Eduard P-38J Upgrade Sets (for Tamiya) 1:48

[Mike]

P-38J Upgrade Sets (for Tamiya)

1:48 Eduard

 

 

Tamiya’s new releases of the P-38F/G then H and later J variants has well-and-truly kicked the Academy kit off the number one spot in 1:48 for the most part, the J having been release in 2022, thereby triggering Eduard’s latest efforts.  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), small Brassin, 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.

 

 

Interior (491294)

Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass, plus a small printed piece of acetate sheet.  The sidewalls are first relieved of much of their moulded-in detail, to be redecorated with a substantial set of new parts to replace and augment the detail that is there.  This includes the throttle quadrant, which has a garden of levers sprouting from both sections, plus more of the instruments that are dotted about the cockpit, and even an insert that is applied to the head of the control column.  The gunsight is stripped of its thick clear styrene glass, and is refitted with a PE frame and a piece of acetate cut from the sheet.  A complete set of new layered instrument panels and replacement rudder pedals are fitted to the kit panel after removing the original details, with even more instruments and details placed in every nook and cranny.  The pilot’s seat is replaced entirely by a new PE unit, which also has a pair of cushions, requiring only a minor alteration to the frame it sits on.

 

 

Moving to the engine nacelles, the gear bays are upgraded with new ribbed PE parts inside the bulkheads, a two-layered circular grille over the intakes under the prop, and a backing panel that covers the kit detail on the central intake deep inside the boom.  Two large radiator fairings on each side of the tail booms are also given two-layer grilles to detail their interiors, with another circular grille and an intake on each side of both nacelles just under the exhaust outlets.  The final parts involve removing all of the oleo-scissor links from the three gear legs, and replacing them with folded PE parts, plus additional details on the main gear struts.

 

 

 

Zoom! Set (FE1294)

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.

 

 

 

SPACE 3D Printed Cockpit Decals (3DL48081)

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.  In addition, a small sheet of nickel-plated and pre-painted PE is included for the aspects of the set that lend themselves better to this medium, such as seatbelts and rudder pedals.

 

 

On the PE sheet is a set of pre-painted seatbelts for the pilot, with a comfort pad under the buckles, plus a lot of instrument box faces; rudder pedals; levers for the controls; circular bases for winders that require some 0.3mm rod sections from your own stock to complete.  More details for the black boxes and a pre-painted frame for the gunsight glass are also included.  The decal sheet has a gorgeous instrument panel replacement, plus stencils and all manner of instrument surfaces to give your cockpit the ultimate in detail.  Externally, there are beautiful glossy printed identification lights that you will find four of each in green and red for the port and starboard wingtips, plus four more in blue for the sides of the tail fins, with all the kit lumps requiring removal before you can replace them with these super-realistic decals.

 

 

 

Wheels (648782)

Kit wheels are generally in two halves, which means you have the resultant joins to deal with, possible mould-slip issues on single part wheels, and sometimes less than stellar detail due to the moulding limitations of styrene injection technology, especially in the tread department.  That's where replacement resin wheels come in, with their lack of seamline and superior detail making a compelling argument.  They are also usually available at a reasonable price, and can be an easy introduction to aftermarket and resin handling, as they are usually a drop-in replacement.

 

 

This set includes one nose wheel with separate spoked hub caps to be inserted into the centres along with optional PE discs to hide away all that beautiful detail, which seems a shame.  The two main wheels have an outboard hub, plus the same bland disc that covers them if you really have to for accuracy.  The nose tyre has oval tread and the main gear a diamond tread, with a small sag at the bottom where they join the casting block, and a set of kabuki tape masks (not pictured) to cut the demarcation neatly between tyres and wheels with little effort.  A scrap diagram shows a method for removing the flash between the spoke of the hubs and in the middle of the nose gear wheel, using a cocktail stick or something similar to push it out toward the inside.  I use the tip of a #11 blade myself, but it’s time consuming and there will be blood.

 

 

 

Seatbelts STEEL (FE1295)

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 a set of crew belts, you also get a comfort pad that sits under the buckles to prevent chaffing of the pilot’s general areas.

 

 

 

 

Masks (EX883)

Supplied on a sheet 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.  In addition, you get a set of hub/tyre masks for all the wheels (including the out-riggers), allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort.

 

 

 

 

Masks Tface (EX884)

Supplied on a larger sheet/two sheets of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with everything above, but also give you another set of canopy masks tailored to fit the interior of the glazing so that you can paint the interior and give your model that extra bit of realism. 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

A great bunch of sets to augment a great kit of a great aircraft that I just happen to be watching a documentary about as I type this.  Spooky.

 

Highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of