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Sea King HC-4 Etch Internal & External Detailing Sets 1:72 Eduard for Cyber Hobby Kit Having reviewed the EAW.2 etch parts for the great Cyber Hobby kit, the HC-4 variant has also been given the Eduard treatment. The kit by itself is certainly not lacking, and with good clear parts, the interior can be seen quite easily, not that you probably need an excuse to pack it with more detail ! There are two sets being reviewed here, one addressing the interior, the other one for the exterior. Sea King HC-4 Interior (set 73465) Firstly, this pack indicates that it’s for the Italeri kit, but with no evidence of one existing, I suspect it’s a misprint and indeed for the Cyber Hobby kit. This contains three frets of etch parts; almost if not identical to the AEW.2 set, one being pre-painted and self adhesive for the cockpit area. Included on the pre-painted fret is a replacement main panel made up in two layers together with a replacement T-frame. A replacement bulkhead with wiring and surface detailing gives a good but subtle improvement. The cockpit side and overhead panels get the same treatment from the coloured fret. The cabin interior walls are catered for with a considerable number of panels that are designed to sit between the framework. How beneficial or noticeable these will be, I’m not sure. The crew seats are significantly improved with seat belts and structural frame work. Finally, many electrical panels of varying sizes are catered for in the set to really ‘busy’ up both the cockpit and cabin areas. Sea King HC-4 Zoom Interior (set SS465) If you just want to give your cockpit a makeover, particularly useful if you intend to have the rear doors closed, then the Zoom set offers the budget alternative. It contains just the Self Adhesive pre-painted fret shown above. Sea King HC-4 Exterior (set 72558) This is very similar to the AEW.2 set, however because the HC-4 doesn’t have sponsons or look-down radar, there is only one fret included which is suffice to give the same level of enhancements to the rest of the airframe. There’s a vast amount of access panels, handles and tie down hooks included to give the surface the busy look of the real thing. A stunning set of boarding steps is included which in itself is a work of art. This requires wire of around 0.15 diameter that isn’t included, so you will need to source some yourself. The main rotor hub has several enhancement parts. The diagram in the instructions is a quite complicated affair, so I would recommend spending some time digesting this step, but the results will no doubt be worth it. The tail rotor also receives a makeover on the hub. If you want the tail folded, the additional detail offered in this set will be most welcome with no less than 14 parts making up the folding mechanism and structure. Tail spine and vertical reinforcing plates as well as various vent grilles add to the tail area detailing. Conclusions It’s good to see Eduard giving detail options to the HC-4 as well as the AEW.2 variants. I guess these sets will sell more successfully across the pond in comparison to the AEW.2 sets, but both are great upgrade options. There are some fiddly parts such as the tail rotor and boarding step assembly, but with patience, some experience handling etch and defence from the carpet monster, great results can be expected. Review sample courtesy of