Eduard Lancaster B.Mk.I Part 1 (For HK Models) 1:32

[Mike]

Lancaster B.Mk.I Part 1 (For Hong Kong Models)

1:32 Eduard BIG ED

 

 

In the race to bring us a 1:32 Lancaster, HK Models brought us the first one that many a modeller have bought, and some of us even have a place to put it once it's built!  Detail is good, but it can always be better with a little Photo-Etch (PE) and so forth.  In case you're unaware, Eduard's Big ED sets are a great way to purchase all the sets you want for your model whilst availing yourself of a bulk purchase discount that can be quite tempting.  The set arrives in a large cardboard envelope with the Big ED branding and a sticker in the top left that details what's inside.  Within the envelope the sets are all still individually packaged to protect the frets from shuffling past each other and getting damaged until you're ready to use them.

 

Inside that sturdy envelope you get the following sets:

 

32436 Radiators

32938 Cockpit

32939 Seatbelts (STEEL)

JX225 Masks

 

Cockpit (32938)

Arriving on a single large nickel plated and pre-painted fret, you get a complete set of new layered instrument panels and flight engineer consoles, plus radio boxes, throttle quadrant, seat adjustment parts, and a few other small black box faces to round-out the set.

 

 

 

Seatbelts STEEL (32939)

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.  As well as the pilot's four-point harness there are an additional seven sets of lap-belts for the rest of the crew, including the swing-like seats for the gunners.

 

 

 

Radiators (32436)

This bare brass set contains radiator upgrades for both sides of all four rad cores, the front of which will be seen from the big intake, plus the little auxiliary intakes on the sides of the nacelles with stand-off brackets that have pre-etched fold marks.

 

 

 

Masks (JX225)

Supplied on two sheets 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.  On a canopy like the Lanc's, this will be a big time-saver. 

 

In addition you get a set of hub/tyre masks for the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort, as well as a whole host of smaller masks for the wingtip lights, landing lights, gun turrets (another big time saver) and other smaller glazed parts. 

 

 

 

Conclusion

With a kit as large as this, I think we all feel a little pressure to do the best job we can, so these sets will be just the ticket to improve your model in a simple manner with a discount on buying them separately.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of