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Found 24 results

  1. EA-18G Growler Upgrade Sets (for MENG) 1:48 Eduard Meng’s new series of Super Hornet kits now includes a single-seater -E, twin-seater -F, and the latest Growler, which is an electronic warfare variant of the airframe, packed with hardware in underslung pods to disrupt enemy operations and ease the way of their allies on difficult missions over enemy territory. Those three kits are impressively detailed, but you can always improve on styrene perfection with other media. 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), SPACE 3D printed 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 smaller Brassin resin sets arrive in the new shallow cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. EA-18G Update Set (491288) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass, plus a small slip of acetate sheet with HUD glazing shapes printed on its surface. A complete set of two new layered instrument panels that are full of MFDs complete with deep lustrous green screens; side consoles with added levers for both cockpits and additional instrument boxes for the bulkheads, and even a button-studded front for the control column. The floor of the pilot’s area has a combined interior skin and rudder pedal box, and just above it on the coaming is a new PE HUD with twin acetate films cut from the included sheet to replicate the glazing. The turtle-deck behind the pilots is augmented with additional parts, requiring some small lengths of 1.2mm rod; the windscreen is finished with a horse-shoe lip; with another on the canopy that has rear-view mirrors included, with more for the rear-seater; the canopy is further upgraded with a wiring harness inside the rear, sidewalls to the interior with a row of hooks to close the canopy, and a detail skin at the very rear that will only be seen if the canopy is posed open. The exterior is then updated with a brand-new four-layer nose gear bay door with additional PE hinges and actuator attachment points, plus a small area bowed outward by using a ball-pen from the other side; the rest of the landing gear bay doors are fitted out with actuator-points; the built-in crew access ladder has the option of being deployed, by removing the detail and adding a shallow bay, plus a short door that hangs down, and the ladder itself, which is made up from twin-layered sides and folded-over rungs that are joined together and attached to the interior of the new bay, and uses the kit’s stay plus two more from the PE set, one V-shaped, the other with a square attachment patch that stands out at an angle. The weapons pylons are fitted with attachment surfaces so that if you leave any/all of them empty, as is often the case in real-world instances, the detail will be suitable for inspection. The final parts are wiring and hoses for the landing gear legs, one for the nose gear leg, and two each for the cranked main gear. There is also a small equipment box added to the side of the nose gear bay, just for completeness. Zoom! Set (FE1288) 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 (FE1289) 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; anti-flail leg straps; a replacement headbox detail insert on both sides of each seat, and a number of stencils for the sides of the seats. Ejection Seats (648773) This set arrives in a small Brassin box, and contains the parts necessary to complete a pair of highly detailed ejection seats for your model. Each seat is supplied as a main element, to which the seat cushion is affixed. A resin umbilical hose is fitted to the left side of the seat, and a full set of four-point crew belts are supplied in painted PE for the pilots, along with some small parts to fit to the seat’s sides and some anti-flail leg restraints to protect the crew in case of ejection, after pulling the stripy new handle between their knees. It’s worth noting that where it is needed, the PE has been painted on both sides so you don’t have to faff about matching colours if shiny nickel can be seen on completion. Wheels (648774) 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. There are four wheels on separate casting blocks in the flat-pack set, plus two separate hubs for the main gear wheels. All of them are drop-in replacements for the kit parts once removed from their blocks, and to assist you with painting, there is a sheet of pre-cut kabuki-style masking material included (not pictured), to help you cut the demarcations perfectly with little effort. Masks (EX876) 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 (EX877) 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, which will be especially useful if you have the PE upgrade set, as it provides you with canopy interior details. Highly recommended, one and all. Review sample courtesy of
  2. SSTO Ranger Update Set (02422-1/72 for Moebius) 1:72 GreenStrawberry The Film Interstellar made a few folks scratch their heads, a few more yawn at times, while many others were thrilled and enthralled watching this fictitious expedition across the universe and time. Deep, huh? There were some interesting and plausible ships and near future tech exhibited on the screen, including one of the most unusual robots to take part in a Sci-fi film, bearing a striking resemblance to a stack of slabs of stainless steel when at rest. In order to get around away from the mothership on the Endurance mission, the ship carried two Single Stage To Orbit (SSTO) spacecraft, named Ranger 1 and Ranger 2. These wedge-like ships have a crew of four plus one of the four former US Marine robots, TARS being the most prominent in my memory after the rapid departure from Miller’s Planet near the Black Hole. The set is to augment the moulded-in detail of the Moebius kit of the Ranger in 1:72, released in 2015 and getting more difficult to find as time goes by and the film fades from memory. That should mean that there are plenty out there in stashes that could benefit from the detail that this set brings to the party. As usual, the set arrives in GreenStrawberry’s clear foil packaging with black card liner that has green and red branding, whilst inside is a large fret of Photo-Etch (PE), a thick chunk of card for protection, and the folded-up instruction sheet that is also doing some protective duties. The base kit is quite simple, having solid styrene windows and no interior despite being in a larger scale, and the exterior is on the menu for GS will