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Fw-190A-6 ProfiPACK (82137) 1:48 Eduard Introduced in 1941 to combat the ever-improving Spitfire, the Fw.190 was intended to supplant the Bf.109 if it reached a development plateau, or to run alongside it as a stablemate if it could continue to be improved. Its powerful twin-bank radial engine was installed with a close-fitting cowling on a small fuselage, and was initially equipped with an oversized, ducted prop-spinner to keep the engine cool, which was discarded early in development in favour of a fan that ran on the prop's drive-shaft to push air over and between the cylinder heads, also facilitating oil cooling. It was also given a wide-track landing gear, which reduced the likelihood of a nose-over, a problem afflicting both the Bf.109 and its opponent the Spitfire, due to their narrow tracked gear and poor forward visibility over a long cowling. When it first encountered Spitfires, the Fw.190 gave the RAF pilots a shock, as they were expecting Bf.109s, not these agile new aircraft. It caused a frenzy of development at Supermarine, which was just part of the leapfrog game played by both sides throughout the conflict. The initial A-1 production version was equipped with a BMW 801 engine, and by the time the A-4 was signed off, it had two 7.92mm guns in the cowling, and a pair of 20mm MG151 cannons in the wing root, all of which were synchronised with the prop's motion, in turn mated to a more powerful version of the BMW engine. There were several equipment fits used in the many variants that gave the Würger (Shrike) additional weapons and capabilities, including a pressurised cockpit, rocket tubes and reconnaissance cameras. The A-6 was a natural progression of development that started reaching service in mid-1943, with an increased armament that included MG17s in the engine cowling, two 20mm MG 151 cannons in the wing root as before, and another identical pair just outboard of the landing gear bays. The wings were also lightened whilst improving their strength, leaving space for extra ammunition for the two wing-mounted cannons, in an effort to increase their success in downing the bomber streams that were attacking German industry on a daily basis by that point in the war. The Kit Since the initial tooling of the Fw.190A series airframe in 2007, there have been numerous reboxings, additional parts and re-releases of other variants, plus tooling upgrades as time went by. Eduard's Fw.190 today is a great kit, and has stood the test of time well over the last decade, the moulds amended and improved to keep it current. The ProfiPACK boxing of this variant includes extras to improve on the already excellent detail, and arrives in a gold-themed box, which is adorned with a dramatic and emotional painting of the iconic Butcher Bird in night fighter guise, engaged with an ill-fated Halifax bomber, which has its two inner engines on fire, although the mid-upper gunner is still bravely fighting on. Inside are five grey/blue sprues, one of clear parts, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a small sheet of kabuki tape masking material (not pictured), two decal sheets and the instruction/painting guide, printed in colour on glossy white paper. Due to the modular nature of the sprue design and layout there will be a fair quantity of spare parts left after construction, which are marked on the diagrams with pale blue overprinting. Construction starts in the cockpit, which is augmented with pre-painted PE side consoles and instrument panels, but also retained are the decals that can be applied to flat panels, as well as the engraved styrene panels for those that prefer to paint their details manually. The tub includes the sharply tapering rear deck, to which you add the rear bulkhead cheeks, control column, seat, plastic or PE rudder pedals, pre-painted seatbelts and sundry other parts in styrene and PE. The cockpit sides have details moulded-in that are improved by adding PE parts to the areas that will be seen within the finished compartment, detail painting them according to the instructions accompanying each part. To close the fuselage, the cockpit assembly with upper instrument panel that has the same choices as the lower is inserted along with a bulkhead that closes the front of the tub, two exhaust inserts with L and R engraved into the cowling, and the two-part engine assembly, which is only an approximation of the front row of cylinders, as little will be seen once the cowling, prop and cooling fan is in place. The lower wings are full span, and has a spar fitted that runs to the ends of the gear bays, with detail on the face visible through the apertures. This is augmented by the wheel bays, various ribs and the cannon barrels that protrude through, with the upper wing surfaces added after painting of the bay roof detail that is engraved into their underside. The completed wing assembly is then offered up to the fuselage, and the missing sections of the cowling with exhaust stubs, gun barrels and troughs are added to the top and bottom of the nose, adding the instrument coaming to the front of the cockpit cut-out, either adding a small PE part into a recess, or making the same part from scrap styrene and a decal if you prefer. The two-part intake ring finishes the front cowling, and the flying surfaces are glued into place, including separate rudder and ailerons that can be posed deflected, and fixed elevators that slot into the sides of the tail. The tyres provided for the main gear have separate hubs front and back, and fit onto the peg on the ends of the struts, with separate oleo-scissors and captive bay door parts, the latter with a choice of two styles. The retraction gear is installed along with the leg in the bay on the inner side of the leg, and the centre doors fit to the central bar that splits the bays either closed, or opened with a strut holding them in place. The tail wheel slots into a two-part yoke and slides into a socket under the tail, a crew step, aerial and D/F loop for most decal options, gun barrels and pitot probes are installed, then the three-bladed paddle prop is completed with spinner and fan behind it, with a peg at the rear fitting into a corresponding hole in the engine front. Two styles of open and closed canopies are provided, and are outfitted with head armour, PE grab handle and armour support before being added to the airframe along with the windscreen part. The last touch is to add the gear-down indicator pegs to the tops of the wings, which are made from tiny PE parts, and for the night fighter options (F&G), a series of antennae are made from PE strips with circular bases that are applied to the wings and fuselage as indicated, fixing styrene flare hiders to the side-mounted exhausts. A belly-mounted fuel tank is made from two halves, and is mounted on a long, four-part pylon that fixes under the fuselage on two pegs, where another set of antennae for the night fighters are shown in blue. If you are rigging the aerial wire to the tail, remember that if you pose the canopy open, the wire can appear relaxed, although many photos also show it taut, so check your references. Markings There are seven decal options on the sheet provided, with the common stencils on a separate sheet as is common with Eduard kits. Which decal option you choose informs your choice of options whilst building the kit, so make your choice early to avoid confusion and potential mistakes. From the box you can build one of the following: Fw 190A-6, WNr. 550375, Lt. Heinz-Günther Lück, 1./JG 1, Deelen, Netherlands, August 1943 Fw 190A-6, WNr. 550461, Oblt. Helmut Radtke, 5./JG 54, Immola, Finland, Summer 1944 Fw 190A-6, WNr. 550453, Hptm. Friedrich-Karl Müller, Stab /JG 300, Bonn-Hangelar, Germany, October 1943 Fw 190A-6, Fw. Günther Josten, 1./JG 51, Bobruysk, the USSR, January 1944 Fw 190A-6, WNr. 550473, Fw. Walter Nietzsche, II. /JG 300, Rheine, Germany, Summer 1943 Fw 190A-6/R11, WNr. 550143, Oblt. Fritz Krause, 1./NJGr 10, Werneuchen, Germany, January 1944 Fw 190A-6/R11, II. /JG 300, Lobnitz, Germany, Autumn 1943 All the decals are printed in Czechia, have good registration, colour density and sharpness, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the edge of the printing. The stencils are catered for on a separate sheet, with a page of the instructions devoted to their placement, away from the markings options to avoid clutter. As always with Eduard, the Swastikas are provided in two parts on the body of the sheet to comply with local regulations regarding this contentious symbol, and can be brought together to create the symbol if you are striving for historical accuracy and it is permitted in your nation. Conclusion The surface detail on the kit is excellent, with lines of finely engraved rivets adding to the visual appeal (yes, we know rivets aren't holes, but this technique works for most of us though). Add the extra PE detail, and quite a fun set of decal options (I particularly like the night fighters), and you have a winner on your hands. The box art is also striking, so don’t forget that there is a large print of the artwork available to buy without the necessary text and other clutter of the box top. Very highly recommended. Kit EduART Print Review sample courtesy of

