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Eduard kit with some cockpit accessories, representing one of the two 526 AFS that were used by Aeroclubul Central Roman (Romanian Aero Club). All markings are painted, just “Akrobat” logo under the cockpit and a couple of technical stencils from kit decals; rudder flag (as it looked before 1990) from the spare box. Remarks and critics welcomed.

Fw.190A-3 Weekend Edition (84205) 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 plateau in development, or run alongside it as a stablemate if not. Its powerful twin-bank radial engine was installed with a close-fitting cowling 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 through over and between the cylinder heads, which also facilitated oil cooling. It was also given a wide-track landing gear that reduced the likelihood of a nose-over, a problem afflicting both the Bf.109 and Spitfire, due to their narrow track and poor forward visibility. When it first encountered Spitfires, it gave the RAF pilots a shock, as they were expecting 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-3 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 versions that gave the Würger (Shrike) additional weapons and capabilities, including a pressurised cockpit, rocket tubes and reconnaissance cameras. The A-3 was fitted with an upgraded BMW 801 D-2 engine that gave performance another boost, retaining the 20 mm MG 151/20E cannon from the A-2 as well as many other similarities that was evidenced by production records making very little distinction between the A-2 and A-3 variants. The A-4 was a natural progression of development that started reaching service in mid-1942, with a specification broadly similar to the A-3 that came before it, with similar mission-specific sub-variants and field modification packs available to it. Armament was extended by another pair of 20 mm MG FF/Ms just outboard of the landing gear bays, with barrels projecting from the leading-edges of the wings, and access for loading and maintenance from beneath. The A-4 was later replaced by the A-5 that had an extended nose that moved the centre of gravity forward to permit it to carry more munitions, followed in due course by the 6, 7 and A-8, which became the definitive variant of the A series. The Kit Since the initial tooling of the basic A series airframe in 2007, there have been numerous reboxings, additional parts and re-releases of other variants. Eduard's 190 is a great kit, and has stood the test of time well in the interim, and the moulds have seen additions that keep it current. This Weekend Edition concentrates on the already excellent plastic details, and arrives in their blue-themed box, which is adorned with a painting of a brace of Butcher birds engaged with a couple of Spitfires, hard at work trying to get behind each other. Inside are five grey/blue sprues, one of clear parts, two decal sheets and the instruction booklet printed in colour on glossy paper, with profiles for the decal options on the rear pages, plus space for some notes after the stencil diagrams. Due to the pick-n-mix nature of the sprues there will be a fair quantity of spares left after construction, which are marked on the diagrams with a pale blue overprinting. Construction starts in the cockpit, which has decals applied to the side consoles and instrument panels, adding a centre console with another decal, applying more decals for the seatbelts. The tub includes the sharply pointed rear deck, to which you add the rear bulkheads, control column, seat with separate cushion, rudder pedals, and sundry other parts, some fixed to the cockpit side walls moulded into the fuselage halves. In order to close up the fuselage, the cockpit assembly is inserted along with a bulkhead that closes up the front of the tub, two L & R labelled exhaust inserts in the cowling, and the engine assembly, which is only an approximation of the front row of cylinders, plus the reduction gear bell-housing, as not much will be seen once the cowling is in place. The lower wings are full width, and have a spar fitted that runs to the ends of the gear bays, with detail on the forward face visible through the openings. This is augmented by the dimpled wheel trays, various ribs and the cannon barrels that protrude through, with the upper wings added after painting of the bay roof detail that is engraved on their underside. The completed wing assembly is then offered up to the fuselage, and the missing sections of the cowling, gun barrels and troughs are added to the top and bottom of the nose. A two-layer ring finishes the front cowling, and the flying surfaces are glued into to place, including separate rudder and ailerons, plus fixed elevators. Two types of tyres are provided for the main gear, which have separate hubs, and fit onto the peg on the ends of the strut, with separate oleo-scissors and captive bay door parts. The retraction gear is installed on the inner side of the leg, and the centre doors fit to the central bar that splits the bays. The tail wheel with split yoke and separate tyre slots into the rear, crew step, more wing-mounted gun barrels and pitot probe are installed, adding a wire antenna from your own supplies under the fuselage for some decal options. Then the broad three-bladed prop is completed with boss-front, spinner and fan unit behind it, with a peg at the rear fitting into a corresponding hole in the engine front. Different open and closed canopies are provided, and are outfitted with head armour and support before being added to the airframe along with the fixed windscreen part. 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 This Weekend Edition gives you a generous four decal options (you used to get just one), with plenty of variation between them, which should appeal to a wider audience than those of yesteryear. From the box you can build one of the following: WNr. 223, Hptm. Hans Hahn, CO of III./JG 2, Beaumont le Roger, France, June 1942 WNr. 216, Oblt. Karl Borris, CO of 8./JG 26, Wevelghem, Belgium, July 1942 Oblt. Wolfgang Kosse, 1./JG 5, Herdla, Norway, October 1942 WNr. 2259, Oblt. Günther Josten, 1./JG 51, Lyuban, the Soviet Union, autumn 1942 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. Conclusion The Weekend Edition is a more choice-filled proposition than it was years ago, and the detail of the kit is excellent, extending to a riveted exterior and finely engraved panel lines. Whether you can build one in a weekend is down to you, but you can try! Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hello, As my A-144 conversion is on indefinite hold due to a missing canopy (yes, the carpet monster was there although I have no carpets on my workshop floor) I've decided to finalize another project... an Eduard 1/72 Spitfire LF Mk. IXe from "Nasi se vraceji" boxing with some Barssin accesories (cockpit, gun bays, top cowling) and Bronze landing gear legs. With the exception of squadron logo, serial number and some stencils, all markings were painted with custom masks. Comments are welcomed!

IJN Type 96 25mm AA Guns & Ventilators (653021 & 653018) 1:350 Eduard Brassin One of the areas of many maritime kits that is lacking in detail is generally the deck fixtures and fittings, which are limited in finesse by the capabilities of injection-moulding technology. Traditionally, Photo-Etch (PE) was used to create more detailed fittings for such kits, but these usually involve complex folding, and as they are made from flat sheet, there are always compromises. The advances in 3D Stereo-Lithographic Resin (SLR) Printing in the last several years have given increasing levels of detail, and decreasing layer thicknesses that are bordering on the invisible with the latest generations. This permits the creation of infinitesimal details that would otherwise be impossible to make by hand without super-powers and a microscope, and the method used to form these parts allows overhangs and extreme detail to be incorporated into a single part that can be put to use almost immediately. This pair of sets is intended for 1:350 Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) kits, replacing the chunky, and sometimes blob-like deck details with parts that are almost unbelievably detailed. Although the sets arrive in a flat package, the directly 3D printed parts are safe inside a clear plastic clamshell box within the package, which also has a sticky pad inside to prevent the parts from rattling around. The parts are printed resin, attached to the base via thin tendril-like fingers that are easy to cut off and sand the little upstands away, leaving them ready for action. IJN Ventilators (653018) This set includes four print-bases totalling seventy parts depicting fourteen different ventilators, five of each type, that vary from small vertical pipes with a pair of tapering cones at the top, to an enormous cylindrical part with a mesh panel on the side, all of which are drop-in replacements for the parts they supplant. The instructions show drawings of each type, and confirms that all of them should be painted the same camouflage colour(s) as the rest of the ship. IJN Type 96 25mm AA Gun (Triple) Printed on six rectangular bases, some of which are linked together, this set provides eighteen gun platforms in grey resin, split into two blocks of nine, with and without large ring sights on both sides of the triple barrels. A small PE fret is included to depict the splinter-shields on each side of the gun, which are folded into an L-shape and glued to the front of the battery to keep the gunners a little safer during battle. Conclusion If you have IJN ships in your stash or in your future, these new sets from Eduard are going to be just what you need, and they’ll be easy to get hold of thanks to their market penetration. The detail must be seen to be believed. Review sample courtesy of

