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Albatros D.III OEFFAG Overtrees 1:48 Eduard (8241X) Albatros D.III OEFFAG 153 PE-Set 1:48 Eduard (8241-LEPT) Albatros D.III OEFFAG 253 PE-Set 1:48 Eduard (8242-LEPT) Plastic ‘Overtrees’. From time to time Eduard offer some of their kits as ‘Overtrees’ editions. These contain just the plastic parts for the particular model with no instructions or decals, and come in a plain white box. The idea is that with the multiple options for markings in most Eduard kits, you can use these overtrees to build another of the options provided in the original kit. Also, you can use them with aftermarket decals, as even if you don’t have the original kit, Eduard provide the instructions in pdf format on their website. This release offers all five plastic sprues from the OEFFAG 152 / 153 kits, and will enable you to build one or the other, with the options of ‘prop & spinner’ , ‘blunt’, or ‘snub’ noses, and internal or externally mounted machine guns. It is therefore compatible with any of Eduard’s previous OEFFAG releases and can be used with any of the optional decals within them., for example the recently reviewed 'Viribus Unitis Dual Combo reviewed here. which contains two kits and nine finishing options! Note that this overtree box contains one aircraft. It is beautifully moulded with fine and accurate detail, and builds up very nicely with no issues. It is certainly one of the best 1:48 biplane kits available. Often when you buy a new kit, it can be hard to decide which option to finish it in, and you can find yourself dithering between your two (or three!) favourite choices. These overtree releases are a great idea, and offer a cheap and effective way to get another set of sprues, and build all the options you want!# Etched sets. Should you want to add the set of etched items to your overtree kit, fear not for they are also available to accompany it. There is a set each for the OEFFAG 152 and the OEFFAG 253 with quite a lot of differences between them, so you may need to decide which one you are going to build before you order. Two frets are supplied in each, and like the overtree kit they do come with any instructions. In both sets the smaller fret is pre-painted and holds the instruments and seatbelts, but the seatbelts are quite different styles. The main frets are unpainted and share some common parts, but the 153 has a complete seat, ‘blunt’ nose plate, and undercarriage mounting strap. Both have parts for the engine, inspection covers, elevator control horns & wires, propeller hub, wheels, and several minor details. Conclusion. A great idea, these sets are only available direct from Eduards own website. Get them while you can, they are always popular and sell out rapidly. Review samples courtesy of

Eduard MiG-21MF Overtrees 1:72 Eduard Eduard's superlative new MiG-21MF (reviewed elsewhere in this forum) is also available in the Overtree's format. These boxings, which contain just the plastic parts from the original kits, are handy for those who want to make the most of their investment in Royal Class or Profipack kits that come supplied with more decal options than you can shake a stick at. They are an affordable way of acquiring more kits for a reasonable price. Three boxings are available, for the interceptor and fighter bomber variants, as well as a weapons set. MiG-21MF Interceptor Overtrees (70141X) MiG-21MF Fighter Bomber Overtrees (70142X)b] MiG-21MF Weapons Set Overtrees (70149X) MiG-21MF Interceptor Overtrees Photo Etch (70141-LEPT) MiG-21MF Fighter Bomber Overtrees Photo Etch (70142-LEPT) Review sample courtesy of

Bf.109G-6 Early Profipak (82113) & Overtrees (82113X) 1:48 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 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 probably one of the better ones, with improved armament that give it a distinctive pair of blisters in front of the windscreen, plus mounting points for the 210mm rocket tubes used 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. The Kit We reviewed the G-6 Late earlier (here), and now a bit later, we review the early. Confused? Yeah, me too. The kit arrives in the usual Profipak box, and consists of four sprues of grey styrene, a clear sprue, two decal sheets, a sheet of masks, a small pre-painted Photo-Etch (PE) sheet, plus the instruction booklet with painting & decaling guide found to the rear. If you have the G-6 Late, then you have already seen the sprues. What's different however are the decals and small changes to the PE sheet, which we'll go over later. Construction proceeds in an almost identical manner, with the first differences in the tail assembly, where the choice of fin is limited to the standard part, as is the rudder. This will leave you with a few other options in the parts bin after, which is always handy. The trailing aerial fit under the starboard wing is omitted, and a PE patch panel is added just aft of the wing root under the fuselage, and the canopy choice is limited to two type of windscreen part, and two types of aerial on the aft canopy section, with the Erla canopy left on the sprue. All the rest is the same as the Late, so I won't repeat the construction steps here. Markings Of course, the markings are going to be different, and as usual with the Profipak boxing, there are five colourful and different options that should entertain most folks, and test your airbrushing skills as all examples have at least some degree of mottling that is difficult (but not impossible) to achieve with a brush. From the box you can build one of the following: W.Nr. 15919, Flown by Maj. Hermann Graf, CO of JGr 50, Wiesbaden – Erbenheim, September 1943 W.Nr. 20499, Flown by Lt. Erich Hartmann, CO of 9./JG 52, Nove Zaporozhye, October 1943 W.Nr. 18107, Flown by Uffz. Georg Amon, 7./JG 53, Torazzo Airfield, Sicily, June 1943 W.Nr. 440190, Flown by Lt. Alfred Hammer, CO of 6./JG 53, Wien – Seyring, February 1944 W.Nr. 160756, Flown by Uffz. Rene Darbois, I./JG 4, Santa Maria, July 25, 1944 Both decal sheets are printed in-house on a very blue backing paper with super-shiny carrier film, but the register, colour density and sharpness is excellent, with a pair of complete swastikas on one corner ready to be cut off if local laws could be a problem. The usual halved versions are the other side of the dotted line in this event, so you can suit yourself. Conclusion As I might have mentioned in the earlier review of the late, it's good to see a company taking notice of their criticisms and reworking a kit to improve it substantially. A superb quality moulding with plenty of good decal options makes for quite a compelling purchase. Very highly recommended. Overtrees If you're not familiar with the concept, this is a cut-down boxing that just includes the styrene, no instructions, decals or PE in a white box, to allow the modeller to get more kits for a little less money. It's great news if you want to build another decal option, or have your own decals, don't care about the PE parts, or for any other reason. You can however buy the stencil decals and PE separately, if you wanted or change your mind about the purchase. Overtrees Bf.109G-6 Early Stencil Decals Overtrees Photo-Etch Review sample courtesy of