fix. Firstly however, the ‘real’ underside has a section of the fuselage covered in long narrow vents that aren’t particularly well-represented in the kit. That section of the fuselage is removed completely and is replaced by a PE section that has etched-in crease lines, and the louvers etched completely through at all but the pivot-points at the ends, which allows them to be twisted/rotated to an angle once they are in position under the fuselage. It would be wise to create an inner lip around this section to give the PE something to ledge upon so that it won’t push through with accidental pressure. The top surface is dotted with 22 windows of various shapes and sizes that are cut out and the bezel detail removed then sanded smooth. The fret includes a full set of PE bezel/frames and a sheet of acetate with the window shapes pre-printed on them. These are cut from the sheet and glued behind the frames and then applied to the window apertures as per the accompanying diagrams. If you don’t like masking, you could use the PE frame parts to make masks spirograph-style for the acetate before you join them together, making the painting an easier task, or treat yourself to the mask set, also from GS. The kit has no interior however, so it would be an ideal time to engage the services of Black 3.0 or Musou black to make the interior as dingy and invisible as possible. The topside also has a pair of two-layer laminated exterior instrument panels on the rear, much like the panels seen at the rear of the Space Shuttle. There is an upper panel that wraps around the rear of the ship, and this is detailed with a large PE skin that has fine grating etched-in, improving immensely on the kit details. At the rear, there is a large circular air-lock with an engine exhaust at each side. The blank panel behind this is first removed and consigned to the bin, then the detail over-layer has the circular centre removed too, to be replaced by a PE lamination with latch details added from the rear, and a triple laminated ring around the front edge, which means that the initial cut will need to be as smooth and circular as you can manage. The two exhausts are decked out with PE inner tips, finishing off the set nicely. Conclusion The original kit wasn’t overly expensive, so you can forgive Moebius for skimping on the detail, but this set goes a long way to correct that, giving the windows the correct sheen and depth, and upping the detail where it matters. An interior would be awesome, but maybe that’s a topic for another day. Highly recommended. PE Upgrade Set (02422-1/72) Mask Set (AM020-1/72) Review sample courtesy of
  3. SR-71 Blackbird Update Sets (For Revell) 1:48 Eduard Revell made a lot of people happy when they released their new tool of the sleek SR-71 Blackbird in 1:48 scale, consigning most of the old Testors kits to eBay or deep stash, mine included. It’s a big improvement in terms of constructional rigidity and detail, but there’s always room to improve on injection moulded plastic. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in their 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 (491251) Two frets are included, both nickel-plated and pre-painted. A complete set of new layered instrument panels and side consoles with added levers for both of the cockpits in full colour with small areas of acetate sheet used in the process; floor and sidewall skins for them both; a big upgrade to the ejection seat rails on the back of the seats and in the rear of the cockpits, plus control details; side-pockets for the cockpits; plus canopy internal details and rear-view mirrors. Zoom! Set (FE1251) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main visible 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 (3DL48059) The Eduard SPACE sets use new 3D printing techniques that lay down successive layers of different colour resin, creating highly realistic almost full complete panels that are supplied on a decal sheet. They can depict metallic shades, plus glossy, satin and matt colours too, which really ups the detail on everything they print. In addition, a small sheet of nickel-plated and pre-painted PE is included for the aspects of the set that lend themselves better to this medium, such as seatbelts and rudder pedals. The 3D printed sheet includes a full set of instrument panels and side consoles in glorious colour and with relief engineered in, while the PE sheet has a full set of four-point seatbelts and pull-handles for both seats; additional levers for the throttle quadrants; rudder pedal boots; additional equipment in the rear cockpit that is removed earlier; side-pockets; rear-view mirrors and a flip-up tray with a foil/styrene(?) surface that you should prepare from your own stocks. The gloss on the screens in the instrument panels is so realistic, which is one of the reasons I’m such a big fan of the range - the photos don't do them justice. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1252) 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. Masks (EX836) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the exterior of the canopy. 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 (EX837) 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 an appropriate colour and give your model that extra bit of realism. Review sample courtesy of
  4. Ju.88C-6 Detail Upgrades (for ICM) 1:48 Eduard ICM have been busily filling many a gap in the ranks of kits of German bombers from WWII, and are well on the way to creating a nearly complete line-up of Junkers Ju.88s for the modelling public. 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 (491159) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass, plus a small slip of clear acetate. A complete set of new layered instrument panels and side consoles with tons of levers in the cockpit; radio wall at the rear; fire extinguisher details; a big upgrade to the sidewall detail; replacement gunsight using the acetate as glass and PE parts; a new set of rudder pedals and support details; yoke insert with a dial; two new boxes at the left side of the radio gear and an ammo box low down and to the right, with the final section detailing the interior of the canopy and machine guns with sights, ammo belts etc. Zoom! Set (FE1159) 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 (FE1160) These belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. The pilot gets a set of four-point belts with a PE grommet around the hole in the back of the seat, the gunner has a set of lap-belts, and a simple loop-belt for the jump-seat low down near the gondola. Exterior (481043) This larger bare brass and acetate set contains some important upgrades, such as engine wiring loom, annular radiator panels and exhaust enhancements; gear leg details, skins and brake hoses; a local instrument panel on the engine bearer with film mid-layer; engine bay door; interior ribbing for the gear bays; bay door openers and a skin for the tail wheel bay doors; various access panels around the underwing area and on the sides of the nacelles, and actuators for the trim-tabs on the ailerons. Masks (EX759) 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 main and tail wheel, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Masks Tface (EX760) 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, which will tie-in nicely if you have the cockpit set with extra detail. Review sample courtesy of