The Fieseler Storch (or stork in English) must be familiar to all modellers of WWII aircraft. She was the German liaison plane at practically all the theatres of operation. Fieseler Storch was a real stol plane. With its high-lift wings and fixed slots, it could take-off in about 50 m land within 20 m. In a strong headwind it could almost hover. The Storch was used by many air forces, including the neutral ones like Sweden. Some of their planes were used for rescue operations in Swedish Lapland during the winter of 1944-45. There were a number of refugees that tried to flee from the German troops over the mountains from Norway and Finland. In the freezing conditions and in the almost total darkness of the north they needed to be helped rapidly. I built my Fieseler Storch from an excellent Tamiya kit in 1/48 scale. Building the plane was straightforward and without any problems. The kit provided decals for various German planes including the one that was used to free Mussolini from captivity in Gran Sasso. However, I decided to model one of the above mentioned Swedish rescue planes that the Swedes called Fjällstorkarna or Mountain Storks. I ordered the decals from "Moose republic decals" and the resin skis are from Kora models. Additionally, I used Eduard's photoetches and masks for the multiple windows of the plane. The Swedish camouflage was olive green top and light blue grey bottom. For them I used Tamiya's XF-61 and XF-66 respectively. After having airbrushed the colors I covered the model for the decals with WMS's gloss varnish. Finally, I sprayed it with WMS's satin varnish. For many details I also used Vallejo's and Revell's colours.

I started another Spitfire for my growing collection. This time, it will be photo recon FR Mk IXc in striking PRU pink scheme from 16th Squadron in second half of 1944. Discussion thread: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235146219-spitfire-in-pink-options/ Initially, I planned to paint PR Mk X in this scheme but it turned out that KP decal option is not real, so I decided to convert Eduard Mk IXc (late) into FR. Major change is obviously oblique camera installation. I had to cut round window in a radio hatch, trying to get size and positioning like in the photos. I chose to glue square piece of transparent plastic so I had to thin the hatch significantly. It proven to be quite difficult and I broke the edge of opening in one place forcing me to perform delicate repair. Still I think it was less problematic then other option - trying to fit round window in the hole. It also allowed me to glue strengthening strips one the inside. I also built body of the camera, but it is very crude as only the lens is visible. Next was cockpit, built out of the box with Eduard profipack PEs. Sides of the seat were thinned a bit, I added some wires, oxygen pipe and I decided to move upper part of control column as I glued ailerons slightly offset. Cockpit was painted with Pactra (grey green), Citadel (silver) and Kimmera acrylics (seat and details). Camera lens was painted with Molotov chrome marker.

Spitfire Mk.VIII Upgrade Sets (for Airfix A17002) 1:24 Eduard Airfix’s new tool 1:24 Spitfire got a new variant in 2024, in the shape of the Mk.VIII, which we reviewed here. 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. The PRINT set arrives in a flat package, the directly 3D printed parts safe inside a clear plastic clamshell box inside the package, which also has a sticky pad inside to prevent the parts from rattling about. The parts are printed resin, attached to the base via thin tendril-like fingers that are easy to cut off and sand the little upstands away, leaving them ready for action. As is now usual with Eduard's smaller Brassin sets, the wheels arrive in a shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. Interior (23040) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete new layered instrument panel, plus raised blind-flying sub-panel are in full colour, adding side panels to the gunsight and compass that attach to the panel. The rudder pedals have foot straps fitted to the tops, and the mechanism at the top of the frame to which the seat mounts is given a comprehensive upgrade with a frame and several small parts, plus a lip beneath the headrest location. The cockpit sidewalls are substantially upgraded with instrument faces, , a large electric panel on the port side that is made from many large and small parts, plus two surfaces that fit between the sidewall ribs. The cockpit door is replaced entirely with a new assembly that is laminated from several new parts that build the door in a similar manner to the real door, with a piano hinge at the lower edge, and two clips for the pry-bar, which you should paint green unless you’re modelling a post-war aircraft or warbird. To install this on the fuselage side, the four lugs that support the kit part should be removed as per the accompanying diagram. Seatbelts STEEL (23043) 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. A full set of crew belts is included, with additional Y-shaped web and an extension-strip fitted to the shoulder harness, using a scrap diagram to illustrate the belt extending rearwards through the frames behind the seat. Engine & Undercarriage Set (23042) This larger bare brass set contains some important upgrades to these areas, starting with the interior face of the main cowling side panels, which have a vertical groove filled before installing a strengthening framework, extra strip against the wing root, and a patch panel on the interior near the nose. The frames that the cowling fits onto is also detailed with new PE parts, removing the clumsy fastener lugs that are marked in red, and replacing them with finer parts and sections of surface in between the remaining lugs. This process is carried out on both sides of the nose, then the lower cowling with chin intake is augmented with strips around the edges and down the centre after removing the lugs that are intended to align the two halves of this cowling panel. The top cowling is given a similar treatment, adding strips down the sides and across the panel ends, with a rectangular strip over the engine, and two appliqué panels near the front. The final few parts are used to detail the sidewalls of the main gear bays with appliqué panels, circular grommets and F-shaped stiffeners. Fishtail Exhausts PRINT (624005) Supplied on two print-bases, the set includes twelve exhaust stacks with fishtail tips, which should be applied to the nose six per side, and are drop-in replacements for the kit parts. They have enhanced detail when compared to the kit parts, with weld-beads where they should be, and deeply recessed lips that are verging on scale-thickness for extra realism. Wheels 4-Spoke (624006) Containing two main wheels with separate 3D printed outer hubs, plus a tail wheel, and a large sheet of kabuki-style masks that are pre-cut for your ease and will help you to cut the demarcation between the hubs and tyres with ease. The new wheels are a drop-in replacement for the kit parts, with extra detail on the hubs, and tyre sidewalls that have concentric rings and manufacturer’s details and product statistics in raised lettering. Masks (LX009) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition, you get a set of hub/tyre masks for the wheels and wingtip lights, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Masks Tface (LX010) 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 inside of the glazing so that you can paint the model’s interior and give your kit that extra bit of realism. Having used these sets on my own models, I can confirm that they are extremely accurate, and it's good practice to place the outer masks first to act as a guide for alignment of the inner masks. Review sample courtesy of