A JV44 plane flown by Ltn. Karl-Heinz Hoffman (might have to build a Me-262 to go with it!) First time freehanding camo and reasonably happy with the result.

Hello everyone, Ive been working (at glacial pace), on a crashed Fw 190 diorama/vignette. I know there’s some debate as to what a dio and what a vignette is, but I wanted a small scene that tells a story. This kit is really cheap and highly detailed, as it’s a ProfiPACK it comes with some masks and PE which really helps. The cockpit went together well, and for its scale it’s very detailed. The aircraft was built with the landing gears stowed. The decal scheme that I painted was for an aircraft that was shot down by bomber escorts over Germany in 1945, so most likely a P-51. The propellers were bent using a lighter, the wing was clipped to simulate damage on impact, a panel was removed with some metal rods inserted to represent the frame, and finally some .4mm holes were drilled to represent bullet holes. At this scale, .5 rounds are just shy of .2mm so slightly out of scale, but .4 was the smallest I had. All this detail should do enough to let the viewer know that it’s had a bad day! There are plenty of examples of damaged aircraft, so I don’t really think people can say what is right and what is wrong, but to try and keep the bullet holes subtle, I drilled them, then softened the edges with Tamiya cement. The rear tail also received some impacts. The left wing was also used to practise different techniques, as this will be submerged in water/resin. The aircraft was given a brown wash and AK slime dark green and light green were applied to the left wing. As for the base, the foam was cut and shaped before a balsa boarder was applied. Next came a mixture of Mig acrylic mud, sharp sand, sea grass, bits of stone and rounded rock that I picked up from a beach. The rounded rocks will be sat in the water obviously. A scar or mark where the aircraft slid before going firm was also worked into the base at this point. Along with a small cluster of static grass. I didn’t take too many photos of the next part as I was in the zone but the process was roughly: - Base coat everything with Tamiya X9 Brown. - XF59 Dessert Yellow then XF60 Dark yellow for the grass. - XF52 Flat Earth on the ground, followed by buff for the highlights. - Paint the stones with some greys. - Ammo wash Wet Ground for the river bed. - Ammo washes Fresh Mud and Loose Ground for the river bank. - AK Slime Dark Green and Light Green for the bank as well. The photo doesn’t do it justice, there some nice variation to the eye. At this point I also used the washes to splatter mud onto the aircraft. I tried to keep it all to scale, which was hard! The point that I’m up to now; the river bed has received some AK Still Water in preparation for the resin and some puddles were also filled to use up the last bit of Still Water that I’d put in the cup. I really like how this is looking, once the resin is done, I have some brown leaves to scatter and that should be it! Thanks for looking, Tom.

