Eduard Spitfire F Mk.XVIII Upgrade Sets (for Airfix) 1:48

[Mike]

Spitfire F Mk.XVIII Upgrade Sets (for Airfix)

1:48 Eduard

 

 

We reviewed this new boxing of the Spitfire in May here, which featured the cut down fuselage, bubble canopy and powerful Griffon engine that allowed to continue in service long after its heyday during the Battle of Britain.  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 (491296)

Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass.  A complete set of new layered instrument panel sections with the typical raised centre section a separate part, plus a small section on the right side, which is applied after removing the kit details.  The bundle of cables down the left side of the footwell frame are removed and replaced by PE parts, with a perforated carrier for the compass supplied to receive a 2.6mm slice of rod with a painted PE top to finish it off.  The rudder pedals are also replaced by a pair of detailed parts including the straps on top and a raised lever in front.  The control column is given a PE firing button, and behind the pilot’s head a triangular head armour plate is attached to the front of the seat frame, with brackets to support a length of 0.4mm rod or wire in the centre.  The cockpit sidewalls are decorated with a large number of upgrade parts on both sides, making it a much more realistic affair.  The gunsight is replaced with a PE part that has its glass replicated by a piece of acetate cut from the small printed sheet that is also included in the set.  The crew access door can be cut out of the side of the fuselage along it panel lines then replaced by a two-layer PE door that has a crowbar and locking mechanism added, glued to the fuselage by a narrow folded hinge.  Just don’t you dare paint that crowbar red, or the purists will have you.  The canopy has a closure fitted above the pilot’s head, and an oval eye through which a small kit part protrudes in the deck behind him.

 

 

Externally, the twin radiator fairings under the wings are stripped of most of the rear cooling flap, with a new folded PE part glued inside the remainder, bracing struts and an actuator rod allowing it to be fitted into the back of the fairing along with a pair of skins for the radiator surfaces, depicting the intricate mesh that allows the heat exchange to take place.  The chin intake has a flap and mesh insert added, the rudder actuator is removed and replaced with a PE strip, as are the trim tab actuators on the elevators.  Inside the main gear bays a couple of small panels are fixed to the curved surfaces, then the legs are overhauled with new oleo-scissors and tie-down lugs, together with a brake hose and two-layer captive bay door.  Under the wing trailing edge, a pair of hooks in surrounds are glued into place, and the tail wheel bay received a single part that folds into three to depict the bay and two doors, with an actuator  strut between them attached to the retractable leg.

 

 

 

Zoom! Set (FE1296)

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 (3DL48082)

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. 

 

 

This set has a two-layer decal instrument panel glued over the recently stripped back kit panel, with a small angled sub-panel in the bottom right consisting of a PE backing that holds two decals.  The rudder pedals are replaced by detailed PE parts with foot straps at the top, and a perforated frame is made up to contain a compass made from a slice of 2.6mm rod from your own stocks, and a circular decal with the compass face on it.  Behind the pilot’s head a triangular head armour part is attached to the front of the seat frame, with brackets to support a length of 0.4mm rod from your own stock in the centre.  The twin shoulder belts on the PE sheet slot through the head armour while the two lap belts are slung over the sides, making sure that you apply the beautifully printed pencil quilted back cushion first, replacing the kit detail and looking very much like leather.  The cockpit side walls are upgraded with a serious number of decals and PE parts to give the interior a much more realistic and cluttered impression with little in the way of removal of kit details.

 

 

Seatbelts STEEL (FE1297)

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 sets of four-point crew belts, you also get a representation of the “towel rail” that supported the shoulder straps away from the sharp edges of the head armour through which it passed.

 

 

 

Masks (EX885)

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, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort, wingtip lights and landing light for good measure.

 

 

 

Masks Tface (EX886)

Supplied on a larger sheet 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. 

 

 

 

 

Review sample courtesy of