Lockheed P-38F/G Lightning Right (Starboard) Engine (6481037 for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Tamiya’s recent new tooling of the P-38J/F/H Lightning in 1:48 gave the modelling world a new de facto standard kit of the type, and provided us with an excellent, well-detailed kit of this iconic twin-boom fighter from WWII. You can always improve on the detail possible with injection-moulded styrene however, and we’ve already had some aftermarket sets from Eduard. Now we have a larger resin engine set to allow you to open the cowling to display the Allison V-1710 engine, but bear in mind that the engines themselves were handed to cancel out torque steer, so if you intend to open the left/port engine, this set won’t be suitable, and neither will the cowling parts of course. As is usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in a Brassin-themed black-and-yellow deep cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags on a layer of grey foam, and the instructions folded around the top, acting as additional padding. The Set Inside the box are forty-one 3D-printed resin parts, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) with just one part, a decal sheet, and a thick instruction booklet that consists of five sheets of folded A4, printed in colour on both sides. Throughout the 29 steps, Gunze Sangyo colour codes are given, and where additional wire from your own stocks is needed to add extra detail, you will be given the length and diameter to help you plan ahead. As is normal for 3D printed parts, they are attached to their print-bases by many fine fingers that taper at the top end to reduce clean-up once you have liberated the part(s) from the base. A little light sanding is usually sufficient to make any marks disappear, after which you can start putting things together. Construction begins with removal of the kit engine nacelle from the kit parts, carefully following the red markings shown in the first four steps of the instructions. Small sections of other parts are also removed in this step, so take care and cross-refer with the kit instructions to ensure you don’t slip up. At the side of this series of steps is a separate diagram showing the location of all the decals on the engine block and some of the sundry parts around the nacelle, and as they don’t appear to be picked out during the build, you’d be well-advised to mark them on the instructions before you get too far. The first two parts will need extensive painting and those make up the engine block and the ancillaries behind it, which plug together after some extensive detail painting, and the addition of a little nose-weight inside the hollow engine to replace the kit-supplied ball-bearing that would otherwise fill the space. The prop-shaft housing has a circular PE ring applied to its front, adding two short lengths of wire to the aft end of the tubes that run down the top edge of the inner face of both cylinder banks. The ancillary block is wired up with short lengths of different diameters of wire, which are marked in separate colours to set them apart. Over the top of the ancillaries a pair of ignition distributor boxes are laid, one on either side of a joining tube, with a pair of scrap diagrams showing it in relation to the wires that have just been added. More wire is threaded from the front to the rear and underneath the engine, fitting a tapering trunk for the supercharger, which should end outside the starboard engine bearer, which has more wire routed down its top side and under the prop-shaft, with two accessories also attached to the bearer. Turning the engine around, the port engine bearer is fitted, flipping the assembly over to add another hose under the accessories, and with the assembly righted again, yet another hose that runs from back to front is threaded through and joined by another accessory on the starboard side. More wire links the new accessory box to something that will be mounted later, meanwhile fitting another box and a curving hose that has a scrap diagram showing where it links to the rear of the engine. There’s yet another box with some wire leading into the mass of accessories at the rear, with more wires leading to both the boxes already in situ. At the rear is another firewall assembly that mounts behind the motor, detailing it with two more hoses, one wide, the other narrower, bringing it in to mate with the engine bearers, linking up the loose wires that finally find their end-points. At the end of the intake tubes is a paired intake lip that is attached on a pair of keyed pegs, with some detail painting in case you’d forgotten that this had been going on. The underside of the nacelle is an impressively detailed part, and needs painting inside and out, fitting a hose down the starboard side, and printed at the rear a complex intake trunking that slots in from the rear. A scrap diagram shows some more detail painting that will need to be done at this point, adding two filters into their recesses, a horseshoe reservoir at the front, and hoses, plus another long length of wire from your own stocks. The engine is lowered carefully into the nacelle, which is starting to become a rather impressive assembly, finishing the path of two hoses with curving sections that dive into the depths of the engine, with another scrap diagram helping with locating them as well as the other wires installed earlier. Exhaust collectors are installed on each side of the motor, followed by the top framework that is a curved cruciform shape, which has a resin tube and a length of wire run down the underside of the spine before it is applied over the engine within the nacelle. The nacelle is complete, but you still need to paint the surprisingly large number of surface panels that are removed to access the engine for care and maintenance. Each one is printed vertically, and on some you can just about see some layer lines, so after priming them, check to see if those have disappeared, and if not, give them a very light sanding. There are eleven in all, and the inner faces will be silver, while the outers will be camouflage colour, but you might want to loosely apply them to the model to ensure you have any demarcations noted before you start painting. Markings The whole instruction booklet is dotted with detailed colour indicators that have the H and C codes for Gunze Sangyo’s Mr Color range, along with the names of the colours in case you can’t get to a paint conversion chart at the time. The small decal sheet is printed digitally, and the carrier film can be carefully peeled away if you wish, leaving just the thin printed part on the model, which is an improvement if the presence of carrier films bothers you like it does me. Conclusion There just aren’t enough superlatives to cover the quality and detail evident on this set. The space between the cylinder banks however is almost a victim of its own success, as you might struggle to get your paint brush in between the equipment that is moulded into the monolithic block. It’s an awesome example of 3D printed model parts, and the amount of effort that has been expended in designing it is incredible. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Another Eduard Bf109 finished! This is the second model from the limited edition Gustav Pt.1 box, which introduced the G-5 and G-6 variants to Eduard's 1/72 range. The first one I built from this box was a stripey Bf109G-5. I've done this one as scheme I from the kit, a 1./JG50 G-6 flown by Alfred Grislawski in September 1943. The camouflage is a typical RLM 74/75 over 76 with mottling. I chose this scheme for the underwing guns, which none of my other 109s have. The kit is fantastic, accounting for a huge variety of different minor variants and provides options for dropped flaps. 14 schemes are included, although 12 of the 14 are variations on RLM74/75 over 76 (in all fairness 2 of those are covered in very heavy mottles). The lack of variety despite there being so many schemes is a little disappointing but you can always go with aftermarket. In total I've now built 3 of Eduard's 1/72 Bf109, in addition to some other Bf109 kits I've also recently built. With these still in the stash (the Gustav Part 1 box just contains the plentiful spares from this and previous builds), and the G-10 Royal Class kit on its way from Hannants, I've got enough Bf109s to keep me busy for a while! The wip thread is here:

Hi 👋 A few pictures of my Syrian Air Force MiG-21MF. This individual was according to sources downed by an Israeli Phantom back in 1982. It’s the Profipack boxing from Eduard, built pretty much OOB. The (excellent) decals are from Afterburner and I added a PJ pilot in the OOB seat. Thanks for looking 😀 Cheers! /Fred