  5. Jagdtiger Detail Set (36454 for Takom) 1:35 Eduard Takom’s recent Jagdtiger opened up the 1:35 market to three main choices for this monsters, and here’s a set of upgrades to the existing detail that you can use to improve your kit. 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 set is etched from a single sheet of unpainted brass, and contains a wealth of parts to detail your Jagdtiger. A set of exhaust surrounds that require the use of a ball-point pen to mould the recessed strips into stiffeners is first, which go around the cast exhaust parts to deflect small arms fire and generally protect the exhausts and the crew from burning themselves on them. The pioneer tools are also comprehensively upgraded with new tie-downs and brackets; armoured covers for the various vision ports and targeting binoculars; a multi-part mount for the headlight; a thorough updating of the kit fire extinguisher that includes surface detail as well as the bracket; A new ring sight for the AA MG42 machine gun; a new wood textured jack-block with mounts, strapping and handle; a template for forming the exhaust shrouds plus brackets; extra details on the jack shackles at the very rear, and a carry handle for the jack itself. Conclusion It’s not the largest set in terms of square inches/centimetres, but it does add a lot of detail to important areas, while the exhaust shrouds are more in scale and can be dented or perforated more realistically by the modeller. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  6. Hawker Hunter F.4/F.5 Upgrade Sets (for Airfix) 1:48 Eduard Airfix’s new Hunter family has been a welcome addition to their range, and has consigned a lot of old Academy kits to deep stash or eBay, which is often the way of things in our hobby. 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. Hunter F.4 Detail Set (491082) This set is provided on two sheets of brass, one of which has been nickel-plated and printed with highly detailed instruments, panel details etc., plus a small slip of clear acetate with HUD glass shapes printed as a guide for cutting out. 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 also supplied. On the outside are a new set of stator blades for the engine’s front face, oleo scissor-links, a set of new bay doors and internal detail inserts, some substantial raised detail for the air-brake, two hoops for the windscreen (with rear-view mirror) and canopy edge frames, tiny vortex generators in the intakes, and links for the aft nose bay door. Zoom! Set (FE1082) 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. Hunter F.4/F.5 Seatbelts STEEL (FE1084) 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 twin sets of crew belts in blue and tan, you also get a set of headbox and between-the-knees pull-handles that gets the pilot out of his office in case of an emergency. Tface Masks (EX697) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with everything needed to mask the exterior glazing and wheels, but also give you another set of canopy masks tailored to fit the interior of the glazing so that you can paint the canopy interior and give your model that extra bit of realism. TFace (EX697) Exterior Only (EX696) Conclusion More detail is good, especially in the cockpit. Pick what you need and make your Hunter stand out from the crowd. There are also a group of sets specifically for the F.5, which are very similar to the F.4 but subtly different in terms of components. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  7. Heinkel He.111Z Upgrade (For ICM) 1:48 Eduard ICM’s new range of He.111s in various guises recently included the behemoth Zwilling, much to my surprise and glee. I’ve been wanting one of these twin He.111s for a while, and while I wasn’t prepared to go to 1:32, I can cope with 1:48 at a push. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in their standard 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 Interior (491090) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass, containing doubles of almost every aspect of the original set. A complete set of new layered instrument panels and side consoles that will be prominent within the greenhouse are the primary parts on the painted set with the engine management panel only in the right fuselage and some other adaptations such as the forest of throttle levers, with new rudder pedals; seat details; canopy internal structure; additional instruments; gun sights and extra details, plus bulkhead details. Zoom! Set (FE1090) 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. Radio Compartment (491091) Two frets are included, one small nickel plated and pre-painted, the other larger one in bare brass. It involves a heavy upgrade to the level of detail within the compartment, adding racks for ammo; stowage boxes; racking; partial bulkheads; a huge range of radio boxes for the left fuselage only and other equipment; gun sights and ammo embellishments; a framework with instruments around the top gun hatch, and a base for the antenna on the left fuselage behind the gun hatch. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1091) 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 pilot's four-point crew belts, you also get two sets of lap belts for the other crew, all of which is duplicated between the two fuselages. Exterior (481016) This set is provided as two large bare brass frets, and creates a new internal skin for the four box-shaped bays, with additional structural details added throughout. It extends and details the firewall behind the engine that is seen from within the bay, adds some small parts to the landing gear legs, as well as brake hoses, radiator faces for the FIVE engines (one extra engine, remember?), towel-rail antennae under the left fuselage and the kit antenna removed on the right side. Masks Tface (EX699) Supplied on SIX sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with exterior masks, but also give you another set of canopy masks tailored to fit the interior of the glazing of both fuselages so that you can paint the interior and give your model that extra bit of realism. It also includes masks for the other glazed parts such as the top turret, and masks for the wheel hubs. Review sample courtesy of