Notwithstanding the fact that I'm building (or butchering should I say?) a couple of Hurricanes, I could not resist starting this new work. First of all I have to say thank you to two benefactors who supported me with a lot of material for this conversion work. Thank you gentlemen (you know who you are!). Last week I was evaluating what will I build with these new assets and now I have a plan. I would like to model a Seafire Mk.46: although a rare bird, I think it is so beautiful with its low-back, huge fin, and contra-prop... I would also like to model a Pr. Mk XIX because I rate it the most elegant Spitfire ever. But first of all I want to model a Mk XII. Some people like this variant the most among the Griffon-engined ones; I like better the long-nose (more appropiately the two-stage-compressor-engined) ones but this variant has a particular charm in being a sort of a "hybrid", being a "rare bird" and even for its war record being employed as a stop-gap against the Fw-190 low-raiders and V1 missiles... ...Thinking about it I feel the same fascination for the very early F Mk.IX which had a similar origin and operational history, or the Mk. VI and VII. There's no perfect Mk.XII kit on the market (that I'm aware of, at least) so add the fashion of a modelling challenge to the above mentioned reasons to build one! Publicly available documents about this variant seem scarce and photo coverage is not abundant too. There are no preserved original Mk.XIIs, and the closest relatives available today as a reference are Seafire Mk XVs which are quite different in many detail. The general shape of the aircraft is well undestood but there are differences in detail between the early-build airframes and later ones; moreover Mk XII has some peculiar elements like the carburettor intake and the magneto hump which are unique in the Spitfire lineage. Fortunately the few existing photographs show rather well these particulars and allow for an accurate reconstruction. Here is the recipe I have in mind for the ultimate 1/72 Mk.XII: Base kit: Eduard Engine cowling and propeller blades: modified Airfix Mk.22 Spinner: modified Airfix Underwing oil radiator: Tamiya or Sword Scale plans: Jumpei Tenma's A lot of work, a little scratch-building The base kit is well known; Eduard's 1/72 Spitfire is a scaled down version of Eduard's 1/48 Spitfire which in turn is a scaled down version of .....(it can't be said openly) which is a 1/32 reproduction of a full-size Spitfire. All of the main features are dimensionally very very close to the data reported in the monumental "Spitfire engineered" book by Montforton; it is the only real "Spitfire looking" 1/72 Spitfire model I'm aware of, together with Airfix Mk.22 incidentally. That 2012 kit still has the best Griffon nose ever produced in 1/72 and is the perfect donor for a conversion work, as many modellers before me discovered. To be honest, both Airfix Mk.22 and Airfix Pr.Mk XIX have a correctly-shaped engine cowling; both kits have small defects in the shape of the cylinder bank fairings: the Mk.22 has them too short at the back, Pr.Mk XIX has an incorrect shape in front (due to the simplified moulding process chosen by Airfix for this kit) AND too short fairings. Correcting the Mk.XIX cowling is much more difficult than adjusting the Mk.22's so the last is a better choice. When asserting that this is the best choice for a Griffon nose in 1/72 I mean the following verified facts: -the profile is accurate within 0,1-0,2mm (or can be easily done so after the careful removal of the moulding burrs) -the width in plan is accurate, and the cross section is just about right (I'll try to have a better look at this in the building process) -the position, shape and angle relative to the thrust line of the cylinder covers appear to be accurate (whitin my measurement capabilities) except for the length in the back. I checked also Sword and Special Hobby products but simply they are not accurate, in particular regarding the shape and position of the cylinder humps and exausts (Sword) or overall cowling shape (SH). The propeller is a very good base for the Mk.XII were not for the fact that it has five blades instead of four... The Spinner assembly results slightly excessive in length (0,4mm) and the baseplate has some peripheral burr so that its diameter is about 10,2mm instead of 9,9mm. This mismatch is easily addressed by some reshaping of the spinner assembly on a lathe. If normally I can't decide which livery put on a particular a/c variant the Mk.XII requires yet another choice from the beginning: fixed tailwheel or retractable tailwheel? I resolved my quandaries choosing the retractable tailwheel variant (although at this moment I've not choosen a particular a/c to represent) Let's begin. The Griffon cowling is separated from the fuselage and compared to a scaled down version of J.Tenma's plans of the Seafire Mk.XVII (he did not trace plans for the Mk.XII or Mk.XV although you can find colorized profiles for them in his website) If your printer does allow just integer percentage scaling of the original (like mine), you can get perfect results by scaling with Inkscape, Photoshop or similar software. Please notice in the photograph above how well the Airfix nose matches the profile; it can be further improved by gentle bending of the upper arch, but this is not necessary for the Mk.XII because of the magneto bulb in that position. The cut is refined until reaching the perfect size, and the process is repeated for the other side. According to this quoted drawing for the Seafire Mk.XV (which is supposedly based on Supermarine data and matches J.T. plans), the "measurable" (I mean with a caliper) lenght of the section is calculated with some easy math: from fuselage datum point to the front of the cowling, at propeller axis: 76,2 inches from fuselage datum point to the upper cowling panel line: 1,28" (source "Spitfire engineered") the front cowling section is a disk, reportedly 28" diameter, inclined 2° to the cowling panel line. This adds 14" x tan(2°) =0,49" to the measurable length so: measurable lenght= 76,2"-1,28"+0,49"=75,41" which in 1/72 converts to 26,60 mm. My result is pretty good!...and was obtained matching the plans, and taking some progressive measurement of the part. One of the key points in getting a precise cut is adjusting the final tenths of mm with the right tool. I use 400-grit sandpaper glued to the side of a square aluminum block, and lay both the nose part and the aluminum block on the same plane, so that the sandpaper results perpendicular to it. Both halves are finished. And now... there's no return! Two perfectly good Eduard Spitfire Mk.VIII fuselages are horribly mutilated!

