS-150 I could find was a ZIS-164 by Armada hobby. That required some work to adopt the front grille. As all of the loading area was terribly warped, another kit by Trumpeter of a Chinese truck was needed to replace these parts. The figures are by CMK. Why one of the officers is holding a bottle...well, we don't know. Maybe he is saying: "Excellent landing, Comrade pilot, have a glass of vodka!" which is full of prejudices!! Hope you like the little scene! cheers, Norbert

P-38J Upgrade Sets (for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Tamiya’s new releases of the P-38F/G then H and later J variants has well-and-truly kicked the Academy kit off the number one spot in 1:48 for the most part, the J having been release in 2022, thereby triggering Eduard’s latest efforts. 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), small Brassin, SPACE 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. Interior (491294) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass, plus a small printed piece of acetate sheet. The sidewalls are first relieved of much of their moulded-in detail, to be redecorated with a substantial set of new parts to replace and augment the detail that is there. This includes the throttle quadrant, which has a garden of levers sprouting from both sections, plus more of the instruments that are dotted about the cockpit, and even an insert that is applied to the head of the control column. The gunsight is stripped of its thick clear styrene glass, and is refitted with a PE frame and a piece of acetate cut from the sheet. A complete set of new layered instrument panels and replacement rudder pedals are fitted to the kit panel after removing the original details, with even more instruments and details placed in every nook and cranny. The pilot’s seat is replaced entirely by a new PE unit, which also has a pair of cushions, requiring only a minor alteration to the frame it sits on. Moving to the engine nacelles, the gear bays are upgraded with new ribbed PE parts inside the bulkheads, a two-layered circular grille over the intakes under the prop, and a backing panel that covers the kit detail on the central intake deep inside the boom. Two large radiator fairings on each side of the tail booms are also given two-layer grilles to detail their interiors, with another circular grille and an intake on each side of both nacelles just under the exhaust outlets. The final parts involve removing all of the oleo-scissor links from the three gear legs, and replacing them with folded PE parts, plus additional details on the main gear struts. Zoom! Set (FE1294) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. SPACE 3D Printed Cockpit Decals (3DL48081) 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. On the PE sheet is a set of pre-painted seatbelts for the pilot, with a comfort pad under the buckles, plus a lot of instrument box faces; rudder pedals; levers for the controls; circular bases for winders that require some 0.3mm rod sections from your own stock to complete. More details for the black boxes and a pre-painted frame for the gunsight glass are also included. The decal sheet has a gorgeous instrument panel replacement, plus stencils and all manner of instrument surfaces to give your cockpit the ultimate in detail. Externally, there are beautiful glossy printed identification lights that you will find four of each in green and red for the port and starboard wingtips, plus four more in blue for the sides of the tail fins, with all the kit lumps requiring removal before you can replace them with these super-realistic decals. Wheels (648782) Kit wheels are generally in two halves, which means you have the resultant joins to deal with, possible mould-slip issues on single part wheels, and sometimes less than stellar detail due to the moulding limitations of styrene injection technology, especially in the tread department. That's where replacement resin wheels come in, with their lack of seamline and superior detail making a compelling argument. They are also usually available at a reasonable price, and can be an easy introduction to aftermarket and resin handling, as they are usually a drop-in replacement. This set includes one nose wheel with separate spoked hub caps to be inserted into the centres along with optional PE discs to hide away all that beautiful detail, which seems a shame. The two main wheels have an outboard hub, plus the same bland disc that covers them if you really have to for accuracy. The nose tyre has oval tread and the main gear a diamond tread, with a small sag at the bottom where they join the casting block, and a set of kabuki tape masks (not pictured) to cut the demarcation neatly between tyres and wheels with little effort. A scrap diagram shows a method for removing the flash between the spoke of the hubs and in the middle of the nose gear wheel, using a cocktail stick or something similar to push it out toward the inside. I use the tip of a #11 blade myself, but it’s time consuming and there will be blood. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1295) 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 a set of crew belts, you also get a comfort pad that sits under the buckles to prevent chaffing of the pilot’s general areas. Masks (EX883) 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 (including the out-riggers), allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Masks Tface (EX884) Supplied on a larger sheet/two sheets 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. Conclusion A great bunch of sets to augment a great kit of a great aircraft that I just happen to be watching a documentary about as I type this. Spooky. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Marder 1 on FCM36 Base (36470 for ICM) 1:35 Eduard ICM’s new kit of the ungainly-looking Marder I on French FCM36 chassis crossed the workbench recently here, and Eduard have now released a handy update set in Photo-Etch (PE) brass that takes advantage of the open cab to include pre-painted instruments inside the fighting compartment. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. The set is supplied on two separate frets, one pre-painted over nickel plating, the other bare brass. The first items upgraded are the small inspection hatches that run down the side of each of the skirts, having their clumsy moulded-in latches remove to be replaced by more realistic PE parts with wingnut closures. The pioneer tools have their simplified tie-downs replaced as you’d expect; the twin exhausts are surrounded by curved PE shrouds, with more detailed handles on the inspection hatches on the aft deck nearby. Inside the crew area, the painted parts are used to build up radio gear with a number of parts, plus the framework that attaches it to the sidewall. Four ammunition brackets are made up to fit within the compartment too, with a sighting tool attached to the front edge of the splinter shield to aid in identifying targets. The gun’s support is fitted out with a C-shaped skin inside, then at the rear a pair of PE chains are added to the towing shackles. Review sample courtesy of

