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Model 6 - Eduard ProfiPACK Kit No. 82153 - Spitfire Mk.IIa - my last build - treat this as a bit of an experiment - i added the Eduard Bressin Mk2 engine - the kit came with the etched metal detailing kits and canopy masks. this is the first time ive had a go at masking and stencilling in the invasion stripes and RAF squadron markings rather than use the decals - i'm not a purist and i'm aware that that the markings make no sense historically but hat wasnt really the point. kept the detailing kit to a minimum as well and concentrated more on the engine and paintwork. my old watercolour pencils came in very handy! The kit itself was very good, not quite that same level as the Tamiya kits but overall very well put together with plenty of good detail in the moulding - only had to use a little filler on the nose and fuselage (standard). my first attempt at adding the additional resin engine was difficult - getting everything to fit flush with the kit was hard, especially as you have to remove most of the nose - as they say you can take it off but you cant put it back on! ive seen examples of kits like this looking amazing, not quite on that level yet - but i had a fair crack!

Since I just finished off my X-1 yesterday, and having been put in quarantine by the management at work, I have spent some time rummaging around my kit stash for something to build. I KNEW tirelessly adding to my pile of unbuilt kits would pay off sooner or later! My choice is the Eduard L.F.G Roland CII, as I've always liked its advanced (for its time) aerodynamic shape and unusual look. Not well liked by its pilots because the wings severely restricts the view of the ground when you are coming in to land and made every attack from below a very unpleasant surprise, it was in fact developed in a wind tunnel and pretty fast for its time. Oh, and some of them even had curtains added by their crew, how cute is that? My choice of decals will likely be the plane supposedly flown by Lt. Seibert with Hptm. Pfleger as gunner.

Bf.109G-6 Late 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words written on the Bf.109 over the years, which was the mainstay of the Luftwaffe's fighter arm, despite having been superseded by the Fw.190 and others during its service life.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 If you're getting a sense of déjà vu for this release, that's because it is a major re-tooling of their 2014 release that was found to have some fairly important dimensional issues that were met with howls of derision from a few as well as a more metered response from the majority. Almost immediately, Eduard quietly began the process of re-tooling and now after a substantial pause they are ready, confident that they have ironed out all the kinks in what was otherwise an incredibly detailed model. The fuselage and wings are substantially different in size from the previous release, with changes to the length of the main gear, a wider base to the exhaust stacks, and many other alterations, some of which might be difficult to see with the naked eye due to their nature. The wing tips have been moulded integrally to the main planes, and if you check the sprue codes for the "parts", you will see that these have been re-tooled too, differing in layout and parts, and with the letters "FGK" suffixed, which hopefully means that more variants will be with us soon. The box art has been redone too, which makes telling new from old a piece of cake, because if your boxart doesn't have a red/white spinner it's the old tooling, so beware! Inside the new box are four sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue in a ziplok bag, a pre-painted and nickel-plated Photo-Etch (PE) sheet, canopy masks (not pictured), two sheets of decals in their own re-sealable bag, and the usual high quality glossy instruction/painting guide. The cockpit is first, with all the basic details you could want, including A two layer PE instrument panel with printed dials and buttons, pre-painted seatbelts, and even a clear fuel line which you paint leaving a little section clear to represent the inspection tube. You could add a coat of clear yellow to imply there's some fuel in the line if you like. With the cockpit complete the new fuselage halves are closed up and a choice of shrouded or un-shrouded exhaust stubs are inserted. Incidentally, Eduard have some beautiful resin update sets for the cockpit and exhausts if you wanted to go for the ultimate in detail, and we'll be reviewing those shortly, adding links as we go. The new fuselage halves don't include the whole rudder, as you have an option of one with or without a horn-balance later on. The cannon troughs are backed with additional tubing and the barrels, then added to the nose along with the supercharger trumpet and those prominent cannon bulges that change the look of the nose. A PE cowling hinge is installed on the top centreline, plus an optional flash-hider for the port exhaust. The tail has the aforementioned option of straight or balanced rudders, the fin sections of which fit to the root via two pins, with the elevators fitting the same way to the sides. All the flying surfaces are separate with tabs fitting into recesses to allow deflection at your whim. Check which parts to use for the rudder by referring to your chosen decal option, as the straight rudder only applies to two choices. The wings are all new, with captive tips and a new set of parts for the forward wheel bay walls, as the canvas covers were often unused there, but are still included on the sprues, probably for use in other marks. The upper wing halves fit on the lower after the bays are done, with detail moulded into their undersides to complete the bay. The completed wing is then attached to the underside of the fuselage and work on the flying surfaces, gravity activated leading-edge slats, radiator housings with PE grilles, and the sleek oil-cooler under the nose, which sits on four pegs so that it sits flush with the surrounding panels. Finally, the flaps are added, which have separate upper and lower parts, the fit of which is shown from the side in an accompanying scrap diagram to remove any confusion. The shortened landing gear legs are attached to the three-part wheels and bay cover, then inserted into the substantial socket in the gear bays, needing only the brake hoses to complete them. Although there are a number of props on the sprues, only one is used in this boxing, with a single part containing all blades, sandwiched between the boss parts. The Erla canopy is one of the defining aspects of the later 109s, and to this reviewer improves the look immensely. There is a choice of two for the various marking options, with the windscreen having the same options. There are three location options for the two aerial parts, and you can use either PE or styrene for the DF loop behind it. A PE antenna attachment point is included for the tip of the fin, and a PE canopy stay shows the attention to detail lavished on the kit. There are two styles of drop-tanks included, one of which has a tapered bottom for improved ground-clearance, and a pair of cannon pods are also in the box, carried by two of the markings options. Markings As usual with Profipak there are five options on the sheet, and from the box you can build one of the following: W.Nr.160303, flown by Hptm. Friedrich Eberle, the CO of III./JG 1, Volkel, November, 1943. W.Nr. 15729, flown by Obstlt. Hermann Graf, Stab./JG11, Jever, early 1944. W.Nr. 411960, flown by Hptm. Franz Dörr, the CO of III./JG 5, Gossen, Norway, May, 1945. flown by Oblt. Kurt Gabler, 8./JG 300, Jüterbog – Waldlager Air Base, Germany, July, 1944. W.Nr. 165350, flown by Lt. Anton Hafner, the CO of 8./JG 51, Tilsit-Ost, August, 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 It is good that this kit has seen a re-release with all the dimensions and finer points re-jigged, as otherwise it had superb detail, fit and finish. Now it has everything, so will doubtless go on to be the definitive Gustav in this scale for quite some time to come. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of