1/72 - MiG-21 Fishbed family project was finally officially confirmed by Eduard http://www.eduard.com/store/out/media/InfoEduard/archive/2015/info-eduard-2015-01CZ.pdf (english version soon) MF, bis and SMT versions expected first

Hello everyone, Let me introduce my first “finished” model after a 15-year break. I bought this Eduard kit as an "easy build" back in Moson Model Show 2024, to refresh some memories and see if I still had what it takes to complete a model. I started it last year, sometime in September, and only yesterday managed to wrap it up. It’s been a bit of a love-hate relationship - mainly due to the natural metal finish (NMF). Yeah, not sure what was I thinking, starting with an NMF for my first kit after such a long break! What began as a strictly out-of-the-box build eventually evolved to include some aftermarket parts and a bit of scratch-building. Even though it wasn’t much, it still took some extra time. The wheels and barrels were replaced with aftermarket parts, and the wheel well “plumbing” was done using thin 0.3mm lead wire. I didn’t do much weathering - mostly because I’m not confident in the technique and didn’t want to ruin the already somewhat battered finish. I might revisit it in the future to add some exhaust staining and a bit of streaking underneath. But that’s a maybe - someday. The final result may not fully meet my expectations, and plenty of details aren't quite up to the level I'd like. There might be some inaccuracies and omissions. I’m not a die-hard Mustang fan, and generally, I focus more on late Cold War and modern jets. That said, I have to admit—it’s a good kit, apart from the decals. Eduard decals are “special” and always carry the unnecessary risk of ruining the finish. I wish they would just go with "Cartograf" or any other high-end decal manufacture. Anyway, here are some details about the build: - Kit: 1/48 Eduard (82105) - Wheels: 1/48 CMK (Q48478) - Barrels: 1/48 Master (AM-48-139) - Paints: AK Extreme Metal & Real Colors range Here is some pictures: I hope you guys like it. Comments and suggestions are always welcome. I really hope my next build won’t take as long, though it's a much bigger project and will need more research before I get started. Cheers, Edgaras

From my previous MiG-21 kitbash projects (PFS and Analogue), I ended up with a set of PF wings, a PFM fuselage and a chopped PFM tail, all Eduard. Thanks to the modularity of Eduard 21 kits, the PFM fuselage can be easily adjusted to accept the PF canopy (also plenty of surplus transparencies in the PFM/ PF kits) and so the idea was to graft a section of the Modelsvit A-144-1 tail unit in the Eduard void and go for an FL. Not happy with the shape and level of detail on the Modelsvit tail (please, go with that updated A-144-2 mold, I need one alongside my -1) decided to go “big project”; bought a PFM overtrees (nice option!) and plenty of accessories to create an IAF MiG-21 FL in its final form (4 hardpints, AoA sensor on fuselage side, specific Indian communication antennae, etc). Let’s see…

Well, the Sea Fury is rolling along and starts to get ready for primer (more on that in the proper thread), so I thought I could always go back to my original listing: A Spitfire VIII! One can never have too many mk VIII:s. So I pulled out my battered box to have a little rummage in it to see what's left in it. Now, I have built this one: and that one: The box is a dual combo , so there shouldn't be anything left... Somehow It looks like there are 4 sets of Overtrees and Weekend edition sprues in here! I counted out 6 sets of PE as well, and one Brassin engine, a brassin cockpit and some other bits and bobs. One of the extra kits was for sure bought used at a IPMS club meeting where the lovely chap had cut off all parts, cleaned the up and put them back in marked bags. That's the one I'll choose for this endeavour! It'll be a bit like a LEGO set, with the main drawback that I can't really identify the pieces except by basic shape...could be fun! Also, this will be the scheme: Heavy fuel staining? Wheels with sun screen? Azure blue, Dark Earth, Foliage Green, white markings, red spinner...what's not to like? That'll be that engine cowl then but I have some resin ones is box somewhere. Let's go!

Source: https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1052828939971207&id=100057323325672 "Are there any WW1 plane enthusiasts here? Check out our upcoming release: the Albatros D.III in 1/72 scale, shown in these 3D renders. Which WW1 German Albatros pilot or Jasta is your favorite?" V.P.