Tempest Mk.II Upgrade Sets & Masks (for Eduard/Special Hobby) 1:48 Eduard & Eduard Brassin We’re so lucky to get so many brand new Tempest kits in 1:32 and now 1:48, with this latest Tempest Mk.II ProfiPACK a superb exercise in the current state of the art of styrene injection moulding. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail even further 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), small Brassin sets 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 (3DL48030) 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. This set includes rudder pedals with adjustment wheels; a new set of four-point seatbelts for the pilot; levers for the instrument panels, while the 3D decals cover the instruments on the main panels; the side consoles; compass and adjustment wheel on the throttle quadrant. Exhaust Stacks(648654) This set contains just two parts on a single casting block, which replace the kit parts as drop-in replacements, offering a squared-off hollow lip to each of the eight exhaust stubs, and including detail around the stacks, and the curious angling outwards of the top pipe on each side. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1208) 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. It includes a set of crew belts that consist of a pair of lap belts and the shoulder belts with the section that passes down the rear of the seat to its anchor point on the bulkhead. Masks Tface (EX796) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with everything needed to mask the exterior of the canopy, but also give you another set of 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. The highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition you get a set of masks for the tiny tail-wheel hubs, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Review sample courtesy of

MV-22 Osprey Updates (for Hobby Boss) 1:48 Eduard After the longest time waiting for a decent kit in 1:48 to replace the ageing Italeri kit, Hobby Boss have finally popped up with a worthy successor that has many of the lumps and bumps that have been added since it came into service. 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. Detail Set (491176) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. After a round of moulded-in detail being summarily turned into sanding dust, a complete set of new layered instrument panels with MFDs, overhead panel, and side consoles are the primary parts on the painted set, with a replacement open crew door for the left side, which will require a hole being cut in the fuselage and some sheet styrene to act as extra thickness between the layers; the vestibule between crew and passenger compartments is skinned with new details with the new door stowed in the floor. A set of steps are made up from a number of layers, with a pair of perforated treads and actuator mechanism, plus finely etched handrails; the main gear bays are skinned with new highly detailed panels that have captive cross-ribbing that you fold over, and finally piano-style hinges applied to the outer edge of the main bay doors. Zoom! Set (FE1176) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. SPACE Cockpit Set (3DL48019) 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. This set includes two PE five-point seatbelt sets, rudder pedals and wing mirrors on the PE sheet, with beautifully printed main instrument panels with additional sections for the edge of the coaming, and side consoles all of which require the removing of the moulded-in raised details, as well as a little alteration of the additional kit parts that insert into the styrene panels. The short corridor between the front and rear of the cockpit is then fitted-out with a set of luxuriously quilted sheets that also have a few instruments printed onto them, another large panel in the crew compartment, and a roof panel in the corridor to finish off that area. Finally, the overhead console in the cockpit is stripped of the simplified detail, and covered with a large and detailed instrument panel that really brings it to life. Cargo Floor (481049) The cargo floor included in the kit is there, but it’s nothing more than a couple of raised stripes and some recessed circles, which won’t cut it for a lot of us, especially if we want to put the load ramp down at the rear. This set contains a big sheet of bare PE with skins that have much better detail for the long main bed, as well as the part of the rear door that drops down and acts as the load ramp. As well as the floor skins, there are also separate circular tie-down points that fit within the holes in the new bed. On the load ramp you get a rear side detail insert, and some additional brackets on the sides of the ramp near the attachment points for the retraction jacks. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1177) 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. There are two sets of four-point crew belts that are applied to the form-fitting modern seats which have ballistic protection built-in. Masks (EX773) 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 the wheels , allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Masks Tface (EX774) Supplied on two sheets 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. Conclusion We've now got a complete set of detail for this large kit, and the detail is excellent. Those SPACE sets are really starting to look the business! Review sample courtesy of

This is my Grumman GB year, so I'll build Attack Squadron's 1/48 F2F-1. The F2F was Grumman's second aircraft, after their FF-1. It first flew in 1933, serving in USN and USMC squadrons from 1935 through 1939, when they were replaced by the F3F. The F2F were then relegated to training; the last was stricken in 1943. The F2F inherited its manually cranked retractable landing gear from the FF-1; it was subsequently used in the F3F and F4F. Attack Squadron had outstanding resin kits.They became Arma Hobby and then went to the Injected Side. Some of their subjects, like their wonderful 1/48 RQ-7B and MQ-8B, are now produced by Brengun. And here are the starting pix. Resin, PE, and a vac canopy. Markings are included for USN squadrons VF-2, VF-3B, VF-5, VF-7, as well as USMC squadrons VF-4M and VMF-2. The cockpit looks nearly ready to prime I'm happy the MLG have metal reinforcement The upper wing will be aligned I hope I remember to properly orient the stick PE looks good.