Spitfire Mk.IXe ProfiPACK (8288) 1:48 Eduard The Supermarine Spitfire was the mainstay of British Fighter Command for the majority of WWII, in conjunction with the Hurricane during the Battle of Britain, with the Mk.IX being the most popular (with many) throughout the war, seeing extended periods of production with only minor alterations for the role for which it was intended that differentiated between the sub-variants. Originally requested to counter the superiority of the then-new Fw.190, a two-stage supercharged Merlin designated type 61 provided performance in spades, and the fitting of twin wing-mounted cannons with accommodating blisters gave it enough punch to take down its diminutive Butcher-Bird prey. The suffix following the mark number relates to the wings fitted to the aircraft, as they could vary. The C wing was also known as the Universal Wing, and saw extensive use because it mounted two 20mm cannon in each wing, the outer barrel usually covered by a rubber plug. Later in the Mk.IX’s development, the E wing was a strengthened unit intended to carry small munitions under the wings, and could carry two .50cal machine guns instead of four .303 guns of the previous designs, increasing the punch delivered to the target. The main gear was adjusted in an effort to give it more stable landing characteristics, and bowed gear bays removed the need for blisters on the upper wing surface, helping aerodynamics. The gun mounts were redesigned to need smaller blisters in the wing tops to accommodate the feeder motors, and there was even more room for fuel than earlier wings. Lastly, the wings were able to have longer elliptical or shorter clipped tips fitted, the resulting shorter wingspan giving the aircraft a faster roll-rate that would be especially useful in low-altitude combat. The Kit This new boxing of the later 1944 variant of the Mk.IX with the stronger E wing arrives in a gold-themed ProfiPACK box with a painting of a triumphant Spit in the midst of a sprawling dogfight, fresh from a victory over a hapless Bf.109. inside the box are four sprues of blue-grey styrene, a circular clear sprue, a pre-painted nickel-plated fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a sheet of pre-cut masking material (not pictured), two decal sheets that are split between markings and stencils, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on glossy white paper, with profiles for the decal options on the rearmost pages. Detail is up to Eduard’s usual standard with engraved panel lines and fine rivets over the surface, adding PE details to the cockpit to improve detail there, and a wide range of decal options to choose from. Construction begins with the cockpit, which will probably be familiar to most, although there is a huge amount of detail when it’s done the Eduard way. It is built up on the starboard sidewall insert, with equipment, controls and a seat-carrying frame. The seat is next, having the seldom-used flare rack as an option at the front added from PE, optional PE head-armour, as well as pre-painted PE seatbelts and rear armour under the triangular head armour. The control column is also made up, and has a PE trigger added before it and the four-part flight control box (more of a tangle, really) are joined by the seat and inserted in the next two fuselage frames forward. The next frame forward holds the instrument panel, which can be made from plastic with decals, or a more realistic and detailed lamination of PE parts with convincing glossy dial faces on a separate backing plate, either of which then glue onto the frame, adding the gunsight with PE details at the top of the panel, and the compass with PE or decal dial just below, then the rudder pedals are put just inside the footwell below the panel. Forward of that frame is an arrowed blanking plate that is glued in place along with the spinner back during the fuselage closure procedure. The socket for the tail wheel and the leading edge of the wing fairing are also glued in, drilling a 1mm hole in the port side. Posing the canopy open will require small parts of the sidewalls removing to accommodate the appropriate glazing, so make sure you cut those parts off as necessary. The lower wing is a single part that stretches as far as the wingtip attachment joint would be, and there are two pairs of 1mm holes that need drilling out on both undersides if you plan on hanging stores under the wings before you go any further. A tiny portion of the landing gear bay surround is shaved away for some decal options, which is shown in red to assist with accurate cutting of the styrene. A long wing spar bridges the gap between the wheel bay cut-outs, then the rest of the bay walls are made from short sections and just the two outer wing-gun barrels per side are dropped into their slots ready for closure, placing the fuselage into the gap and gluing it home. The empennage is next, with separate two-part elevator fins and a full-span flying surface, plus a choice of rudder styles and its control link that trap the elevators in position with the aid of a pair of inserts, allowing them to deflect if you wish. This boxing has a separate pair of cowling parts that should be glued together with the aid of tabs moulded into the joint that should help keep it strong once the glue has cured. It is glued over the nose after inserting the exhaust stubs into the slots on either side of the cowling. Back to the wings, and the elliptical tips or clear clipped alternatives (depending on your decal choice) are slotted into place along with the ailerons, the latter you can pose deflected if you wish. Staying with the wing, the model is flipped over, so that the radiators, and chin intake with fairing can all be installed, adding L-shaped feeder pipes at the rear, and a flap with actuators for open and closed positions, assisted by scrap diagrams that illustrate the layout from the side. The narrow track landing gear struts have PE scissor-links and captive doors attached to the rear, removing the flat peg at the top of the door, and wheels that are made up from a tyre and a choice of two styles of outer hub parts and a common inner hub, using a split yoke and wheel for the tail, which slides into the socket buried within the fuselage earlier. The 20mm cannon parts simply slot into their sockets in the leading edge of the wings, with nice muzzle detail moulded-in and a choice of barrel plug for one decal option, fitting a pitot probe under the port tip. The fixed rear glazing of the canopy is fitted first for the open option, but is moulded into the closed canopy for better fit on a closed cockpit. The cockpit door can be installed open or closed, then an aerial is glued to the rear of the canopy on a tear-drop base. The four-bladed prop is a single part, covered front and back by a two-part pointed spinner, with the peg on the rear sliding into the front of the fuselage. This boxing includes parts for a pair of bombs under the wings, which are made from two halves, two perpendicular fins, and a circular tail. They mount under the wings on shallow pylons and two sway-braces, joined by a pair of PE hooks under the belly, and a long aerial under the starboard wing, drilling a 0.3mm hole to accommodate it in front of the aileron. Markings There are a generous seven decal options for this boxing, most wearing grey/green camouflage over light grey undersides. From the box you can build one of the following: RR201, F/Lt Richard J. Audet, F/Lt John J. Boyle, No. 411 Squadron, ALG B.88 Heesh, The Netherlands, December 1944 RR201, F/Lt John J. Boyle, No. 411 Squadron, ALG B.88 Heesh, The Netherlands, February-April 1945 PV181, W/Cdr Rolf A. Berg, No. 132 Wing, ALG B.79 Woendstrecht, The Netherlands, winter 1944 RK889, S/Ldr Otmar Kučera, No. 313 Squadron, RAF Manston, Kent, Great Britain, May-July 1945 TE517, S/Ldr O. Kučera, No. 313 Squadron, RAF Manston, Kent, Great Britain, August 1945 RK917, G/Cpt Douglas Bader, RAF North Weald, Great Britain, September 1945 2003 (ex TE531), 105. Tajeset, Ramat David AB, Izrael, September 1953 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. Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks (not pictured) deliver 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 wingtip light masks, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Conclusion A welcome reboxing of this important mark of the Supermarine Spitfire, with superb detail that is augmented by PE parts, a wide choice of decal options, and a set of pre-cut masks to simplify painting the canopy. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Good day, This is likely my final submission for the 2024 calendar year. The highlights of this kit are as follows………….. 1. Cockpit : Vallejo RLM 66, Vallejo Black wash, Tamiya Metallic grey ( XF-56 ) dry brushed highlights 2. Airframe : Ammo Atom RLM 74, 75, & 76, Tamiya Rubber Black ( XF-85 ) lower wing, Ammo Medium Gray & Stone Gray wash. 3. Propellers : Vallejo RLM 70, Tamiya Khaki Drab ( XF-84 ) dry brush 4. Landing gear, wheels, & tires : Vallejo RLM 02, Mission Models Tire Black ( MMP-40 ), Tamiya Black ( X-1 ), Tamiya Dark Earth & Metallic Gray dry brush 5. Exhaust : Gunze Burnt Iron, Polly Scale Burnt Aluminum dry brush, Vallejo Light Rust wash 6. Uschi bobbin thread radio wire 7. Built primarily out of the box including kit decals and photo etched seat belts, instrument panels 8. Replaced gun barrels with brass tubes ( 0.06MM ) 9. Weathered with washes, paint, and chalk pastels I had a devil of a time trying accurately replicate Oblt Schnaufer`s complex camouflage pattern. After numerous attempts and to the point of sanding the colors off, I simply went with what I have here. I know it`s not accurate but I wanted to proceed and not give up entirely on the kit. As Eduard products are renowned for, the detail and fit of parts is of the highest quality. Yes, I broke the nose radar antennas on three separate occasions during handling. The radar antenna is a very complicated process to assemble. The profi-pack edition is a must have for this subject as the complex framing of the windscreen poses a significant challenge and the included photo etched parts provide superior detail. The decals are not too thin where they can be handled without the fear of tears but thin enough to settle down nicely with solution. Due to the complexity of the kit, I can only recommend this Bf-110 night fighter to those with more experience. Thank you in advance, Mike

P-51B/C Seat with Belts Type 2 & 3 PRINT (6481040 & 6481041) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Eduard’s new range of Mustang kits in 1:48 are a sight to behold, pushing injection-moulding technology to achieve exceptional levels of detail, but as with all styrene kits you can always improve by using different media to create key parts. Although these sets arrive in a flat package, the directly 3D printed parts are safe inside a clear plastic clamshell box inside the package, which also has a sticky pad inside to prevent the parts from rattling about. The parts are printed resin, attached to the base via thin tendril-like supports that are easy to cut off and sand the little upstands away, leaving them ready for action. Both seats are printed with integral belts that have a realistic drape to them, with all the furniture present already, and no assembly required, just remove the seats from their bases and sand/cut back the tiny raised marks. Once done, you can go ahead with painting and fitting in the cockpit as a drop-in replacement for the kit seats. There are three styles available, of which we have two today. P-51B/C Seat Type 2 (6481040) P-51B/C Seat Type 3 (6481041) Conclusion Both seats have superb detail moulded-in and simple preparation. Once you’ve painted it, it’ll be a focal point of your model. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