  8. Shackleton MR.3 Update Sets (For Revell) 1:72 Eduard After a few decades waiting, Shackleton lovers were treated to a range of new kits recently and Revell’s MR.3 is amongst the latest, as reviewed here. 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. Airframe Upgrades (73690) 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 and crew seatbelts are the primary parts on the painted set, with new rudder pedal skins; throttle quadrant box; control column upgrades, and external parts are also supplied. Externally there are vents; trim actuators; gear bay skins and bay door details; antennae; raised panels; windscreen wipers and even radiator skins for inside the engine nacelles. Zoom! Set (SS690) 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. landing flaps (72693) 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 kit flaps from the wing, plus scrape the areas thin to accommodate the thickness of the completed bays. Each half of the two flap sections (bay and flap itself) is 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 and the longer one is split by a new PE wedge, then the three flap sections attach to the rear wall of the new bay with a strong mating point. Repeat this for the other side, and you're almost done. The bays have 0.9mm rods passed through them, which you will have to provide yourself from your styrene stock, and various lateral ribs are fitted toward the end. Masks (CX553) 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 masks for the side windows and a set of hub/tyre masks for all the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Review sample courtesy of
  9. J-35 Draken Updates (for Hasegawa) 1:48 Eduard Hasegawa answered a lot of prayers when they released their kit of the venerable Saab Draken, and there have been some sets available for it previously, but these are new ones. 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. There are two sets, both intended for the cockpit, with the seatbelts separated so they can be etched in the new thinner steel PE. Interior (491008) This set includes a nickel-plated pre-printed sheet and a slightly smaller fret of bare brass. It contains a complete re-vamp of the main instrument panel in two layers, additional layers for the side consoles and their smaller panel sections, plus a new throttle quadrant skin. The cockpit side walls and sills plus the turtle-deck behind the pilot is also detailed with a substantial number of new parts including addition instruments on the coaming, the lip and interior of the canopy frame are upgraded with a lot of new parts to give it an impressive look, all of which will be visible whether you leave the canopy open or not, but more so if open of course. Finally, although they're hardly interior parts, you get new oleo-scissor links and a few stencil placards on the sides for the gear legs, and the final exterior part is a small louvred intake on the tail fin. Seatbelts (FE1009) This set on the thinner steel etch contains a full set of pre-printed crew belts with the new printed simulated "depth" by shading, plus detail on the seat sides and a host of tiny placards on the head box and seat sides. You'll need to remove the upper portion of the seat back cushion and the lower leg-guides, but that shouldn't slow you down much. Review sample courtesy of
  10. F-22A Upgrades (for Hasegawa) 1:48 Eduard Hasegawa released their Raptor just after the Academy released theirs, both having their pluses and minuses in the shape and detail department, but I'm guessing you went for the Hasegawa one if you're reading this. 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 two sets are to be used inside the cockpit, and if you get the cockpit set it would be churlish to omit the seatbelts, so we'll review them together. F-22A Interior (491014) This set includes a nickel-plated pre-printed sheet and a slightly larger fret of bare brass, plus a small slip of acetate with the HUD glazing shapes printed upon it. It contains a complete re-vamp of the main instrument panel in two layers, additional layers for the side consoles and their smaller panel sections, plus a new HUD into which the acetate is fitted. The seat is overhauled with new detail where there was none previously, crew controls, more delicate side parts, and ejection ramp parts, all of which require a little modification/removal of existing details. The cockpit sills and the turtle-deck behind the pilot is also detailed, as is the lip and interior of the canopy frame, all of which will be visible whether you leave the canopy open or not, but more so if open. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1015) This set on the thinner steel etch contains a full set of pre-printed crew belts with the new simulated "depth" achieved with shading, plus a set of yellow handles on the seat sides and between the pilot's knees for a quick getaway in an emergency. If you've got the cockpit set above, you should probably put all the seat details together at the same time. Review sample courtesy of