AV-8A Update Sets (for Kinetic) 1:48 Eduard Kinetic have made a lot of 1:48 modellers very happy by releasing a slew of harrier kits of various versions, including the earliest Harrier to see service with the Americans, under the AV-8A designation. 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. Upgrade Set Early (491164) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass, plus a small piece of clear acetate sheet. A complete set of new layered instrument panels and side consoles are the primary parts on the painted set, with HUD and acetate glazing; new rudder pedals; ejection seat details; coaming instrumentation and canopy internal structure also supplied. There are also pylon mating surface detail skins; wheel bay inserts; airbrake skins; blast deflector plates for the rear exhausts; extra panels and skins for the landing gear doors; new oleo scissor-links; raised panels over the engine “lid”, and a template to assist you with accurate placement of the raft of new vortex generators on the upper wing surfaces. Zoom! Set (FE1164) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. Seatbelts STEEL Early (FE1166) 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 a set of crew belts for the initial Martin-Baker seat, you also get a set of the pull-handle between the pilot's knees that gets him out of there in case of an emergency. Upgrade Set Late (491165) Two frets are included almost identical for the early version, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass, plus a small piece of clear acetate sheet. A complete set of new and subtly different layered instrument panels and side consoles are the primary parts on the painted set, with HUD and acetate glazing; new rudder pedals; ejection seat details; coaming instrumentation and canopy internal structure also supplied. There are also pylon mating surface detail skins; wheel bay inserts; airbrake skins; blast deflector plates for the rear exhausts; extra panels and skins for the landing gear doors; new oleo scissor-links; raised panels over the engine “lid”, and a template to assist you with accurate placement of the raft of new vortex generators on the upper wing surfaces. Zoom! Set (FE1165) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. Seatbelts STEEL Late (FE1167) 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 a set of more simplified crew belts for the later Stencel SEU-3/A seat, you also get a set of the pull-handle between the pilot's knees and over the headbox that gets him out of there in case of an emergency. Masks (EX765) 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 (including the out-riggers), allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Masks Tface (EX766) Supplied on a 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. Review sample courtesy of

Su-57 Felon Update Sets (For Zvezda) 1:48 Eduard After a long wait we now have a 1:48 Su-57 Felon in injection styrene thanks to Zvezda, which from my point of view is good news, and I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling that way. 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. Update Set (491152) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete set of new super-detailed instrument panels and side consoles are the primary parts on the painted set, with new rudder pedals; substantial ejection seat details; coaming instrumentation and HUD glazing; sill panels; exterior appliqué panels, and canopy internal structure and external details also supplied. Moving outside, there are grilles, additional detail skins for the main gear bays; nose gear details including a new slatted mudguard and brake hosing; new oleo scissor-links and hoses for the main gear legs; gear bay door details and hinges, plus replacement steering baffles for the AA-12 Adder missiles to replace the thick styrene parts, and exhausts for the AA-11 Archer short-range missiles. The cockpit green may be a little bright for this modern jet, but I have managed to fix this before now by working in the correct colour with a fine brush. It doesn't have to be too tidy, as the underlying green blends well. Check your references and decide for yourself. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1153) 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 a set of complex crew belts with back pad, you also get a set of pull-handles between the pilot's knees that gets him out of there in case of an emergency. Masks (EX757) 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, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Masks Tface (EX758) 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 easily and give your model that extra bit of realism, which will be especially useful if you plan on posing the canopy raised. Review sample courtesy of

Hurricane Update Sets (for Airfix) 1:48 Eduard This is a welcome release for anyone with an Airfix Mk.I Hurricane. Eduard's 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. Upgrade Set (491104) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass, with a small slip of acetate for the gunsight glazing. A complete new layered instrument panel and compass are the primary parts on the painted set, with a new seat that utilises the kit adjustment mechanism; rudder pedals; control column details; sidewall equipment; gunsight with clear acetate lenses; radiator fronts; shell guide covers for the wing mounted machine guns; straps for a receiver in the gear bays, plus additional small skin components and hoses; replacement gun bay covers with inserts for the surrounds; cooling flap on the radiator; actuators for the rudder and trim flap; loop under the access stirrup, and two grab handles on the canopy, one inside and one outside of the glazing. Zoom! Set (FE1104) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted sheet that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1105) These sets 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. This set comprises four parts, a Y-shaped section draped over the seatback, shoulder restraints on a plate that attaches to the base of the head armour, and of course the two lap belts that affix to the sides. It should be noted here that Eduard have shown the Y-shaped part incorrectly placed, when the two upper ends should attach to the back of the shoulder buckles, and the lower end of the Y should disappear through the cut-out low down on the seat back. If you correct this error your belts will look more accurate. Review sample courtesy of