Anson Mk.I Guns & Lewis 97 Magazines (648844 & 648861) 1:48 Eduard Brassin PRINT We reviewed the newly tooled 1:48 AVRO Anson from Airfix here last year, and it’s a great kit that has made many WWII modellers very happy. Eduard’s new Brassin PRINT sets brings superb detail to the light armament that the Anson sometimes carried, despite it not being a combat aircraft, and that armament is how Faithful Annie achieved its only kill of WWII, when a brave gunner took out a Bf.109 in a lucky/gutsy attempt to keep the enemy from downing the aircraft he was in. There are two sets, one provides the three Lewis guns that were fitted in various locations around the airframe, the other provides extra magazines to fill the racks near the mounts for reloading purposes during a fight or weapons training. Both sets arrive in clear-fronted Brassin vacformed boxes, with the header card and instructions at the rear, whilst the 3D printed resin parts inside are safely stored inside a crystal-clear plastic clamshell box that sometimes has a sticky pad in the bottom to prevent the parts from rattling around the little box. Anson Mk.I Guns (648844 for Airfix) Printed on three bases, there are three incredibly well-detailed Lewis guns and one barrel for fuselage mounting, all of which far outstrip the finesse of the kit parts, and include their mounting posts, plus a half-dozen magazines, none of which will be needed to arm the guns in their emplacements. The small Photo-Etch (PE) sheet contains a vane sight for one of the weapons with a spare, and each gun mounts on the styrene parts from the kit, removing one kit gun that is moulded into its mount, and drilling out two 1.1mm holes to accept the uprights. Lewis 97-Cartridges Ammo Magazines (648861 for Airfix) This set contains one printing base that holds a dozen additional magazines for either your Anson model, or any other Lewis gun installation that accepts the ‘dinner plate’ style magazines, which all have their grab-handles printed integrally, just needing painting a red brown colour to represent leather. Conclusion The detail alone will bring extra realism to your model, with finer barrels and sighting equipment, with more detail squeezed into every square millimetre of the surface. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Well folks it's about time I posted something so here it is, started this kit a few weeks ago after buying it from our very own Mr P Brickles from ABC Models. Its a nice enough kit but not up to there recent releases, I've used a lot Tamiya filler just to get some of the basic parts together. Whats worse is the nasty sink marks on some of the superstructure parts will will be a real test to hide, I've also came across a few warped parts that will need some TLC to put right. Just waiting now for WEM to release the PE sets and I'll be cracking on! Right some Pix of whats been done so far. This little equipment box has a very nasty sink mark in its center, building a new one from scratch is probably the best move here? The forward bulkhead on my kit was badly warped, its just visible underneath the ski jump, not perfect but once glued should be okay. Some very nice detail, some of the bulkheads do have a lot of ejector pin marks which will be visible close up, this one is very good The lower hull fits very well to the upper waterline area, minimal filler will be required which is good Mines just taped into place as I'm not sure to build as a water line model or full hull??? Another area that requires a fair amount of filler. The goalkeeper system, lovely little part, very nice detail, just needs the canvas gator around the barrel support, nothing too hard to do. The first piece of AM I bought for another USN Ship build....Veteran model SBROC launchers, much better than the kit items, to be fair they are tiny but I had them anyway so I'll use them, one box is enough to provide Lusty with all 8 launchers. I got these from Lucky model in HK $6.59. So far the build has been very enjoyable, shame about the filler required but I'm not too bothered, its a great kit which I'm glad has been kitted. Quality wise its not upto Airfix's new release's, it's more like the old 48th scale Buccaneer/ Hawk quality. I'm sure the kit with the WEM PE set will look stunning, alot of the antenna, sensor fits are not included in the kit but I'm sure that's due to the limitations of injection molding. If you have the space and love modern RN subjects......Get one ! Regards Dan

Hey everyone I've been busy beavering away on my Revell (Hasagawa) Phantom F.4M (FGR.2) and I'm loving it, but as my work is starting to quieten down I've suddenly had the urge to build a Tornado. I have the Revell Tornado IDS in the stash and me being me I priced up the AM I want for it and it comes to over £60.00, I nearly pulled the trigger and bought it all, that was until I remembered that I have the Eduard (Revell) Tornado F.3 in the stash that comes with a load of AM as standard - so I'll hang fire on spending more money for now (I say for now coz I WILL get all the AM I can for my IDS variant and build it as a RAF Tornado).. Anyway a shot of the Box art... I'll make a start on her later, after the rugby and I've finished with my Phantom for today. Cheers Iain

Morning all, thought I'd post the next major project. The Border Model Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.J Late with full upgrades by Voyager and Eduard. Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.J LateBorder Model | No. BT-008 Voyager Model No. PE351142 Panzer IV Series Fenders Dragon 60xx Series~Voyager Model | No. PE35187 Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.J (Last Production) Basic Set (For DRAGON 6575) Voyager Model | No. PE35458 I got this set as it has a couple of details that didn't come with the specific Voyager set above. German WW2 PzKw III & PzKw-Ⅳ later period - B metal trackR Model | No. 35041 Schurzen mesh Pz.IV Ausf. J Tamiya Eduard | No. 35595 Some of the sets are not specific to Border, but I don't think it will make any difference. I'll let you know through the build. Going to make a better effort for photos of progress than of late. Might look at adding the barrel option if I can find one, if the kit barrel doesn't. Have to say, finding anything there days is getting tough. Seems all UK sellers are not on the distribution list of many suppliers. So off back to the Marder IIIM rebuild until all this arrives.

1/48 Avia S-199 (post war Bf 109) is planed for next two or three years. source: http://modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=95280&start=4005#p1897662 downscale to 1/72 is planed too (like all Eduard projects) but more years in future.

Happy New Year to all friends and my best wishes for personal and family happiness. I wish for everyone, that 2025 will be a good modeling year. Start for 2025, with a kit that remains fresh, despite its years, pleasant to build, interesting historically and visually beautiful. For the construction, in addition to the kit (weekend edition), it is used the very beautiful engine of Eduard, the masks for the hood, 3D printed wheels from EMP, as well as two sets of masks of Armycast for painting the insignia. The construction starts with the cockpit which, although it consists of few pieces, is considered adequate for the scale. The small photo etched set enhances the whole and a good painting (interior green and highlights with various sand and yellow green tones, helps to highlight any raised detail. Thanks for watching!

A mix of 2 kits (Eduard MiG-21 MF and Modelsvit A-144-1) and some scratch; WIP here. Remarks and critics welcomed.

