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Chinook HC.1 (for Airfix) 1:72 Eduard Last year saw Airfix re-tool their 1:72 Chinook kit in the HC.1 guise, and we’re due a later boxing in summer of 2025 according to the new catalogue that arrived a few days ago as I type this. 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 (73831) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass, plus a small sheet of acetate with two circular windows printed on it. A complete set of new layered instrument panels plus added levers for other controls; a roof skin added to the entire length; seat belts for the two flight crew; equipment and avionics on both sides of the cockpit bulkhead; a curved panel with overhead panel is fitted at the juncture between the windscreen and the front engine cowling halves, adding a new window interior with film glazing on one side. The crew entrance on the side of the fuselage is replaced with a more detailed set of PE parts, starting with the exterior skin that is folded and curved to match the profile of the kit part, adding an internal skin and three detail parts, then fitting it in the roof above the door, making the lower portion of the door from a folded part that is also curved to match the shape of the fuselage, adding a locking mechanism and step, then filling two grooves moulded into the bottom of the door frame, replacing the hinges with new PE parts and a pull-handle, all of which is best fitted after main painting is over. The rear cargo ramp is also detailed, fitting PE strips around the edges, and covering the three vehicle ramps with skins, all adding extra detail to the area. Moving outside, the engines have two-part engine rear faces inside the cowling halves, making an exhaust to the rear after rolling it into a tapering cone with the same profile at the front as the engine cowling, times two. The two intake filters from the kit are used, but are covered by new mesh panels that are more realistic than the styrene rendering. The last few parts are brake callipers for the inner hubs of the landing gear, plus a small tapering skin that details the fuselage behind the rear gear legs. Zoom! Set (SS831) 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 (3DL72043) 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 centre console in the cockpit has its detail removed and replaced by a new decal, adding PE pedals to the front of the floor, then applying more decals to both sides of the cockpit bulkhead to improve on the simple panels and missing details. The main instrument panel is sanded smooth and has the detail replaced by a new decal, adding another to represent the overhead console in the roof at the front of the engine cowling above the cockpit. The two crew seats are fitted with a set of four-point PE harnesses that drape over the back and sides of their seats. Cargo Seatbelts STEEL (73833) 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. Whether you have elected to use the pre-painted PE seat parts that are available in another set or not, this set of sixteen sets of lap belts for each side of the cargo compartment, each seat having two belts, offering the potential to arrange them in a haphazard manner, akin to what would happen whether passengers un-buckled and embarked on a dangerous mission, or a much-needed trip to the canteen afterwards. Review sample courtesy of