Morning all. Decided for now this is as far as I go with this one until the I get round to the red cross front banner and rear flag....(one day ). From the outset, it was an experimental scratch build with mud.....an effect really not something I'd done in the past....so wanted to give it a go. Anyway, here it is. Hope you like. And please no problem if you want point anything out, I did do it as practice piece for future builds....so open to any critique. Cheers all

Su-27UB Updates (for Hobby Boss) 1:48 Eduard We've been blessed with a huge range of new modern soviet fighters of late in 1:48, with Hobby Boss's Su-27UB filling a hole with a newly tooled kit superseding the ageing Academy one. 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. Interior (49922) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete set of new layered instrument panels and side consoles are the primary parts on the painted set, with new rudder pedals; ejection seat details; coaming instrumentation; HUD with acetate glazing, and canopy internal structure also supplied. Zoom! Set (FE922) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. Seatbelts STEEL (FE923) In case you don't already know, 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 two sets of crew belts, you also get a set of the pull-handles between the pilot's knees that gets him out of there in case of an emergency. Exterior (48964) This larger bare brass set contains some important upgrades, such as delicate new afterburner rings, with scrap diagrams showing how they should be arranged; an interior surface skin for the intake trunk, including the drop-down FOD guards; an interior skin to the air-brake; a substantial skinning and detailing of the main gear bays with additions to the nose gear mudguard grilles; static wicks on the wingtips and rudder, and various aerials and antennae around the airframe. Masks (EX613) 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 masks for some of the other clear lenses around the airframe, plus a masking sheet that smiles at you when you look at it. Masks Tface (EX614) Supplied on a 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, which if used in conjunction with the canopy details from the interior set will ease painting substantially. Review sample courtesy of

Some details of new PE set are installed on model. The set made of 0.05mm thick stainless steel and has many optional parts. ALM_3718 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_3717 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_3714 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_3715 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_3716 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_3720 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_3693 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_3694 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_3697 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_3699 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_3700 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_3705 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_3708 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_3710 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_3713 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr F-14_Tamiya_instruction_PG1 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr F-14_Tamiya_instruction_PG2 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr One more little set of stiffeners around the airframe is also 0.05mm steel. ALM_3719 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr PE4819.Instr by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr

Making photo etched parts at home Many years ago I was a young apprentice in a small electronics company, one of my tasks was making printed circuit boards (PCBs) for prototypes and one off’s. Making PE parts is a very similar process, so I gave it a go. When I made PCBs the boards were pre-coated and we used ferric chloride as an etchant, I’m going to show you how to make a double sided PE using dry film resist. You will need to invest in some bits and bobs to help you along, nearly everything is on good old ebay, the rest you can get in Tesco, ASDA etc, and don’t forget to pick up some wooden or plastic stirrers from Mc Donald’s and the like. I won’t write a long list now of things you need I’ll leave that to the end and get straight to the interesting bits, You may not get success first time but keep practising, I had many fails at various stages getting this right so i'll share what I know. but first this :- Making photo etched parts uses some hazardous chemicals and as such safety steps should be taken in the form of protective clothing, gloves, goggles etc. The chemicals are corrosive to skin as well as to brass so should be immediately washed off with plenty of water if contact with skin occurs, medical attention may be required as well. By continuing to read this article you must accept that YOU are responsible for your own safety and should read all labels and safety data sheets available. Nuff said, lets get on with it. Artwork The artwork was printed on over head projector (OHP) film for inkjets this film has a rough and a smooth side. The rough side is the printing side. We are going to use negative resist film so when you create your artwork white is where you want brass and black is where it is to be etched away. You will notice the ‘sprue gates’ are only on the rear art work this is so they get etched away from one side only and become half the thickness off the surrounding brass. Start off by creating your artwork without the gates so the parts are ‘floating’ with no attachment to the surrounding frame, save this file call it ‘front’ or something now make a copy of that file and call it ‘rear’. Open the rear file into your editing software and draw the ‘gates’ in. You now have 2 files front and rear. Print your files using your printers best settings, on mine I have selected Print quality high, Use black ink only, darkness max, contrast max, high resolution paper. If your software can print alignment/crop marks, use them! If not add some crosshairs to your art work but they must be the same on both files so check for this before you create the second file. The two artworks are shown here, top is the front with the floating parts bottom is the rear with the 'sprue gates' (to be printed mirror image) Fold lines should be on the inside of the fold and twice the thickness of the brass. Printing preference page manual ajustment pop up page Because I’m from up north and a bit tight, to save on OHP film print off one of your artworks on plain paper first, now you can cut out a bit of OHP film appropriate to the size of your artwork to include the alignment marks, tape this to the paper over where it is to print and put it back through the printer, same again with the other file. Print the rear one as a mirror image and let them dry for an hour or so. I’ve tried using laser printers for the artwork but the blacks aren't as deep, I find the inkjet better. We have 2 artworks, the rear one should be turned upside onto a white surface or light box if you have one. Cut the top art work out so it just includes the alignment marks but make sure it smaller than the bottom one. Now carefully align the two together on top of each other with printed sides on the outside, this is where your alignment mark come into use, use a magnifying glass if necessary. When you are satisfied that you cannot get aligned any better put a piece of tape across one edge to form a hinge and make sure it doesn't move as you do so. We now have our art work prepared, did you make that second check that is defiantly aligned? If it has moved peel off the tape and do it again, super accuracy is required here if your PE is going to be of any use. Cut out a piece of brass just bigger than the artwork with scissors and give it a clean with Acetone, IPA or other solvent. I'm going to use a 0.005" or 0.125mm gauge sheet Applying the resist The resist is a negative resist so the bits that get exposed to UV cure and harden while the unexposed bits stay weak, the resist should be stored in the dark and away from sunlight. It should also be kept away from sunlight and bright lights while your work with it until it has been developed. Switch the laminator on. Cut out two pieces of resist just larger than the brass, the resist is in between 2 protective sheets you need to remove one before applying to the brass. Take one piece and with two bits of tape on either side of one corner pull them apart, one of the protective sheets should come away, you might find it takes a couple of goes to get this. Put your brass on something flat that will be easy to turn around as you work, a hotel room key is ideal for this, make sure there is no dust or anything and put a big blob of water on it. Take your piece of resist, find the side without the protective layer (it’s the side that feels sticky if you touch it on the edge, don’t touch the bit that’s going on the brass) and gently offer this side to the brass, when it touches the water, the water will grab it, gently lower it on and let it settle. Check there are no air bubbles trapped, if there are just lift the resist a little and gently give the bubble a little persuasion to depart. You might need a little more water before lowering the resist down again. When you’re happy that there is nothing there except a thin layer of water give the centre of the sheet a small press just to tack it into place and stop it slipping, then with a tissue or soft cloth work the water out from the centre don’t press hard just yet, if you do it will tack that bit onto the brass making it harder to remove should you find an air bubble. Once you are happy that you have ALL the water out with NO air or water bubbles trapped smooth the resist down with a bit of pressure. Take a piece of paper and fold it in half, gently lift the brass off using a scalpel blade to break the adhesion and place it in your folded paper. The paper acts as a carrier to go through the laminator if you put the brass through naked it will get bent and damaged, also as its small it might get lost in there, with all the electrical hazards you might expect with a loose bit of metal rattling inside an electrical appliance. Once though the laminator, open up the paper, the resist will be stuck to the brass except where there is air or water trapped, you did get it all out didn’t you? The overlap will also be stuck to the paper so take your scalpel and cut the brass sheet free. Do the same for the other side. Exposure You need a UV light source, ebay has some ladies gel nail curing lights for £10-15, they come with four bulbs two above and one on each side, you only want the light going straight down through the artwork onto the brass so leave the side bulbs out and put them some ware safe, these are now your spares. You need two sheets of glass, I found two cheap 4”x6” photo frames the ones that are just glass and wooden back in Tesco for 50p each kept the glass a threw the rest away. Make sure they are clean, now slip your brass between the two artworks making sure you are happy with the positioning then sandwich this between the sheets of glass and clip together with bulldog clips. A quick check that the brass is still in the right place, no foreign objects obscuring things and the handles of the clips are not in the way. -Optional- You get a slightly sharper image if you remove the protective sheets at this stage however you run the risk of the resist getting stuck to the artwork if this happens you will need to strip the resist off the brass and start again. This is why the artwork has been prepared printed side out. If you get the resist on the artwork IPA or acetone may get it off (only clean the non-printed side) but you could end up having to print a new artwork. Expose this to UV light, I have a bit of cardboard clipped to the side not being exposed, this is just to stop light spilling round to the rear so you can remain in control of how much exposure takes place. Once exposed turn over, swap the card to the other side and expose the other side. Timing, getting the timing tight is critical, too short and your resist is not suitably hardened, to long and you start to expose the bits you shouldn't, remember the artwork is actually translucent the black bits don’t block the light completely they just attenuate it. I have found 45 seconds per side seems to be the optimum timing, this will all depend on how dark your black is, how strong the light is, how close the bulb is, how old the bulb is. 45 second is for my setup yours may differ, some experimenting maybe required. Once done your brass should have the image on it with the exposed bits turning darker blue. Edit - You can use sunlight to expose but be careful as this is an unknown and variable quantity so you could end up over exposing it. Developing As I said earlier exposure to UV light hardens the resist leaving the unexposed areas soft and dissolvable in the ‘developing’ fluid. The fluid we are going to use is a sodium hydroxide solution. Sodium hydroxide is caustic soda sold as household drain cleaner. We need to make a 5% solution of this. I’m going to make 50ml of the stuff. 1ml of water weighs 1 gram so 5% of 50g is 2.5g. you need to make enough to submerge the brass in your container, find out how much you need either in volume (ml) or measure the weight of the water (g) and multiply this figure by 0.05 e.g. 50g x 0.05 = 2.5g. This is how much caustic soda you need to weigh out. Dissolve this in your measured amount of warm water. You’ve now made your developing fluid. Be careful, this is corrosive and will cause chemical burns. I warm the fluid up by leaving the it in the airing cupboard where it is 38°c, Remove the protective layers from your brass with tape on the corner, once the protection is removed avoid putting the brass flat down on any surface, if you do the unexposed bits may well stick to it and you will be back to stripping and starting again. Dunk you brass in the fluid for 2-3 min to dissolve the unexposed resist, you will see it dissolving and turning opaque or milky. Then wash the resist away under a running tap, you can assist this by gently brushing it off with an old paintbrush under the tap. Have a really good look to see if you got all the resist off look carefully as it can be difficult to see. If there is any left put it back in the solution for another minute and wash off again. Don’t leave it in for too long however as it may start to dissolve the exposed stuff too. Once your satisfied you have got it all off put it back under the UV to see if you missed anything, if you did, strip the brass with acetone (see stripping at the end) and start again. Pain in the neck I know, but you haven’t yet etched it so you can reuse the brass. Better to find out now rather than once you've etched it in my opinion. Etching To etch we are going to use an acid to erode away the brass. Sodium persulphate is an etchant used in making PCBs, other etchants are available including ferric chloride, ammonium persulphate & potassium persulphate. For sodium persuphate a 20% solution is needed so multiply your weight/volume of water require by 0.2, so for 50ml of etchant weigh out 10g of sodium persulphate. I haven’t tried other etchants yet, so other ones may need different concentrations. This is also highly corrosive and will cause chemical burns. Find a suitable non metallic container and stirrer and dissolve the etchant in the appropriate amount of water in the same way as you made the developer, and warm it up for use, for me that’s put it back in the airing cupboard again. (It may take a few minutes of stirring to fully dissolve.) Submerge the brass in the etchant, as the etchant tends to become more concentrated at the bottom give it a stir every 10 mins or so until fully etched. The pic shows pin holes starting to appear after 28mins and after 50mins it was fully etched. Keep an eye on it. I nearly over etched this one as I was writing this article at the time. Don’t forget the areas that are going to be etched from one side only will carry on being etched until it is washed off and also the etchant will start to undercut from the sides. So as soon as you are satisfied that it is fully done. Remove it from etchant and fully rinse it under a tap. The etching time will increase as the etchant becomes exhausted the more times you use it, the same will happen with your developer. Stripping Soak the PE in acetone for a few minutes to remove the resist, it should start to peel of but might need a little help. The acetone will become purple in colour and becomes a fantastic dye so watch you don’t spill it, I have a bottle I keep the used acetone in just for cleaning PE. The photo actually shows it in water and is just for illustration! If all is well you've just made your first PE, go have a beer or three to celebrate. Things you need Brass http://www.ebay.co.u...=item5d304537b0 Dry film http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw=dry+film&_osacat=0&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.Xdry+film+photoresist&_nkw=dry+film+photoresist&_sacat=0&_from=R40 OHP film http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=inkjet+ohp+film&_sop=15 UV Light http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1311.R1.TR10.TRC0.A0.Xuv+na&_nkw=uv+nail+lamp&_sacat=0&_from=R40 Sodium hydroxide, caustic soda cleaning product section of ASDA Tesco etc Glass sheets - cheap photo frame Spatula http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_nkw=laboratory+spatula&_frs=1 Etchant Different types are available - Sodium persulphate, ferric chloride, ammonium persulphate & potassium persulphate. Couldnt find the Sodium persulphate I used doesnt seem to be listed, http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw=pcb+etchant&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.Xetchant&_nkw=etchant&_sacat=0 Edit 28/8/13 Looks like the Sodium persulphate is listed on ebay again http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.Xsodium+persulphate&_nkw=sodium+persulphate&_sacat=0&_from=R40 Containers, I used lab beakers, do a search on Borosilicate beaker Scales, search pocket scales or micro weighing scales Stirrers grab a hand full at McDonald’s Timings & quantity's Exposure 45sec per side 1ml of water weighs 1gram Developer 5% strength 2-3mins at 38°C Etchant 20%strength 45min to 1:30 at 38°C (Sodium persulphate) Single side etch To make a single side etch, still apply resist to both sides of the brass and expose the rear completely. etching time will be double as the etchant can only eat through the brass from one side so has twice as much go through to meet the other side. I'll make updates to this as I find new things but in the meantime good luck! Mark

