Eduard Royal Navy & US Navy Watertight Doors WWII SPACE (3DL53011 & 3DL53012) 1:350

[Mike]

Royal Navy & US Navy Watertight Doors WWII SPACE (3DL53011 & 3DL53012)

1:350 Eduard

 

 

The Eduard SPACE sets use new 3D printing techniques that lay down successive layers of different colour resin, creating highly realistic almost full complete panels that are supplied on a decal sheet.  They can depict metallic shades, plus glossy, satin and matt colours too, which really ups the detail on everything they print.  It was first used by Eduard to create fabulous cockpits and other details for aircraft, but the designers at Eduard have been experimenting with other uses, and have come up with this one.  As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE), SPACE 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.

 

Watertight doors have been an important aspect of safety in modern warships since steel became the dominant building material, helping to keep any flooding from spreading between areas of a ship, and potentially saving the ship and its crew from a watery grave.  They are often visible on the exterior surface of ships’ superstructure, and are often neglected by kit manufacturers, either as raised flat areas, or as simplistic outlines, especially in older kits.  This pair of sets probably won’t be the last, and they depict the doors open, showing the frames and the complex interior surface of the doors, complete with closure mechanisms where appropriate.  Clearly, British and American maritime engineers had a different idea of what the safest method of preventing flooding was, and that’s why there are two sets, with the US Naval set having two types of door design.  Each set has seven rows of fifteen doors, totalling 105 doors in total, which should be enough for a few projects.  They have been printed in greys and blacks so that they can be applied to a pre-painted model, and if you want to also depict the interior, you can either cut through the kit wall, or use a deep black paint such as Stuart Semple's Black 3.0 or the more expensive Musou Black to give the impression of a dark, shadowy interior.

 

 

Royal Navy Watertight Doors WWII (3DL53011)

 

 

 

US Navy Watertight Doors WWII (3DL53012)

 

 

 

Conclusion

A very useful addition to your maritime detailing arsenal, particularly if you have older kits in your stash.  There are also going to be life rings and other useful exterior details added to the range in due course.

 

Highly recommended.

 

Review sample courtesy of