  11. Heinkel He.111H-16 Upgrade & Mask Sets (for ICM) 1:48 Eduard ICM are rattling through most of the major variants of the Heinkel He.111, and we reviewed the H-16 here late last year. 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 Interior (49962) 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 that will be prominent within the greenhouse are the primary parts on the painted sheet, with new rudder pedals; seat details; canopy internal structure; additional instruments; gun sights and extra details, plus bulkhead details. Zoom! Set (FE962) 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. Radio Compartment (49963) Two frets are included, one small nickel plated and pre-painted, the other larger one in bare brass. It involves a heavy upgrade to the level of detail within the compartment, adding racks for ammo; stowage boxes; racking; partial bulkheads; a huge range of radio boxes and other equipment; gun sights and ammo embellishments; a framework with instruments around the top gun hatch, and a cut-out for the nearby antenna, which requires a 12mm hole to be cut in the top insert. Exterior (48985) This set is provided as two frets, one large, one small, and creates a new internal skin for the box-shaped main gear bays, with additional structural details added throughout. It extends and details the firewall behind the engine that is seen from within the bay, adds some small parts to the landing gear legs, as well as brake hoses, bomb fin braces, towel-rail antennae under the fuselage and radiator cores. Seatbelts STEEL (FE963) 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 pilot's four-point crew belts, you also get two sets of lap belts for the other crew, detailed seats for which are included in the Radio Room set (49963). Masks (EX640) Supplied on two sheets of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the pane-fully faceted canopy (see what I did there?) and other glazed parts, with compound curved such as the nose gun 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 main and tail wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort, plus a landing light mask. Review sample courtesy of
  12. Heinkel He.219 Uhu Update Sets (for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard The Tamiya kit of the impressive-looking He.219 has been with us for quite a while now, and despite its advancing years, it is just as good a kit as it was then, along the same lines of quality as their very well-regarded Mosquito kit in the same scale. The Uhu/Owl appeared near the end of WWII partially at least due to the influence of Ernst Heinkel with the RLM, bullying its way into limited production despite its known shortcomings that were never fixed due to its short lifespan and eventual cancellation and reinstatement. Its future was curtailed at the end of WWII, with the only surviving airframe one that was taken back to the US by Operation Paperclip, and thankfully saved from destruction after study. These sets use all of Eduard's newer techniques to bring the cockpit up to modern standards, adding pre-painted panels, clear domes over the instruments, STEEL seatbelts for better drape and more realistic painting, and masks that cater for both sides of the clear parts for more realism. 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 (49947) The initial thrust of this two fret set is the cockpit, with a complete refurbishment of the instrumentation in the form of new laminated instrument panels; side consoles; radio equipment and sidewall details, and new parts for the gunsight, including clear acetate parts for the glazing. The rudder pedals are replaced by new parts; the sidewalls are detailed with new skins; new nose gear bay skins and leg details in the shape of hoses and oleo-scissors. Moving to the wing, the main bay is filled out with a detailed skin inside and a new rear bulkhead to close out the area; the engine intakes have radiator panel skins and a wiring loom for the engines, as well as mesh panels for the ends of the flame-hiders on the exhausts. A set of edge-panels are installed on the upper wing overlapping the leading edges of the flying surfaces, then the various antennae, including the large nose-mounted dipoles, are replaced with more in-scale parts, using a little 0.4 and 0.8mm rod from your own supplies to provide the main supports. Zoom! Set (FE947) 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 (FE948) In case you've been stuck behind a rock for the last year or two, STEEL 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. You get two full sets of belts for the crew seats, with the trapezoid anti-chaff pads as separate parts. Masks TFace (EX634) 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 masks for the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. The TFace masks 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
  13. B-24 Instrument Panel Upgrade (PE32 LIB for Hobby Boss) 1:32 Airscale You'll probably all have heard of Airscale and their product range to help modellers that like to detail their cockpits in the shape of instrument dial decals, Photo-Etch (PE) parts and so forth, and if you've ever seen Peter's work, you'll also know that he's a perfectionist who always seems to be happy, which is a nice combination. The set arrives in a ziplok bag with a card insert in the front, instructions on the back, a fret of thick gauge Photo-Etch (PE) brass with a nickel plating, a sheet of instrument decals on a black background covered in a sheet of translucent protective paper. There is also a small sheet of transparent acetate for you to add actual lenses if you're so minded. Each decal is printed with an individual carrier film, but cutting them closely is recommended to remove as much of the clear overhang as possible in order to ease fitting the decal onto its backing. The main panel is built up in order (back to front) from the featureless backing piece, the decal sheet the optional clear acetate glazing, then the front heavily etched panel, which has bezels, fasteners and recesses etched in for realism. On top of this are placed the steering column panels, and the Direction Finding, Throttle Quadrant and Oxygen sub-panels are all built up in the same way. You will need to trim the acetate (if using it) to accept the kit knobs and levers, and of course the throttle quadrant won't need any acetate, but it will require your attention due to the forest of levers sprouting from the grooves. The decals are printed by our friends at Fantasy Printshop, so quality, registration, colour density and sharpness are all good. Conclusion I've used Peter's decals a number of times over the years, and they're brilliant. Although it's a drop-in replacement for the kit panel, the set will take some effort to put together, and careful painting is a must, with a completed example shown on the rear of the instructions to prove that Peter uses his own products. You'll also find painting guidance notes under that picture, which is great news. Is the effort worth it? Absolutely and unequivocally yes! Extremely highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of Peter at