L-39ZA Albatros SPACE (3DL72046) 1:72 Eduard Eduard have just re-released their Aero L-39ZA Albatros that we reviewed here, and have also released some new upgrade sets to improve on the detail already moulded into the kit’s parts. 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. To prepare for application of the decals, you need to remove the moulded-in details from the two instrument panels and the four side consoles, which will involve sanding or shaving away the raised components with a sharp blade, taking care not to stab yourself in the process. New 3D printed decals are applied to the instrument panels, ensuring that you use the correct one for front and rear, adding grey sidewall decals over the interior of the fuselage as indicated, and finally fitting four side consoles, two per cockpit to the flat tops that were prepared earlier. The pre-painted and nickel-plated PE parts are used on the ejection seats, and include a full set of four-point harnesses, anti-flail leg straps and pull-handle at the front of the seat’s base, plus equipment and levers that fit to the sides of the base frame. The headbox sides are skinned with two triangular panels, adding a tangle of belts and a handle to the top of the box, representing the drogue ‘chute’s mechanism. This is done in duplicate of course, as the aircraft is a two-seater. It's a huge upgrade to the cockpit detail that offers pre-finished dials and instruments that begs for an open cockpit to show it off. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

B-24H Wheels (672380 for Airfix) 1:72 Eduard Brassin We’ve recently reviewed the new Airfix Consolidated B-24H Liberator here recently, and it’s a fine kit. The Kit wheels are in two halves with two more parts for the hubs, which means you have the resultant joins around the circumference to deal with, and limitation to 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 seam-line 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 typically a drop-in replacement. As usual with Eduard's smaller Brassin sets, it arrives in a flat resealable package similar to their PE sets but with different branding, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. This set includes four resin wheels on their own casting blocks, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, and a set of pre-cut masks on kabuki-style paper washi tape material. The attachment points are on the contact patch of the tyres where they are flattened out due to the weight of the airframe, so it should be straight-forward to cut them free with a razor saw, filing the remainder flush. The detail is exceptional, including diamond tread on the rolling surfaces of the tyres, and hub details are upgraded, although the option of fitting flat PE hub caps will hide the hubs away, but for accuracy’s sake it must be done, unless you don’t want to, of course! There are two nose-wheels, with a choice of eight or nine spoked hubs for you to use after checking your references. Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks provide you with a full set of masks for hubs/tyres, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Fw.190A Seat w/Integral Belts PRINT (6481038 for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Eduard’s 1:48 Fw.190A kits are well-crafted, but now we have a technology that can create parts with exceptional detail and fidelity that simply makes a drop-in replacement for focal points of the model. Although this set arrives in a flat package, the directly 3D printed parts are safe inside a clear plastic clamshell box inside, which also has a sticky pad inside to prevent the parts from rattling about during shipping and in storage. The parts are 3D printed resin, attached to the base via thin tendril-like fingers that are easy to cut off and sand the remnants away, leaving them ready for action. Consisting of a single part on its own base, the new seat is a direct replacement for the kit part, and has the seat belts and base cushion moulded/printed-in. The belts are naturally draped over the shell of the seat, and due to the technology used in 3D SLA printing, there are gaps engineered where the four-point belts curve around the sides and back of the seat, offering an enhanced realism that improves on previous methods for depicting belts that have gone before. All the supports are located on the rear and underside of the seat shell, so that clean-up will be easy, the modeller simply ensuring that the slightly raised location points are removed where they might be seen or may impinge on proper fitment of the part. Once sympathetically painted, the seat will be a fine focal point of the cockpit of your next Fw.190A project. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

B-24J Engines PRINT (6481029 for Hobby Boss) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Hobby Boss followed their 1:32 Liberator last year with a new tooling in 1:48, which was the first in this scale (my preferred scale) since Monogram’s excellent but dated kit from the 1970s, which although it had raised panel lines could be built into a decent replica with help. This new one from Hobby Boss is crying out for super-detailing, and Eduard are making that a possibility. As is usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in a Brassin-themed black-and-yellow cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags between two layers of grey foam, and the instructions folded around acting as additional padding. There are two segmented bases containing eight parts in 3D printed resin, four engines and four adapters to ensure a snug fit of the parts on the kit nacelle bulkheads. The engines are attached to their bases via fine support tendrils, which can easily be removed, but take care not to accidentally remove the wiring loom that is engineered into the front face, as they are also fine and could easily be mistaken for more supports. There is a useful scrap diagram in the top-left of the instructions that shows the various wires and push-rods along with painting call-outs in Gunze Sangyo codes, which is Eduard’s preferred brand. Once cut from their supports, the engines should be painted and weathered, followed by fitting the adapter-plate to the rear, and inserting a 6.8mm length of 0.3mm rod from your own stocks into the bell-housing at the front of the motor to act as prop-shaft. That will allow you to hang the kit propellers from the front, but improving the detail a thousand-fold. There are also smaller scrap diagrams that show the removal of a tab from the bottom of the nacelle housings, with the part numbers called out, and the remainder of the tab thinned down to 0.7mm for easy fitting of the new engines. Detail is stunning, and the inclusion of a wiring loom on a twin-row radial will save hours of modelling time trying to get lengths of lead wire to stick somewhere near where they should be without covering the parts and yourself with superglue. VERY highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

So while I’m waiting for Uschi to send me my “wood decals” I’ve decided to build another Eduard Spitfire. This time I’m going to build one of the options from the “Per Aspera ad Astra” dual combo… …this kit offers 12 schemes… I’ve not seen this tri-camo’ version before so I think it'll be an interesting subject… I’m toying with the idea of an “in flight” version, I’ll check my spares box to see if I have ant suitable pilot figures? Next, as “normal”, I’ll be starting with the cockpit until next time as always, any suggestions, criticisms or comments will be gratefully received. rgds John(shortCummins)

F-4E Parachute (672382 for Fine Molds) 1:72 Eduard Brassin A lot of fast jets land at high speed, and need to slow down in a hurry, especially if they have landed at a shorter runway than usual. They do this by applying the wheel brakes, air-brakes, but also many jets have a parachute pack that they can deploy at the rear to further retard the speed of their aircraft. The ‘chutes don’t go on fire because they’re made from a tough, fire-resistant material, but also because the aircraft’s throttles are either at idle or in reverse, assisting with the braking. The F-4 was designed primarily as a carrier aircraft, where it would usually land using an arrestor hook, which brought it to a halt in a hurry, but that puts a huge stress on the airframe, shortening its lifespan, so is to be avoided when possible. When landing on runways, rather than deploying an arrestor wire, which is specialist equipment that might not always be available, they use parachute packs that are deployed from a compartment within the rear of the aircraft, inflating due to the airspeed, allowing some of the air to bleed through the slots in the material, as they’re intended to slow it down, not pull the tail off. They were used as a matter of course on even the longest runways, although crews were trained on parachute-free landings, just in case. The Set The ‘chutes utilised to slow an aircraft’s roll aren’t excessively large, and at 1:72 scale it fits with room to spare. As is usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, it arrives in a Brassin-themed black-and-yellow cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, two sheets of protective dark grey foam, and the instructions folded around acting as additional padding. There are five 3D printed resin parts in two separate Ziploc bags, plus a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass in another bag with a sheet of white card protecting it from bending in the box. Adding a parachute to your Phantom model will be key to a landing or post-landing taxiing diorama, and the detail is exceptional, even having a flattened edge to the ‘chute where it presses against the runway after initial deployment. Construction begins with sliding the resin para-pack compartment into position, which has the door moulded open and out to the rear. The parachute is printed as a single part, which is attached to the base on the outer edge, and should be simple to remove and clean-up, adding a 1-4mm length of 0.27mm styrene rod from your own stores to the top, fixing the drogue bag to the end, and the drogue ‘chute itself on an eight-pointed PE star that represents the short lengths of cord that allows it to open. Between the parachute and the compartment is another 43mm length of 0.5mm rod with a 1mm ferrule for the last 2mm, all from your own stock, which ends with a 3D printed O-ring that gathers the individual cords of the parachute. These cords are depicted by fine PE strips that are anchored at the inner end by a strip, enabling you to form it into a small circle, spreading out the opposite ends so they can be attached to the circumference of the parachute, locating them on the tabs that project from the underside of the billowing ‘chute. Markings There are paint call-outs in Gunze Sangyo codes throughout the build, many of the cords are in white, the parachute and its lines yellow, and the drogue ‘chute in a light tan colour. Check your references for your particular example for fading or colour variance if you want to achieve maximum accuracy. Conclusion This is quite an unusual set that you’d think would be a niche product, but maybe its existence as a relatively simple method of creating a ‘chute-assisted landing scene will create the market and result in a lot more F-4s in landing dioramas going forward. Clearly the 1:48 set we reviewed some months back was a success, and maybe now we’re more likely to see a proliferation of these sets for other aircraft and scales. You could of course use this set with other branded Phantom kits, but you may have to do some work on the housing to make it work. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