Su-17/22UM-3K Fitter Update Sets (For Kitty Hawk) 1:48 Eduard After a long time with no new toolings of the glorious Fitter, like London buses they all came at once. Kitty Hawk's range of variants has been expanding rapidly, and this set is designed for the UM-3K, which is shown in Polish Tiger-Stripe colours on the kit boxtop. 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. Interior (49888) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete set of new layered instrument panels, side consoles, side walls and floor skins are the primary parts on the painted set, with ejection seat details; coaming instrumentation, HUD and canopy internal structure also supplied. Zoom! Set (FE888) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. Seatbelts STEEL (FE889) In case you don't already know, 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 two sets of crew belts, you also get a set of the pull-handles between the pilot's knees that gets him out of there in case of an emergency. Exterior (48951) This larger bare brass set contains some important upgrades, such as delicate new afterburner rings, with instructions for shortening the trunking for accuracy; new pitot vanes; filler caps for the fuel tanks; the recessed box for the sensor in the shock-cone; antennae on the nose, tail and the rest of the airframe; wing-root plates with the correct rivet pattern; weapons rail attachment surface skins; new strakes on the fixed inner wing as well as other details around the hinge point. The gun trough is replaced by a new detailed box, with breech details added to the gun, and a new door with ejection chute is provided to finish it off. Air Brakes (48952) The Fitter has four air brakes on the aft fuselage, and to detail the bays they must be squared off by removing the sections marked in red on the instructions, after which the new bays are folded up, internal detail is added, and they are glued in place instead of the kit parts. The kit brakes are then thinned, and a new detailed skin is glued to the inside face, while the kit actuator is used. Repeat until you have four and that's it. Masks (EX585) 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, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Masks Tface (EX586) Supplied on a 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. Review sample courtesy of