  14. Tornado F.3 ADV Upgrades (for Revell) 1:48 Eduard Revell gave us a new Tornado IDS in 1:48 to knock the ageing Italeri and the dubious Hobby Boss kits off the top, and have now tooled an ADV that British aviation enthusiasts know as the F.3, which was our interceptor for quite some time until the Typhoon took over in recent years. 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 (49880) 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; sills; rear-view mirrors, and canopy internal structure also supplied. Zoom! Set (FE880) 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 (FE881) 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 leg-restraints and the pull-handles between the pilot's knees that gets him out of there in case of an emergency. Exterior (48943) This larger bare brass set contains some important upgrades, such as delicate new afterburner rings; wing-seal details; reversing bucket ribs and mechanism details; spoiler and spoiler bay parts; aileron bay details; air-brake interior skins for bay and brakes; fuel tank fillers; a new set of vortex generators for the tail with an attachment template and a number of grilles for vents etc. Undercarriage (49881) Consisting of two frets, one of which is nickel-plated and painted, the other in bare brass, this set comprehensively details the gear bays, which are quite cavernous and boxy. The painted fret contains equipment boxes, while the bare fret is structural in nature. The main bay is skinned with details for the most part, with strips for in between each rib; boxes that fold up to add missing detail; gear leg parts including data placards and brake hoses. The nose gear bay is similarly bedecked, and the gear leg gets the same treatment, improving realism immensely. Masks (EX574) 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 masks for all the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Masks Tface (EX575) 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. I'm quite excited to try these out, as canopy interior detail makes a big difference to a model IMHO. I guess Tface stands for Two Face or something similar? Review sample courtesy of
  15. Yak-28P Firebar Upgrade Sets (Bobcat Model) 1:48 Eduard The 1:48 Firebar snuck onto the market from Bobcat Model, which is the new name for Xuntong Model. It has no doubt pleased many a Soviet aviation fan, as kits in this scale have been expensive and of the multimedia variety, which puts off a great many potential purchasers. 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 (49841) 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 and canopy internal structure also supplied. Zoom! Set (FE842) 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 (FE841) 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 unusually placed pull-handles either side of the pilot's knees that gets him out of there in case of an emergency. Exterior (48927) 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 area near the rear face of the engine that is rolled and slots inside the trunk; an upgrade to the detail in the bicycle landing gear and the wingtip out-rigger wheels, along with some bay enhancements. Masks (EX556) 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. Review sample courtesy of
  16. Su-34 Upgrade Sets (HobbyBoss) 1:48 Eduard The 1:48 Su-34 was greeted by a huge buying frenzy, and it's now surprisingly difficult to find one for a decent price in the UK, so it has clearly sold well. 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 (49824) Two small 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; throttle quadrant; HUD framework with acetate film glazing; rear-view periscope and canopy internal structure also supplied. Oddly, a number of external parts are added, such as a number of sensors and AoA probe in the nose; static wicks on the wings and tail, and chaffe and flare racks in the stinger between the engine exhausts. Zoom! Set (FE824) 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 (49825) 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 belts and cushion pads, you also get a set of pull-handles between the pilot's knees that gets him out of there in case of an emergency. Exterior (48921) This larger bare brass set contains some important upgrades, such as delicate new afterburner rings, with concise instructions on how to achieve the correct shape with them; a replacement to the rear face of the engine that slots over the bullet fairing in the centre; a substantial upgrade to the detail in the highly visible nose gear bay that also acts as crew access, with the ladder also getting new treads and the mudguard being fitted with a new flexible rubber section (in brass of course). Finally, the intake inner walls are skinned with more detailed panels, which will need blending in with the styrene at the edges for a more realistic look. Masks (EX550) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, which are solid masks for each pane. In addition you get a set of ancillary masks for the sundry lights, allowing you to paint your model with little concern for them. Review sample courtesy of
  17. 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
  18. While I wait for the carbon decals for the Lotus 88 I'm moving on to my second interim build. The Lancia 037 has had its gloss coat done and is on the home stretch, so I've decided to start on the Fujimi 1/24 Ferrari 250 GTO. I'm going to try and make a replica of Nick Mason's car as it's the only GTO I've seen in the flesh, albeit about 25 or more years ago at Goodwood. I have bought the Hobby Design p-e kit and also the KA set for the Revell cat as it has the right size wire wheels. I also bought the Fujimi Borrani wheels set but the rims are too wide, designed for a GT40 or Ferrari Daytona. First order of business is to remove the (small) seams from the body and add a third vent in the front wings. The kit has two vents but Nick's car has three each side. I notice that Nick's car has more rounded vents than the kit. I have the Haynes manual for the car, and it fortunately has many photos of the car. First photos... New vent marked out: And the first one cut out: Will need some smoothing. Here's a comparison of the KA-Models metal wheel and the kit plastic wheel:
  19. Dear Fellow Modellers, Finally I'm starting my thread on this much anticipated GB. I'm building Revell's 1/72 A-4 version and will be using Quickboost's resin exhausts and Eduard's BIGED PE and mask set. I'll be building scheme A, as shown in the box, for an aircraft based in Sicily, Italy, June 1941: As usual, here are pictures of the sprues. The clear parts are good, very transparent, without defects: The plastic is beautifully detailed, neither too soft nor too hard: This is the decal sheet, which looks good: I'll have to use swastikas from an xtradecal sheet. There's a total of 125 parts. But I just can't build anything out of the box, so here are the resin exhausts: The following are the several PE sets that come in the BIGED set. The interior PE parts (2 frets): The exterior PE set: The surface panels set: And the canopy masks, which are a must for these German bombers: Building starts with the cockpit. This is the first part: The moulded detail was removed, to be latter replaced by PE: The second part: The levers on the left hand side were also removed, as they will be replaced by metal levers: The two parts were glued together. Fit is very good: These two parts, complete the cockpit base. The level of detail out of the box is superb: The cockpit base was assembled: The control column was also removed from the sprue: It will be glued in place after painting. Now starts the PE odyssey. First, I assembled the levers. This metal part, already bent, will hold one of them: Here are the levers, ready for installation: The levers were glued in place of the plastic ones that had been removed: The next step is building the pedals, their mechanisms and supporting beams: However, all plastic in this step will be replaced by PE, as shown in the PE instructions: I started with the supporting beams. Here we can see one ready and the other just removed from the fret: The same here for the mechanisms: These parts were glued together: For comparison, here are the replaced plastic parts: The enhanced level of detail provided by the PE parts is readily apparent. Here we can see the pedals: one ready, the other just out of the fret: For comparison, here is a plastic pedal and a PE pedal, side by side: I think the increased effort of preparing and assembling the PE parts is fully compensated by the enhanced realism achieved. Moving on to the cockpit walls, here is the port wall: Some detail was removed, to be latter replaced by pre-painted PE, and the unpainted PE detail was glued in place: The starboard side wall. The moulded detail is superb: but some must be removed: I'll post more progress tomorrow, as this post is quite big already. Thanks for looking. Cheers Jaime
  20. I've always been interested in having a go at photo-etch and would like to learn how to do it and where to get the parts in UK. I haven't come across anyone having successfully achieved this on an amateur basis, i.e. as a home modeller doing it for themselves and not business. Has anyone done this? If so, is it possible to provide some basic tips on what materials are required, where to get them in UK, how to make an etch? I'm not concerned about the drawing/illustration side of things, more about getting started in the physical process of making an etch from thin brass. Thanks in advance Mike
  21. We have just received our delivery from Airfix of the 1/48 scale British Forces Vehicle Crew figures set, and the two photo-etch parts sets; one for the Land Rover, and the other for both the Coyote and Jackal. Also released today are two 1/32 scale figure sets; the Gurkhas and Japanese Infantry.
  22. Cockpit Instrument Bezels & Details 1:48, 1:32 Airscale These two new Photo-Etch (PE) sets from Airscale are perfect for those of us that need to scratch build cockpits or improve on older kits that have little internal details. The sets contain multiples of almost everything you need to create a highly detailed and realistic instrument panel anywhere in the cockpit, which just needs painting, and some of Airscale's excellent instrument decals adding to finish the job. The sets are supplied on bare brass frets measuring 5cm x 7cm, and should contain sufficient parts for at least a couple of projects, possibly more depending on your usage and whether you build a mixture of Allied and Axis subjects. They are very well etched with plenty of detail, and available in 1:48 and 1:32 as mentioned in the heading. They are broken down as follows: Cockpit Instrument Bezels US Altimeter US Turn & Bank US Compass WW1 Allied RPM RAF Voltmeter US Artificial Horizon RAF Undercarriage RAF Artificial Horizon US Altimeter US Fuel/Oil RAF Pressure RAF Airspeed RAF Oil/Fuel US Pressure Luftwaffe Climb Descend Luftwaffe Climb / Descend Luftwaffe Fuel I Oil Luftwaffe Switch Luftwaffe Switch Luftwaffe Compass RAF Pressure RAF Pressure RAF RPM Luftwaffe Artificial Horizon (Part 2) Luftwaffe Artificial Horizon (Part 3) Luftwaffe Artificial Horizon (Part 1) WW1 Allied Altimeter WW1 Allied Altimeter WW1 German Altimeter WW1 Airspeed WW1 German Altimeter WW1 German Altimeter Luftwaffe Altimeter Luftwaffe Airspeed Luftwaffe Temperature Luftwaffe Compass Luftwaffe Undercarriage US Single & Switch Various US Triple Various US Single Various RAF Triple Various Luftwaffe Dual Various Luftwaffe Dual Various RAF Single Various RAF Dual Various Luftwaffe Dual Various Cockpit Details Radio Frequency Controller Fuse Panel Selector Switch Selector Switch Trailing Aerial Winch Electrical Cover Fusebox Cover Voltmeter Cover Pressure Gauge Cover Radio Control Electrical Control Oxygen Control Antenna Control Antenna Control Fusebox cover Circuit Terminus Frequency Switch FuG 10 HF/MF Transmitters Radio Relay Electrical Control Panel R1155 LF/HF Receiver Switch Power Distributor Cover Structural Brace Instrument Blank Fuel Control Panel Radio Controller Radar Jamming Switch Power Distributor Cover Circuit Breaker Control Weapons Control Switches FuG 10 HF/MF Receivers Power Distributor Cover Structural Brace Instrument Blank Fuel Control Panel Radio Controller Radar Jamming Switch Power Distributor Cover Circuit Breaker Control Weapons Control Switches FuG 10 HF/MF Receivers Tuning Knobs On/Off Switches Switch Cover Power Distributor Cover Dial Selector switch Undercarriage Selector Fuse Cover Mounting Brackets Radio Controller Switch Panel Weapons Switch Panel Cover Headset Controller Weapons Controller Switch Panel Rotating Switch Handles Radio Control Switches Weapons Control Switch Switch Panel Cover Switch Cannon Control Seat Control Levers Cranked Levers Control Levers Assorted Control Levers Cranked Levers Assorted Control Levers Assorted Control Levers Conclusion What used to be the bane of every scratch-builder's existence, the instrument panel, is now simplicity itself with the combination of instrument bezels and Airscale's other products, their instrument decals. Each sheet should be good for at least a couple of projects, which makes them good value, especially when compared to the alternative of making it all yourself. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of Peter at
