Eduard B-17G Update Sets (for HKM)

[Mike]

B-17G Update Sets (for HKM)

1:48 Eduard & Eduard Brassin

 

 

HKM gave us all a little surprise last year with a scale-down of their 1:32 kit, much to the excitement of anyone that has a soft spot for the Flying Fortress, like me.  We reviewed the first tranche of sets early this year here, and now Eduard are ready with their second tranche, which also includes a selection of resin sets.  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.  The resin sets are supplied in the new cardboard boxes that are a little bit more environmentally friend as well as being easier to stack.

 

 

Wooden Floors & Ammo Boxes (491072)

To save weight and give a little more traction, the floors of the B-17 were made of plywood and as we all know it’s a bit of a knack to replicate a wooden finish.  This set makes that easy, and contains two sheets of nickel-plated brass that are also pre-printed with wooden textured, the second of which is printed on both sides due to both sides being visible when it is used.  The floor panels are first, requiring some plastic lumps to be removed first before the single-sided parts are glued in place.  The long walkways have fold-over edges that give the parts depth a more realistic finish, and the cockpit has stepped sections with extra detail where needed, and a captive edge strip is wrapped around the table.  Then the various ammo boxes are folded up, detailed with hinges and wood-painted stiffening bands, with two in the front, one in the waist position plus another two bigger boxes, then two more in the tail, all highly detailed and looking so woody you’ll think it was wood.  In other words, the wood effect is excellent and highly realistic.

 

 

 

 

 

B-17G Ammo Feed Chutes (481012)

This set gives you the links between your brand new ammo boxes and the guns that you’ll see further down below.  Supplied on one square fret, the ammo guides bear a passing resemblance to long straight ferns on the fret, and would be quite difficult to fold up without the useful template that comes with them.  It folds up to three PE thicknesses, and you can wrap the “ferns” around it and fold them into a rectangular profile, drawing out the template at the end and curving it in a similar manner to the kit parts, with a few examples shown in the instructions for the nose gun and ball turret feeds, plus an additional feeder ramp for the latter.

 

 

 

 

 

B-17G Undercarriage & Exterior (481011)

This set arrives on a large rectangular fret of bare brass and does exactly as it says on the pack.  The main gear bays in the inner nacelles are first to be detailed, with straps around the internal supercharger trunking, small skins and stiffener parts, plus additional straps round the other tubes etc.  The bulkheads also get the treatment, some of the parts having been pressed into shape by a ball-point pen from behind first, then a set of filler caps on the top of the wing are added along with some grilles here and there, then liners and grilles for the leading edge intakes with optional FOD guards for both sides.  The tips of the landing gear are fitted with tie-downs, the tail-wheel bay is decked out with internal skins, and some small panels are added in front of the bomb bay and under the front of the chin turret.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B-17G Guns (648539)

A resin set of guns, many with separate barrels, and some having additional parts for their mounts around the airframe.  Firstly, the two waist guns are fixed up with their mounts on the lip of the window with a pivot-mount on top, through which the barrel sleeves before you put on the ring-and-bead sight, and cocking handle on each one.  The two cheek guns have a similar mount and the same construction of the other guns, with another one in the radio-compartment.  The turrets all have separate barrels with a choice of unadorned, or angled flash-hiders at your whim or as your references dictate.  The ball-turret guns fit against the end panels, the top turret guns fit against a small fillet that fits within the turret, the chin turret guns attach one either side of the central pivot, and the tail’s Cheyenne turret guns lock in place either side of their control pivot.

 

 

 

 

B-17G Superchargers (648536)

This set gives you all the resin parts you need to replace the kit superchargers with highly detailed trunking and the units themselves, consisting of six parts, the two outer superchargers complete with their trunking moulded in, and the inner nacelles with the superchargers located behind the gear bay and the additional trunking separate, diving back into the nacelle, then popping back out again behind the bay.  Once the casting plugs are removed the parts should be a drop-in replacement for the kit parts, so very little additional work, especially as the casting plugs are a filigree that should minimise clean-up of any remaining marks, and the detail is exceptional.

 

 

 

 

 

B-17G Undercarriage Legs BRONZE (648540)

The B-17 is a BIG aircraft, and if you’re loading it up with aftermarket, even if that’s aftermarket bombs for a short run, the weight on the main gear might be a little much over the longer term.  White metal gear is an improvement, but it is still easy to bend or deform, unlike bronze, which is a tough, rigid metal that doesn’t deteriorate over time, isn't prone to weaking inclusions and won’t let you down.  This set contains three gear legs, two main and one tail, plus four resin parts that go together to make two retraction jacks for the main gear legs.  The main legs require very little preparation, with only the possibility of small blemishes that are sometimes a factor of the manufacturing process that require filling before you can paint.  The tail gear leg has a length of curved bronze sprue between the leg and the stabilising struts, which should be cut off with nippers, a motor tool or something suitable that you have to hand.  Once prepared they are drop-in replacements for the kit parts and offer orders of magnitude more strength.

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

This is another round of excellent additions to this modern kit.  If you’re planning on building one B-17 in 1:48, these sets will make sure you’re going to build the best you can with the most detail.

 

Highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of