P-51B Birdcage Canopy Cockpit (6481033 for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Eduard’s new Bird Cage Mustang went under the microscope here, and now we have a finely detailed 3D-printed resin cockpit to augment the already impressive detail you’ll find in the kit. As is now usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in the new deep Brassin cardboard box, with the resin and other parts safely cocooned in bags, a foam sheet in the top and bottom and the instructions folded around acting as padding. Inside the box are forty-three resin parts of various sizes, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) that has been nickel-plated and pre-printed, a sheet of decals and a slip of clear acetate with the gunsight glazing shapes printed on. The instruction booklet tells you remove some sections of interior detail on the fuselage halves, which are marked out in red for your convenience. It’s worthy of note that there isn’t a pre-painted PE instrument panel in this set, but there are a host of decals for the instruments and placards, which you apply along the way toward a complete cockpit. Construction begins with the seat in a choice of three styles that are printed as one part each, and are decorated with pre-painted PE four-point seatbelts, a common headrest that attaches to the seat armour and mounting rail part, adding a cushion/stowage with a PE hook over the top. The seat is attached to the new highly detailed floor and is fitted out with the control stick, fuel hose, and a small instrument console, with detail painting and decaling instructions throughout. A bulkhead between the pilot and rear of the compartment is inserted behind the seat, adding hoses and other parts for detail, with a choice of three styles of rear compartments behind the pilot. Two options involve installing different equipment boxes to the floor, and another rear-facing instrument on the bulkhead. Two types of radio gear can be fitted to the pallet and after detail painting it is straddled by a pair of ribs toward the rear, which will allow it to be mounted as a second layer above the equipment on the floor, which will still be seen by the intrepid viewer. The third option involves the original kit fuel tank that has its attachment pins removed before it is glued to the floor, mounting a palette with equipment, and the ribs replicated from the other options, then wiring it with a 20mm length of 0.6mm wire from your own stock. The resin sidewall parts are well detailed to begin with, but they are both augmented with additional resin parts that vary between cockpit fitments, as well as having their own painting and decaling diagrams to complete the task. The result will be an exceptionally well-detailed pair of sidewalls, with a choice of variant specific instruments, providing you follow the instructions precisely. The three resin gunsight options have their glass replicated by a piece of acetate sheet of varying shapes and sizes, installing it on the kit coaming, which has a small portion cut away beforehand for one option, using the appropriate coaming for your chosen gunsight. The main panel is a resin part that has decals applied depicting the instruments, with more decals on the lower centre panel, mounting the new detailed rudder pedals on pegs in the rear, setting their alignment with reference to a scrap diagram showing the assembly from the side. The cockpit and sidewalls are brought together to create a tub, then the kit fuselage is closed around them, adding the coaming assembly, another small equipment box, and kit canopy to finish the set off. Conclusion A super-detailed set for a superb model of a legend of the skies with the original canopy style. Excellent use of 3D printed resin to improve a focal point to your model, with a choice of equipment options to add individualism to your P-51B. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