  23. Seahawk Mk.100/101 Updates 1:48 Eduard The Trumpeter kit has been available for some time now in the FGA.6 and latter the Mk.100/101 export version. They are fairly simple kits with much to commend them, but if you want to improve on the basics that are included, these sets could well be right up your street. Seahawk Mk.100/101 (49608) This set is targeted at the airframe in general, rather than internal or external details only, as there's not much other than the cockpit and wheel bays that needs addressing. It arrives in Eduard's usual flat package, and includes two frets of Photo-Etch (PE), one pre-painted and self-adhesive measuring 7.2cm x 5.4cm and the other of bare brass, measuring 7.2cm x 10cm. A small sheet of acetate is supplied with shapes printed on it for the HUD glazing. The cockpit received upgrades to the ejection seat, the instrument panel with a two layer pre-painted part, the side consoles are replaced on the starboard side, whilst the individual parts are removed and replaced on the port. The side-walls are covered with ribbing detail as well as additional instrumentation, and the cockpit tub gets scuff plates on the floor and a new set of rudder pedals. In the main gear bays, lots of additional structural detail is added, and the nose gear bay is given a set of skins to cure the blank look to that area. The gear legs are given new inner skins to their doors, main leg oleo-scissors, with fine brake lines on the inner side. On the outer airframe, the wing-folds are improved with added detail, the rockets are given retaining straps and a det-cord, while the exhaust wash plates are skinned with highly detailed parts on both sides. Finally, the arrestor hook is cut roughly a third of the way back, and the missing tubular form is replicated by a length of 1mm rod that you will need to source from your stock. This is then covered by a curved aerodynamic panel for extra realism, and the roof of the bay receives a short skin with a receiver for the hook. Seahawk Mk.100/101 Landing Flaps (48757) This is a larger single fret in bare brass that measures 14.5cm x 7cm. It includes all the parts you'll need to replace the over-scale kit flap parts, and give you an insert for the additional section on the underside inboard of the main flaps, should you decide to put both the upper and lower flaps in the deployed position. Each flap is made either one piece that is folded twice to create the outer skin and inverted T-shaped ribs, or as on the upper portion, the flap skin and head of the T are in one piece, with separate wedge-shaped ribs that are twisted on their carrier rod and installed on the folded skin. The very tip of the rear corner of the landing gear bay will need to be removed, as will the trailing edge of the inner wing-fold rib to give a more realistic appearance, and the clumsy kit hinge points will need to be removed and replaced by more scale parts from the etch set. For the two deployment types there are a pair of different braces that hold the two flaps in either fully opened position, or alternatively just the lower flap deployed for landing on-deck. Review sample courtesy of
  24. F-35B Lightning II Update Set (for Kitty Hawk) 1:48 Jasmine Model We reviewed the excellent new kit from Kitty Hawk models a while back, and now Jasmine Models have popped onto our radar with this nice little update set that adds some nice details to this new kit. The set is simple and unassuming, arriving in a very low profile flat package that is stiffened by card to protect it in transit and in stash afterward. Inside is one sheet of thin Photo-Etched (PE) brass containing all the parts, the aforementioned card backing piece, and a sheet of full-colour photographic instructions that should make the task a doddle. Saying that, some of the bending tasks that you will need to undertake make this a set that is aimed at the modeller that has had some experience in bending PE, and some tools will be a necessity to do a good job. The first task is to replace the kit's exhaust petals, which begins with the interior surface made up from a single part rolled into a cylinder, with the jagged edges aft. The outer petals are made up from one part, but each petal will need tweaking, and the petals have spaced between them to allow them to bend inward to meet the inner surface. A final third ring is made up from another part rolled to fit over the outer ring and covering the mating surface neatly. The engine is provided with a nice set of stator blades to improve the look of the fan face, although whether much of this will be seen is debatable. The rest of the set concentrates on the cockpit, with structural braces attaching to the inside of the canopy, as well as a set of canopy latches, umbilicals and struts at the front hinge point. The ejection seat is treated to full set of seatbelts and a new skin for the top of the headbox plus the important ignition loop between the pilot's knees. The crew access ladder for the F-35 is embedded in a bay within the fuselage, and this is provided with the set. The modeller must remove an angular figure-eight panel from the fuselage side, and replace it with a detailed bay and extendable ladder that is made up from a large number of small parts, so plenty of patience will be needed. Once installed in the fuselage, the door is added, along with a pair of hinges that let it rest flat against the fuselage, allowing the pilot easy access. The final parts are a pair of probes either side of the windscreen and two vents on the upper fuselage. Conclusion This is the first set I have seen from this company, and it is an interesting one, not just for the subject matter, but for adding unusual items such as the crew ladder and canopy fixtures that are seldom seen. A little care and skill is needed to create the petals of the exhaust and the crew ladder, so this is clearly for the modeller with some experience of working with, and folding PE. Highly recommended. Jasmine Model sets are stocked in the UK by Hannants. At time of writing however, this set is not yet in stock. Review sample courtesy of
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