I am happy to present my completed Eduard P-40E Warhawk 1/48. I utilized all available accessories from Eduard which really enhanced the already incredible amount of detail the base kit offers. Overall the fit was decent especially for some of the accessories I added. PE flaps are often quite the ordeal, but this set fit relatively nicely. Kit Used: Eduard P-40E Royal Class Edition 1/48 Accessories used: •Eduard P-40E Engine Cat. No.: 6481069 •Eduard P-40E Flaps Cat. No.: 481155 •Eduard P-40E Wheel wells Cat. No.: 6481068 •Eduard P-40E SPACE 3D interior decals Cat. No.: 3DL48208 •Eduard P-40E Radio Compartment Cat No.: 6481066 •Eduard P-40E Gun Bays Cat No.: 6481075 WIP Thread:

Bf.109G-10 WNF/Diana ProfiPACK (70164) 1:72 Eduard There must have been billions of words written on the Bf.109 over the years, which was the mainstay of the Luftwaffe's fighter arm, despite having been supposedly superseded by the Fw.190 and others during its service life. It kept coming back to prominence due partly to it being a trusted design, the manufacturer's sway with the RLM, and the type's ability to be adapted as technology advanced. The G or Gustav as it was known was one of the later variants, and is widely regarded as one of the more successful marks, with improved armament that give some variants a distinctive pair of “Beule” blisters in front of the windscreen, plus mounting points for the 210mm rocket tubes used to attempt to disrupt the bomber streams in long range attacks using timed detonation. The other minor changes were targeted at defensive means, removing the mounting points and hardware for long-range tanks etc to save weight. The G-10 was fitted with the new DB605D-2 engine that was later seen on the K, and became the de facto standard Gustav once introduced, often using unfinished G-14s as the starting point, which has confused some researchers in the past. It was fitted with the sleek Erla-Haube canopy and a deeper oil cooler under the nose that sets it apart from previous issues along with some small blisters just forward and below the exhaust stacks. It also had a swept-forward installation of the radio antenna under the wing leading edge, all of which you can see on the box art, making a mess of a Russkis on the box art. The Kit This boxing depicts airframes that were manufactured at the Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke (WNF) and in the underground ‘Diana’ factory that was built in a disused railway tunnel in Moravia, and as you can imagine, it shares sprues with other Gustav boxings from Eduard. This new boxing in ProfiPACK guise comes with extra items included for a more detailed and realistic finish. It arrives in a shallow top-opening box with a dramatic painting of a Gustav triumphing over a Soviet fighter, the engine belching fire and smoke as it starts its death-spiral. Inside the box are three sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, two frets of Photo-Etch (PE), one in bare brass, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, a sheet of kabuki-tape pre-cut masks (not pictured), two decal sheets, plus the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on glossy paper with the profiles for six decal option on the rearmost pages. Detail on the sprues is excellent, to a similar standard as their 1:48 scale kits within limitations of the smaller scale. For instance, the rudder pedals have been moulded integrally to the cockpit floor, but they have been created using a punch-through mould that still allows them to sit at an angle to the deck without an ugly wedge behind them, also making them unlikely to be broken off by careless handling. It’s all very clever stuff that will result in a better model for us. Construction begins with the afore mentioned cockpit floor, which has a rolled forward edge, and is detailed with a PE or styrene trim wheel and chain, adding the seat back, base, control column, replacement PE rudder pedals if you prefer, the cannon breech fairing between the pedals, and a set of four-point crew seatbelts. The instrument panel can be made with styrene and decals or by using the pre-painted PE parts, which have an additional panel section for some decal options, and a choice of two styles of gunsight on top. The finished panel is mounted on a support that is painted cockpit colour, then is fixed to a recess on the front of the cockpit floor, putting it to one side while the fuselage is prepared. The basics for the cockpit sidewalls are moulded into the fuselage interiors, adding a large insert to the starboard that has either three PE parts or decals applied, and has the clear fuel line routed around it, painting most of the pipe interior colour, leaving a short length transparent as a visual guide for the pilot whether fuel is still flowing. The port side is upgraded with several smaller parts, cutting off a box during the process. Before closing the fuselage, there is a minor cutting and filling task, removing some raised portions on the port side of the cockpit opening. A choice of two fin inserts slide into a socket in the tail, closing the fuselage halves together and dealing with the seams once the glue is fully cured, remembering that the 109 had some panel lines in the top and bottom centreline. The cockpit can then be slipped in from underneath, adding the rear bulkhead, a choice of Beule blisters in front of the cockpit, and a choice of two top engine cowling inserts with gun barrels, again depending on which decal option you have chosen. There is a choice of two styles of exhausts with an optional PE exhaust flare hider on both sides, plus a three-part supercharger intake trumpet on the port side. The elevators are a single span part that is slotted into the rear of your tail fin, trapped in place by an appropriately-sized rudder fin, all of which can be deflected if you choose. The lower wings are full-span out to the tip joint, and a pair of bay wall inserts are placed in to create the main gear bays, with a few holes drilled in the centreline for the optional central rack. The upper wings are in halves, and have gear bay roof detail moulded-in, with separate leading-edge slats that can be retracted or deployed by removing or retaining the tabs behind it. The ailerons are also separate, mounting on tabs, with the option of deflecting them too, adding clear tip lights to each wing. Flipping the model over, PE radiator grilles are applied to the front and rear of the bath areas, covering them with the cowlings that have moulded-in cooling flaps that can be bent downward if you plan on posing the radiators in the open position. The chin intake is also fitted with grille inserts before the cowling is applied over it, and it is fixed in the space under the nose. Finally, flaps are inserted into the rear of the wing at the same angle as the cooling flaps. The 109’s narrow-track landing gear was the source of many a nose-over event, and they are each created from a single strut with a strong mounting-block at the top, fitting one of three styles of three-part wheel, PE brake hose, and the captive bay door and a stencil decal to each one, adding the tail-wheel that inserts in a hole under the tail. Horn-balances are fixed in recesses under the ailerons, adding a PE aerial under the belly, and another under the wing in a clear insert that is fitted earlier. A 0.1mm hole is drilled under the nose, and if you intend to use the manual engine cranking handle, a 0.5mm hole will need to be drilled in the cowling to accommodate the handle as indicated on the starboard side, just in front of the Beule blisters. A choice of two styles of windscreen have a PE frame added to its rear before it is glued in, while the main canopy has the head armour and bar applied across the rear, with PE handle mounted on a piece of 0.1mm rod from your own stock inside it. The sleek Erla Haube canopy can be glued closed or open with a retention wire from PE, plus the aerial inserted at the rear. The options that haven’t had the DF loop base removed have a styrene or PE loop inserted into the two holes moulded into it. The prop is the same whichever canopy you choose, made from a single set of three blades sandwiched between the spinner and back-plate. A choice of the moulded-in pitot or a separate replacement part is fitted in the port wingtip, drilling a hole if you choose the alternative part. There is a good choice of weapons and tanks for your new model on the sprues, and that’s where most of them will stay unless you have a different decal option to those provided. A choice of two styles of external tanks on a shallow oval pylon that is sited between the wings on the belly will be used by some decal options however. The last scrap diagram shows the fitting of either a styrene or PE trim actuator added to the rudder. Markings There are a generous six decal options on the main sheet, and a stencil sheet that have their locations noted separately to avoid confusion with the other decals. From the box you can build one of the following: WNr. 610487, Lt. Heinz Ewald, II./JG 52, Veszprém, Hungary, February 1945 WNr. 612769, 101. vadászezred, Neubiberg, Germany, May 1945 WNr. 611975, Stab II./JG 52, Neubiberg, Germany, May 1945 WNr. 611xx2, Jasta 5 der ROA, Deutsch Brod, Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren, May 1945 II./JG 52, Ainring, Germany, May 1945 Avia S-99.21, Police Air Patrol Unit, Czechoslovak Police Air Force, Prague-Ruzyně, 1947-1950 The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. The set includes pre-cut kabuki-tape masks (not pictured) for the canopy parts, plus masks for the main and tail wheels, and extras for the pilot’s head armour and the wingtip lights. Conclusion Another high-quality boxing of Eduard’s latest 1:72 kit arrives with six decal options, plenty of detail and choices for individualising your model. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hello Once is not customary I built a 1/48 fighter with this Eduard Spitfire Mk IX I was given. As this is a Weekend edition there is only one possible scheme and this is an American Spitfire in Tunisia in June 1943 from 52nd Fighter Group. According to Eduard the British markings except under the wings were roughly covered with a darker tone than Dark Earth. I chose to use Olive Drab which was easily available within USAAF logistic. Under the port wing the British roundel could have been left as well. Patrick