They Fought to Rebuild Limited Edition Dual Combo (11180) Supermarine Spitfire Mk.V 1:48 Eduard The Spitfire was the champion of the Battle of Britain along with the Hurricane and a few other less well-known players, and it’s an aircraft with an amazing reputation that started as a bit of a damp squib in the shape of the Supermarine Type 224. This gull-winged oddity was the grandfather of the Spitfire, and despite losing out to the biplane Gloster Gladiator, designer R J Mitchell was spurred on to go back to the drawing board and create a more modern, technologically advanced and therefore risky design. This was the Type 300, and it was an all-metal construction with a wafer-thin elliptical wing that became legendary, although it didn’t leave much space for fuel, a situation that was further worsened by the Air Ministry’s insistence that four .303 machine guns were to be installed in each wing, rather than the three originally envisaged. It was a very well-sorted aircraft from the outset, so quickly entered service with the RAF in 1938 in small numbers with minimal changes. With the clouds of war building, the Ministry issued more orders and it became a battle to manufacture enough to fulfil demand in time for the outbreak and early days of war from September 1939 onwards. By then, the restrictive straight sided canopy had been mostly replaced by a “blown” hood to give the pilot more visibility, although a few Mk.Is with the old canopy lingered on for a while. The title Mk.Ia was given retrospectively to differentiate between the cannon-winged Mk.Ib that was instigated after the .303s were found lacking in destructive power compared to the 20mm cannon armament of their main opposition at the time, the Bf.109. As is usual in wartime, the designers could never rest on their laurels with an airframe like the Spitfire, as it had significant potential for development, a process that lasted throughout the whole of WWII, and included many changes to the Merlin engine, then the installation of the more powerful Griffon engine, as well as the removal of the spine of the fuselage and creation of a bubble canopy to improve the pilot’s situational awareness. Its immediate successor was the Mk.II that had a better Merlin engine and higher octane fuel to give it a healthy boost in performance. The Mk.IIa was armed identically to the Mk.Ia with four .303s in each wing, while the Mk.IIb carried the two 20mm cannons of the Mk.Ib and two .303s in each of the wings. It was followed by the Mk.V that had yet another more powerful Merlin fitted, which returned the fright of the earlier marks’ first encounters with Fw.190s by a similar increase in performance from an outwardly almost identical Spitfire. The Kit This is a reboxing of a recent ProfiPACK tool from Eduard, following on from their other later marks of the Spit in their usual manner, providing us modellers with a wide selection of types and sub-variants as they proceed through their launch schedule. This Limited Edition boxing depicts the Mk.V This is a thoroughly modern tooling with immense detail squeezed into every part, and for the inveterate upgraders, the kits are moulded with that in mind, capable of being augmented by a raft of super-detailed resin and brass sets from Eduard themselves, which benefit from excellent fit. The outer skin has been fully riveted with fine lines of rivets everywhere, plus different widths of engraved panel lines, fasteners on cowling panels, and even some lapped panels such as the fuel tank in front of the windscreen. It arrives in Eduard’s usual top-opening box, with ten sprues in their grey/blue styrene, two clear sprues, two Photo-Etch (PE) frets of pre-painted, nickel-plated brass, two decal sheets with two separate stencil sheets, and the glossy instruction booklet with painting guide at the rear in full colour. The photos below represent one of two sets of sprues included in the box. The instruction booklet is prefaced by a four-page spread of text and photographs that give a brief synopsis of the service of Czechoslovakian pilots during WWII in RAF uniforms, flying RAF Spitfires. Having already fought the Germans in their home country, the brave pilots escaped at the last moment and travelled via France to Britain, to fight the Germans again with the hope of regaining their country from the oppressor. It is surprising how many Czech and pilots from other countries flew in RAF aircraft during WWII, and without them the Battle of Britain and other important moments in the long battle against the Nazis may not have gone so well. All sprues, PE and clear parts are supplied in pairs Construction begins with the cockpit, which will probably be familiar to most, although there is a huge amount of detail when it’s done the Eduard way. It is built up on the starboard sidewall insert, with equipment, controls and a choice of seat-carrying fuselage frames depending on which decal option you have chosen. The seat is next, having the flare rack at the front added from PE, as well as some nice painted PE seatbelts and rear armour. The control column is also made up, and has a PE trigger added before it and the flight control box (more of a tangle, really) are joined to the seat and inserted in the next two fuselage frames forward. The next frame forward holds the instrument panel, which can be made from plastic with decals, or the more realistic and detailed lamination of PE parts with those lovely glossy dial faces on a separate backing plate, either of which then glue to the frame, with the gunsight at the top of the panel, and the compass just below, then the rudder pedals are outfitted with PE straps, before being put just inside the footwell below the panel. Forward of that frame is a blanking plate that is glued in place along with the spinner back during the fuselage closure procedure. The socket for the tail wheel and the leading edge of the wing fairing are also glued in, drilling a 1mm hole in the port side. Posing the canopy open will require small parts of the sidewalls removing to accommodate the appropriate glazing, so make sure you cut those parts off if necessary. They slip in a mention of a panel line on the very front of the nose that you need to fill in, so don’t forget that one, as it’s called out with a line and the word “fill” during the attachment to the wings later that is easy to miss, but you might want to deal with that while sorting the fuselage seams. The lower wing is a single part that stretches as far as the wingtip attachment joint would be, and there are two pairs of 0.9mm holes that need drilling out on both undersides before you go any further. A long wing spar bridges the gap between the wheel bay cut-outs, then the rest of the bay walls are made from short sections and just the two outer wing-gun barrels per side are dropped into their slots ready for closure, placing the fuselage into the gap and gluing it home. The empennage is next, with separate elevator two-part fins and a full-span flying surface, plus the rudder and its control link that trap the elevators in position with the aid of a pair of inserts, allowing them to deflect if you wish. Back to the wings, and the elliptical tips or clear clipped alternatives (depending on your decal choice) are slid into place along with the ailerons, the latter you can pose deflected if you wish. Staying with the wing, the model is flipped over, and the radiator, oil cooler and chin intake with fairing are all installed, the radiator and oil cooler both having PE mesh added front and rear, adding L-shaped feeder pipes at the rear, and a flap with actuators for open and closed positions, plus small vents nearer the tips of the wings that have PE bases. The narrow track landing gear has a peg removed that is marked in red that is replaced with a PE part, and these then have the captive doors attached to the rear, and wheels made up from a tyre and a choice of two styles of hub parts, with a split yoke and wheel for the tail, which slides into the socket buried within the fuselage earlier. The 20mm cannon parts simply slot into their sockets in the leading edge of the wings, with nice muzzle detail moulded-in, and a pitot probe under the port tip. Two scrap diagrams show how the model should look when standing on its own wheels, noting the angle of the tyres to the ground from in front, and the rake of the gear from the side. The canopy has a choice of parts used for the different decal options, and a choice of open or closed canopies is possible by using different parts. The fixed rear glazing is fitted first for the open option, but is moulded into the closed canopy for better fit on a closed cockpit. The cockpit door can be mounted open or closed, then a choice of two aerial types is glued to the rear of the canopy on a base just in front of a clear lens. The exhaust stacks have been moulded carefully to give hollow tips, the fishtail sections provided as separate parts with two styles for different decal options. The three-bladed prop is a single part, covered front and back by a choice of styles of two-part pointed spinner, with the peg on the rear sliding into the front of the fuselage, drilling 0.3mm holes in the upper wing to locate the PE gear indicator pegs that give a quick visual indicator to the pilot of the state of his gear without having to take his gaze from the outside. Locations of aerial wires are given in the last step, and you will need to provide the wire or thread from your own toolbox. Markings There are a generous twelve decal options in this boxing, most of which have the same camouflage with one interesting exception that is painted black. From the box you can build two of the following: BM592, W/Cdr Alois Vašátko, CO of Exeter (Czechoslovak) Wing, RAF Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom, June 1942 EN765, W/Cdr Karel Mrázek, CO of Exeter (Czechoslovak) Wing, RAF Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom, June -July 1942 EP461, W/Cdr František Doležal, CO of Exeter (Czechoslovak) Wing, RAF Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom, April-July 1943 AD325, F/Lt Emil Foit, No. 310 Squadron, RAF Perranporth, Cornwall, United Kingdom, December 1941-February 1942 AR423, F/Lt František Trejtnar, No. 310 Squadron, RAF Ibsley, Hampshire, United Kingdom, September 1943-February 1944 AD572, F/O František Peřina, No. 312 Squadron, RAF Harrowbeer, Devon, United Kingdom, February-June 1942 EP785, P/O Ladislav Světlík, No. 312 Squadron, RAF Churchstanton, Somerset, United Kingdom, January-April 1943 AD380, F/O Alois Hochmal, No. 313 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, Devon, United Kingdom, October 1941-April 1942 EP110, F/Lt Otmar Kučera, No. 313 Squadron, RAF Hawkinge, Kent, United Kingdom, August-September 1943 BM210, S/Ldr František Fajtl, CO of No. 122 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, Devon, United Kingdom, May 1942 R7192, P/O Josef Příhoda, No. 111 Squadron, RAF Debden, Essex, United Kingdom, February 1942 AR435, Sgt. František Loucký, No. 65 Squadron, RAF Gravesend, Kent, United Kingdom, July 1942 There are two stencil sheets in the box 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. Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks (not pictured) deliver a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition, you get a set of hub/tyre masks for the wheels, gunsight glazing and formation light, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. There are sufficient masks for the exterior glazing of both your models. Conclusion It’s a known fact that the Eduard Spitfire Mk.Vs are excellent, their detail enhanced by the addition of the PE frets and masks included in this boxing, giving the modeller has an opportunity to build a double tribute to the brave Czech flyers that fought alongside the British, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, and many other nations under the RAF roundel during WWII. Very highly recommended. If you like the artwork of this boxing, an A2-sized full-colour vinyl art print is available without the necessary distraction of the branding below Review sample courtesy of

A-10C Ejection Seat with Integral Belts PRINT (6481035 for GWH) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Great Wall Hobby released their new A-10C Thunderbolt II kit last year to applause, as it offered modern levels of detail in 1:48 to this highly regarded aircraft at the peak of its use. The kit is well-detailed, but in the usual fashion, you can improve on even the best injection-moulded parts with the use of other media, particularly 3D printed resin, which is starting to take over in the after-market world of scale modelling. As usual with Eduard's smaller Brassin sets, the set arrives in a flat resealable package similar to their PE sets but with different branding, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. The resin parts are further protected by a clear plastic clamshell box within the package, which has a sticky pad on the inside that helps to hold the parts in position. This set consists of five printed resin parts, one of which is also pre-painted. Your eyes do not deceive you, the ejection handle between the pilot’s knees is indeed yellow with black stripes, saving you a delicate job. A small decal sheet is also found in the package to apply after painting is complete, using Gunze Sangyo colour codes that are called out throughout the instructions. The main portion of the ACES II seat is printed as one in extreme detail, adding the headbox top with its canopy-break “ears”, the seat cushion, the afore-mentioned ejection handle, and a launch rail behind the seat that is also shown as a blue ghost image in position, allowing the completed seat to be slid down the cockpit’s aft bulkhead into position. The moulded-in belts have the potential for ultimate realism if sympathetically painted, as they are draped in a typical fashion to that of a real Thunderbolt, as if the pilot has just left. There are nine different decals on the small sheet, most of them doubled up, so you should have some spares if you make a mistake. Eduard decals also have removable carrier film that can be carefully peeled off when the decal is set, leading to a more realistic look to the finished model. It’s a focal point of the A-10 due to the prominent position of the pilot that gives him or her a bird’s eye view of the battle-space, so well-worth the effort to add to your model. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

