Eduard B-52G Updates (for Modelcollect 1:72)

[Mike]

B-52G Updates (for Modelcollect)

1:72 Eduard

 

 

Many of us have been waiting for a new tooled B-52 for a long time, and ModelCollect have now obliged, starting with the B-52G that we reviewed here, recently.  Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the 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.

 

 

Interior (73646)

Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass.  A complete set of new layered instrument panels and side consoles are the primary parts on the painted set, with new rudder pedals and box; ejection seat details; a new crew-seats for the third top-deck crew; crew-harnesses for all three seats; a new floor skin, crew ladder and entranceway detail are also supplied along with a brand new lower hatch that fits into the existing hole.

 

 

 

 

Zoom! Set (SS646)

This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above.  Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements.

 

 

 

Engines(72680)

This larger bare brass set contains some important detail parts, such as the fans within the engines, beginning with the intake compressor, for which you are told to carve a piece of sprue to the shape of the stator cone – times eight, of course.  Another fan is attached to the front of the internal tube, and an exhaust lip with three triangular(ish) flaps encroaching back into the trunk is glued to the rear of each exhaust.  You will need to build them up in pairs due to the arrangement of the engine, with four pods making up the dreaded 8-engine approach.

 

 

 

Landing Flaps (72677)

To say that this is the largest set doesn't convey quite how much brass is in the bigger ziplok bag.  There are two approximately A5 sheets, plus two other extra sheets that would normally be large enough for a whole set, which meant I had to scan the set in two parts as it wouldn't fit on my Letter sized plattern.  The B-52's wings are enormous, so it's flying surfaces are bound to be too, which explains the hectares of PE we have here.

 

Each flap bay is made up from a central slab that has many of the delicate ribs with detail layer captive initially, which are then folded, twisted and bent back into the etched lines, whilst meshing with the lateral parts to form the internal structure of the bay.  Additional ribs are added, and flap-runs are fixed to the assembly along with 0.8mm rod from your own stock.  The inner flap bays have masses of additional detail added around the root, plus a skin that matches the cut-out to the flap itself.  The kit flaps are replaced by new ones all fabricated from PE, which is bent and folded over to the correct shape and detailed with small brackets, access hatches etc.  once you have all four bays and flaps completed, the kit flap detail needs to be removed from the insides, with a scrap diagram showing you what to remove.  The bays are then glued in place, and the linkages between the bays and flaps are finished off, allowing the modeller to join them to the model.  Due to the realism of the connections, the flaps will be quite delicate, so the attachment is best done after all the major handling of the aircraft is over, so plan ahead.

 

 

 

 

Masks (CX531)

Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, plus a set of hub masks for all the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort.

 

 

 

 

Review sample courtesy of