I have officially started the much anticipated Eduard P-40E Warhawk in 1/48. Along with the kit, I also have the following accessories: •Eduard P-40E engine •Eduard P-40E flaps •Eduard P-40E wheel wells •Eduard P-40E exhaust tips •Eduard P-40E SPACE 3D interior decals This kit includes two models within and enough decals to build roughly 3-4 aircraft. Good opportunity to buy the OverTree sets that Eduard offers since they are missing decals. The kit itself contains the following accessories included: •Eduard P-40E resin wheels •Eduard P-40E cockpit chairs •Eduard P-40E rounded exhaust tips I will be building both aircraft within the kit, but only 1 at a time as I have other commitments coming up. The first aircraft will be opened up showing off the engine etc. My plans for the second one include an in air diorama swooping down in a guns firing blaze of glory on an unsuspecting 1/144 A6M Zero. First aircraft scheme choice: I feel like most people will primarily model the shark mouth versions of the aircraft. It might be a good opportunity for me to try out the other RAF Egypt scheme that I suspect most people will avoid. Typically I like modeling less popular schemes. My second P-40 which will be starting later this year will be a P-40 with the well known shark mouth. This one will be used for the in air diorama I spoke about earlier I have already started working on the resin engine set provided by Eduard and should be finishing it up this weekend. It is quite intricate with a ton of detail. Last night I got the engine block assembled, lead wires attached, and everything base painted. Tomorrow I should be doing detail paint work followed by assembly. While assembling, I will be adding more lead wires. Engine block prior to paint with wiring attached: Cheers!