Tomahawk Mk.II Update Sets (For Airfix A05133) 1:48 Eduard It's a reboxing of the 2016 P-40B kit with British decals and name, but the same plastic in the box. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner, much of which will be identical to their previous P-40B sets. 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 (49875) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete set of new layered instrument panels that fit over the existing panel and sidewall details, are the primary parts on the painted set, with new seat in scale-representative PE; radio hatch interior detail; six mesh inserts for the intakes in the nose; cooling doors to the aft of the chin scoop; gear bay inserts; gear bay covers and brake hose parts as well as tie-down points for main and tail; access panels; ring & bead sights on the nose, and rudder actuator are also supplied. Zoom! Set (FE875) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. Seatbelts STEEL (FE874) In case you don't already know, 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. landing flaps (48941) Eduard landing flaps use an ingenious technique to achieve excellent true-to-scale flaps using few parts, and requiring the modeller to simply remove the retracted flaps from the lower wing, plus scrape the upper wings to accommodate the thickness of the completed bays. The two flap sections (bay and flap itself) are constructed in the same manner, by twisting and folding over the attached ribs to create a 3D shape, with extra parts added along the way. The bays glue to the inside of the upper wing with the flap attached to the rear wall of the new bay via a fold. Repeat this for the other side, and you're almost done. The bays have a rod running along the bay, which is 0.5mm thick and isn't included in the set, so you'll need to make sure you have some in stock, and a set of jacks are fitted later to obtain the correct angle once deployed. A small cover panel fits toward the middle, which is folded gently twice to match the profile of the bay ribs before it is installed. I've built a set of these for the previous P-40B boxing, and you can see how they look below. Masks (EX570) 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 the tail wheel, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Review sample courtesy of

Sea Hurricane Mk.IIb Upgrades (for Airfix A05134) 1:48 Eduard Airfix's Sea Hurricane is a minor re-tool of their popular and still fairly recent Hurricane kit, which was well received on launch some while back. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner, and many of the parts will be familiar if you have the sets for the kit it is based upon. 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 (49873) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete set of new layered instrument panels and side consoles are the primary parts on the painted set, with new rudder pedals; a brand new metal seat with details; sidewall instrumentation; radiator surface panels and rear vent-flaps; ammo feeder details; gear bay parts; rudder actuator and trim actuator rods, edging and access panels to the gun bays, and canopy handles are also supplied. Zoom! Set (FE873) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. Seatbelts STEEL (FE876) In case you don't already know, 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. landing flaps (48940) Eduard landing flaps use an ingenious technique to achieve excellent true-to-scale flaps using few parts, and requiring the modeller to simply remove the retracted flaps from the lower wing, plus scrape the upper wings to accommodate the thickness of the completed bays. Each half of the two flap sections (bay and flap itself) is constructed, the flap by twisting and folding over the attached ribs to create a 3D shape, with extra parts added along the way. The bays fold up simply and glue to the inside of the upper wing and the flap attaches to the rear wall of the new bay. Repeat this for the other side, and you're almost done. You'll around 120mm of 1mm rod cut into four sections to act as the hinge-point of each of the flap sections, so make sure you have some on-hand. Masks (EX571) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, one for each pane of the canopy and windscreen. In addition you get a set of hub masks for all the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Review sample courtesy of

This is my first post although not my first kit, it's also a bit of a test drive on how to post photos and any receive any criticism my skin is thick so don't hold back!