#2/2025 After the first 1/48 armour model, here´s my dad´s first aircraft model for 2025. Eduard kit, decals from Techmod, the kit and the sparesbox, painted with MRP RLM 74 and 76. Added brake lines using plastic rods and antenna wires with EZ Line. Build thread here https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235147594-carpathian-eagle148-messerschmitt-bf109g-2-royal-romanian-airforce/ It´s my dad´s interpretation of "white 7", Escadrila 53, Grupul 7 Vanatoare. The unit was based in Mizil/Romania in 1943 and was used to defend and protect the Ploesti airfields. DSC_0001 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0002 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0003 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0004 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0005 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0006 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0007 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0008 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0009 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0010 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0011 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0012 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0013 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0014 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0015 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0016 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0017 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0018 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0019 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0020 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0021 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0022 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0023 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0001 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0002 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr

My dad´s next project is about to start. Don´t know yet which scheme, most probably a Romanian or Bulgarian one DSC_0004 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr

L-39ZA Albatros ProfiPACK (7047) 1:72 Eduard The L-39 is a fast jet trainer that was designed and manufactured in Czechoslovakia (as was) as a direct replacement for the earlier L-29 Delfin. It has been a success in its roles, and has received several upgrades that have resulted in new designations, and since the dismantling of the Soviet Union, some have found their way into private hands throughout the west, and they are often seen at airshows. It first flew in 1971, and was hoped to become the standard trainer across the Union, and following numerous upgrades by 1977 the ZA variant entered into service, fitted with a cannon and four hard-points for mounting various weapons in the Light Attack role with many Soviet aligned countries and their allies. With the Soviet Union gone, the orders began to dry up, and an updated L-159 was produced in partnership with Rockwell, using more modern avionics. More recently, an L-39NG has begun development to begin deliveries of a thoroughly modern ‘Next Generation’ of Albatros, which will be easily identified as it no-longer has the tip-tanks that were typical of its predecessor. The Kit This is a re-release of a kit that Eduard tooled in 2002, with new parts added over the years, and presented now in a ProfiPACK boxing that increases its detail. The kit arrives in a gold-themed top-opening box, and inside are two sprues of blue-grey styrene, a clear sprue in a Ziploc bag, two frets of Photo-Etch (PE), one of which is nickel-plated and pre-painted, a slip of clear acetate with outlines of the HUD glass printed in black, a sheet of kabuki-style pre-cut masking material (not pictured), four decal sheets in two re-sealable bags, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on glossy paper, with profiles of the six decal options on the rear pages. Detail of the moulds is good for the era, and the additional PE parts are of course up to Eduard’s modern standards, giving the model a strong boost. Construction begins with deciding on how to assemble the twin cockpits, making a choice between three sets of pre-painted PE instrument panels, sub-panels as appropriate after removing the moulded-in details, or you can leave the PE on the sheet and apply decals over the raised details of the styrene panels. The same choice is applicable to the side consoles that are moulded into the cockpit tub, using one of three PE parts each, or applying decals over the raised details, as before. The panels and rudder pedals are installed to the front of each cockpit position, with a large angular spacer between the two stations, adding control columns with separate levers for each pilot, and choosing which of two HUD and coaming assemblies is applicable to your decal option, removing the plastic structure and replacing it with PE and sections cut from the acetate sheet. Some options have a different-shaped box and various other PE parts installed around the coaming, with more parts fitted to the front. Before the fuselage can be closed the cockpit sidewalls are detailed with new PE skins, adding additional parts accordingly, the tapering frame between the two seats that is moulded into the fuselage halves is removed, an egg-shaped bulkhead is fitted at the rear of the cockpit area, and an oval bulkhead that has a representation of the engine front moulded into it is detailed with a set of PE stator blades that is painted an appropriate colour. A little bunny cartoon pops up to remind you to add some nose weight, but doesn’t tell you how much. More weight is generally better within reason, but you can always tape the main parts of the model together to make an informed guess, adding a little more than required to account for the smaller parts fitted later. The crew ejection seats are identical, building the shell around the cushions and two-part headbox, then applying the PE belts and pull-handle that actuates the ejection, fitting a few small detail parts to the sides of the seat and a two-part tangle of straps to the top of the headbox of each one before gluing them in either fore and aft of the rear panel coaming, which has another choice of two fits of equipment on its top side. PE cockpit sills are glued to the sides of the cut-outs, adding lugs to each one that holds down the canopy when it closes. The fuselage has a pair of intake trunks moulded into either side of the spine, which are extended by the addition of curved trunks and splitter plates, taking care to paint the interior before gluing them to the locations on the sides. The elevators are each single parts, and slot into holes in the sides of the tail, cutting a small fairing off the tip of the fin at its trailing edge, which is marked in red. Several PE antennae are drilled and inserted into the top of the fuselage, but the parts are best left until after main painting, drilling the holes out to locate them later. Both upper and lower wing surfaces are moulded as full-span parts, and are joined after drilling out holes for some of the decal options, inserting tip-lights into the recesses in the tip-tanks once the glue is cured and the seams dealt with. The wings are mated under the fuselage, adding a few PE appliqué panels to the rear, a cannon pack with six PE grilles under the cockpit, a T-shaped PE antenna under the wings, and two probes on the leading edges of the wings, making up a pair of two-part drop tanks for some markings options, which attach under the wings on pylons that have PE details and lugs fitted between them and the tanks. The main gear struts are inserted into their bays, sliding wheels over the axle, and fitting a captive bay door to the outer face of the strut. The nose gear leg has a yoke moulded-in, and the wheel is flex-fitted into position, adding a brake hose from the PE sheet, and another small PE part to a tiny cut you must make in the side of the leg. various PE antennae are mounted around the nose gear bay, under the belly, and at each wing trailing-edge, then more antennae and static wicks are fixed to the tail, which depends on your chosen decal option, so choose early and wisely. The canopy is provided in four sections, and both openers have a grab-handle on the inside, plus a handle on the outside, with a rear-view mirror on one frame, and a small instrument on the frame of the windscreen. The windscreen and the cockpit divider are glued in place around the opening, and you have a choice of posing the canopies opened to the side using a PE jack that fits in the centre divider, or in the closed position using the single canopy part that makes that task extremely simple. More PE antennae and Angle-of-Attack probes are added around the nose for various options, again best done after main painting. Markings There are six decal options on the sheets, which are split between national and unit markings on two, and the many stencils and instrument panel decals on the other pair. The stencil locations are shown on a separate page of profiles to make the process clear and relatively simple, also avoiding cluttering up the decal option profiles. From the box you can build one of the following: S/n.915254, 222 Training Sqn., Náměšt’nad Oslavou Air Force Base, Czech Republic, 2008-10 S/n.232436, 1 Fighter Sqn., Žatec Air Force Base, Czechoslovakia, 1991-3 S/n.035019, 213 Training Sqn., Čáslav Air Force Base, Czech Republic, 2008-10 S/n.035147, 299 brTA, Graf Ignaievo Air Base, Bulgaria, 2015 S/n.533218, Military Flight Academy, Grupul 20, Borcea-Fetesti Air Base, Romania, 2012 S/n.533218, 411 Sqn., 3 Air Division, 41 Wing, Chiang Mai Air Base, Thailand, 2014 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 pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy exterior, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition, you get a set of hub/tyre masks for the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Conclusion A substantial detail upgrade of a good kit in this scale, depicting a more aggressively tasked variant of the Albatros that has interesting decal options from various nations over time. Review sample courtesy of