So here is (potentially) the start of part one of a dual/joint/two at a time build. Jury is still out in my head if to try two at a time having only completed two builds in 1/350 in the past 3 years especially as I still have a lot to learn and want them to turn out well. Also whether to do a joint thread or separate ones? As a kid I built 1/600 battleships, if it didn’t have big guns I wasn’t interested. A few years back I dabbled in 1/400 and built battleships, (you may see a pattern), now that I’m rather hooked on the hobby again I’ve started by building you’ve guessed it – battleships, specifically Zvezda’s Dreadnought and Hobbyboss’s Dunkerque (95% complete). As I looked at my stash of 12 and counting with a couple of those started I realised bar a modern Russian destroyer I needed to change it up. I settled on Aircraft Carriers, specifically 3, the bank said I could have 2 - fair enough I said. I wanted something unusual looking and Graf Zeppelin is certainly that. I’d actually discounted her as the aftermarket options aren’t great, Mk.1 do a set three times the cost of the kit which I personally think is too much. Eduard do a set in 4 prts, 2 prts of which are now discontinued. I contacted them about this and another set for Roma they have done similar with and they very bluntly said they wouldn’t bring it back into production even if demand went up which seems odd but that’s up to them. So I have coming on monday trumpeters kit of Graf Zeppelin in 1/350 with half of the eduard sets available, I did track down all four parts but when I compared the kit parts with those offered by eduard I found multiple areas when eduard merely replaced what was already included in the kit with little or no marked difference. I’ve also an extra set of six ME 109’s and Stukas. I plan to do my best with it, maybe scratch build a few bits, it won’t be jaw dropping in terms of PE but I think there is enough to lift the base model up a level or two. Part of the thing with Graf Zeppelin is of course she was never finished (about 95%) and in the process of not being finished she was changed several times. A brief history can be found on many a website, likely including this one on other builds but essentially, she had an Atlantic bow added post launch, was put on hold a couple times, had bulges added as well as changes to her super structure, AA armament, Aircraft complement and make up etc. You get the idea, the brilliant thing is it means you can’t really go wrong and where the line is drawn is any ones guess. As you’ll see from the following photos, Insert obligatory pictures (all from scale mates and Wikipedia). Post bulge Pre bulge I plan to make minor changes to the super structure and funnel cap as I think trumpeter got it very very very wrong. I’ve no idea on paint schemes she’d likely have adopted, the Germans didn’t seem to do much up to early 42 which is potentially when she could have entered service had she not be placed on hold repeatedly. There is this picture on Scalemates that are supposedly GZ but to me I'm not convinced, the step/angle in the bow is gone, the tip of the bow is different as is the rake, as are the missing casemates (which is possible) but the bulge comes a lot further forward and the superstructure is stepped out to one side which would be massive work to undertake during the brief times she was actually worked on post 1940, I wondered if these are perhaps pictures of Weser but I don't think she got that far in construction? Now as for the second ship I may concurrently build – I’ll say nothing partially not to jinx it, Im told it'll be here in short order but time will tell. I'll be initially working to complete to a point of airbushing as the bank balance has taken a hit and so I can’t invest in an Airbrush right now. So any areas hairy stickable I’ll look to do and other areas be left ready for airbrushing later in the build. I'm not sure how easy to do as sub assemblies carriers are - but I'll guess I will fid out. Dunkerque has taken 10 months and isn’t huge but is nearly there so I doubt this will be a quick build initially but if you’d like to follow on and have made it through my inane ramblings I’d be glad of any input and suggestions as to: - paint schemes - paint sequencing given my Airbrish plan/delay - and modifications that may make her stand out. Photo's of the kit and PE to follow when they arrive, Thanks for bearing with me Sam

Hi I will enter an Eduard Weekend kit to be built in one of these two options.

Hey folks So this is my Eduard 'Weekend Edition' 1:48 Focke-Wulf with just generic seatbelts added. Painted with Mr Color lacquers for the camo and decals for a 5/JG300 machine from the spares box. Weathering/stains/leaks are all Windsor & Newton oils. Not too much to say about the kit that hasn't been said here & elsewhere over the years. My first time building this kit and enjoyed it so much I've already added an A4 to my basket at my favourite on-line model shop ! As always, C C & Q's welcome, cheers from New Zealand. Ian.

B-17F Guns (6481023 for Eduard/HK Models) 1:48 Eduard Brassin HK Models released their scaled-down 1:48 Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress kit, which has recently been re-boxed with extra parts by Eduard as the Bloody Hundredth, and it is an excellent kit. This set from Eduard is intended to replace the kit guns with more detailed and realistic resin parts with PE ring and bead sights for exceptional fidelity. As is now usual with Eduard's more compact resin sets, they arrive in a shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin and Photo-Etch (PE) parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. There are fourteen guns in the box on separate casting blocks, five of which have separate barrels, of which there is a choice of ten, the rest have barrels cast-in, five of which have a ball pivot in the midst of the cooling jacket to permit movement within their mounts. There are separate cocking handles where appropriate on another casting block, with PE ring and bead sights, again where appropriate, plus two U-shaped mounts for the top of post-mounted weapons in the waist. The ball-mounted weapons are sited in the windows on the side of the nose, and either as a single or twin mount in the nose glazing, depending on which variant you have chosen. The ball turret has separate barrels for ease of building and painting of the assembly, as do the top turret guns, and the Cheyenne mount in the tail, with a choice of intimidating flash-hiders or plain barrels to be fitted after main painting is completed to avoid damaging them where possible. Each mount has its own instruction step, showing which part to use, the type of cocking handle, ring and bead sights, and how the new resin guns and their barrels integrate with the kit parts, two of which need the guns and their pivots removing from the supporting shaft, replacing the top with a PE bracket as mentioned earlier. Colour call-outs are made during each step of the instructions, using Gunze H and C codes, with the name of the colour also provided in case you don’t have Mr Color paints or their codes to hand. Detail is exceptional, from the perforated cooling jackets to all aspects of the breeches of the weapons, enhanced by extra resin and PE parts for ultimate detail that won’t break the bank. Review sample courtesy of

The Convair F-106 has long been a favourite of mine. Earliest memory of seeing "The Six" was an article in Aircraft Illustrated featuring F-106s of New Jersey ANG in the late 1970s or 80s in WH Smith in Cliftonville, Margate. I plan on building the classic Monogram kit from the 1980s complete with decals for 186th Fighter Interceptor Squadron Montana ANG out of Great Falls Airport. The 186FIS flew the SIX from 1973 until around 1987 so qualifies for this group build. Despite 57-2346 No 14 being on the decal sheet I haven't been able to find a photo of it. So far. 57-2456 ended up being dumped in the Gulf of Mexico in 1995 near Panama to form part of an artificial reef. Some photos and no I will not be re-scribing this kit! This kit came from Kingkit's Salvage Yard so quite a few parts are off the sprue and with cracked decals. But I have had the Superscale sheet for years. The star n bars sheet along with the mask are a recent purchase from Hannants. Thanks for looking. Grahame