Piranha Photo Etch Tool 13.5cm, 19.5cm & 30cm RP Toolz via Modelling Tools Photo-Etch (PE) at first appears to be a bit of a dark art to the novice modeller, but it can be a useful way of obtaining more realism in your work, but you need to have a few tools to hand if you're going to use it properly. Modern PE sets have a degree of cut-out-and-fit parts that anyone can use without spending money on tools other than a sharp knife and some tweezers. When you get more adept you're going to be folding PE, which requires a steady hand and at the very least some flat bladed pliers, which at best are a bit of a blunt instrument for many of the finer tasks, and lack length. A PE Bending Tool is the ultimate in PE tools, and consists of a flat plate with a clamp that has a number of different shaped and sized "fingers" projecting from the top plate. This one from RP Toolz has many, many fingers on the 195mm edition that I'm reviewing, but also has a few more on the longer 300mm monster, and a few less but more tightly spaced on the entry-level 135mm unit. The top plate is secured by spring-loaded knurled knobs that screw down onto bolts set into the lower plate, with a brass insert ensuring long life. The short plate has two knobs, the medium three, and the longest has four, all to obtain equal pressure along the entire jaw, and prevent PE slipping when being worked. All lengths have two tight-fitting pegs projecting through the top plate for perfect alignment at all times, and to remove the top you have to pull it off perfectly squarely or it will jam due to the fine tolerances. The base plate has a shiny surface and is made from hard metal, which I tried unsuccessfully to marr with a blade, although it does pick up fingerprints quite easily. The underside is covered with a black flock material to reduce slippage and protect your desktop from damage. The top plate is black, and has a PE Piranha logo attached in the centre, with the exception of the 195mm tool, which has it offset due to the central knob. A one-sided razor blade is included in the box in a card sleeve, which is used to "pick up" the edge of the PE part to be bent, and allow you to start the bend. You can pick up more blades cheaply on eBay or at any good hobby store if you dull or lose your original. To keep your device safe and usable, don't use it to hold anything it wasn't designed for, keep the tension on the screws to an appropriate level, and do your best never to drop it, as all those things might result in distortion of the plates, which will reduce its effectiveness. Conclusion I've had a PE tool for years now, and it was starting to show its age due to its aluminium construction. This one has none of the weakness of aluminium, and in use has both a wide variety of finger widths and shapes, as well as the option to spin the top plate 180o to use the straight rear edge for particularly long parts. When you come up against a part with a long folded edge that's about 3mm wide, using anything other than one of these tools is likely to result in disaster. I find the more even tension on the plate to be of great use, giving you confidence to work with all the fingers, not just the central ones. Initially I thought that the lack of groove in the base plate that was present on my old tool would be an issue, but having used it now I find that it makes no difference to the process, and the additional weight of the thing is reassuring. Very highly recommended. 135mm Tool 195mm Tool 300mm Tool Review sample supplied by

STEEL Photo-Etched Seatbelts 1:48 Eduard Eduard's new STEEL seatbelt range combines the simplicity of pre-painted Photo-Etch (PE) belts with the thin, flexible steel that they now use, resulting in seatbelts that look more in-scale, and are easier to bend to drape more naturally over the ejection seat or crew seat as the case may be. The paint used also seems more flexible, and better able to cope with the rigors of fitting the belts into position without cracking and peeling off, which was sometimes a danger with the previous nickel-plated brass types. As well as coming pre-painted, they are also shaded to imply further depth to the buckles and overlaps, with the clasps, slides and attachment points showing bright in conjunction with the painted portions. 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. This recent batch is quite numerous, so let's get on with it! Early RAF Seatbelts (FE811) Containing two full sets of early-type harnesses for fighters, including the two-part shoulder section and the lap straps, with instructions for correct assembly included. Luftwaffe WWII Fighters Seatbelts (FE812) This set includes two sets of belts each for Fw.190 and Bf.109, with separate shoulder and lap-belts, and the large cushioning pads under the buckles as separate parts. Seatbelts France WWI (49108) Five types of belts are depicted in this set, three of which seeing service from 1914-1916, the other two throughout the whole of WWI. Three of each type are included, some of which are really quite bright, and several types need a small section of wire to act as the attachment point for the belts if ultimate realism is to be achieved. You are helped in this by two scrap diagrams showing the correct shape of the two types of attachment. Seatbelts IJAAF WWII (49109) Three types of belt are included in this set, all of the lap-type, split between Nakajima in leather or cloth, and Kawasaki, all of which have a separate pad under the buckle. Seven of each type are included in the set, along with two sizes of belt pads. Mig-21 Seatbelts (49110) One complete set of seatbelts, plus the very important (to the pilot at least) ejection handle for between his knees are included in this set. F-4 Seatbelts Green (49111) Two sets of identical crew belts are included, which is handy, given that the Phantom is a two-seater! Made up of eleven separate parts including the leg restraints, it should add sufficient detail to a stock seat to distract the viewer from any simplification of the kit plastic. F-4 Seatbelts Grey (49112) Yep – same as above, but in grey not green. Review samples courtesy of

So I picked this up for a couple of English ponds from a chines website just to have a go at one, for the price its got some great detail and was great fun to build. The instruction are not the best and is my first time with anything PE and thats my excuse for a poorly finished kit and a few broken parts but I will definitely be ordering a few more. Im tempted to put a grey wash over it to bring out some of the details. one for size in my hand.