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Review Author
David Goudie
Published on
February 20, 2011
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$29.95

Eduard Model Accessories has produced another fine set of photoetch parts to help complete your Supermarine Spitfire Mk. VIII. The set is for up-detailing the cockpit and you should need to add nothing more to make the cockpit area a highly accurate replica.

As an added bonus the parts in this set are prepainted and have an adhesive backing.

There are two frets, made from stainless steel and a clear film with four marked rectangles to replicate glass faces on instrument panels and gunsight reflectors.

Review Author
David Goudie
Published on
February 20, 2011
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$19.95

Well, then, now here’s a set of photoetch that I can really get into: pre-painted seatbelts with the straps, buckles, adjusters, and quick-releases. The set includes the lap belt and shoulder harness.

The quality of the workmanship by Eduard shows through on these and I am anxious to do my Tamiya Spitfire using them. By the way, this set appears to be identical (with the exception of the color) to Eduard’s set 32667 (Spitfire Mk.IX late seatbelts) and thus interchangeable. Good to know if you can’t find the specific set you are looking for.

While I love to look at completed and installed photoetch assemblies, I often feel that they are the bane of my existence. A love-hate relationship if you will. The carpet in my hobby-cave gets more than its share of them. This set is pretty simple and most of the parts are within my skill level size. They will surely beat the old masking tape/foil straps and fuse wire hardware I used to use.

Review Author
Mike Hinderliter
Published on
February 20, 2011
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$24.95

Aires now offers a resin a replacement exhaust set for the Revell F-22 Raptor. This set has very well detailed resin pieces molded in the standard Aires grey resin, and are flash and bubble free; as well as a small photoetch set. They also include a 3-page, blue paper diagram, which is a real help.

The resin pieces include the burner cans, turbine faces and nozzles. There is also a small photoetch for the turbine fans and which really will make the exhaust detail just pop out at you when looking at the model from the rear, especially when it is compared to the original kit parts. One thing about the F-22 is that the exhausts are a very distinctive and major feature.

The biggest improvement in this set over the kit parts is that you get one-piece exhausts, doing away with a seam. Also, the thrust augmenters are one piece, another seam you don’t have to deal with.

Review Author
David Goudie
Published on
February 19, 2011
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$14.95

Masking to paint a kit canopy can be a pretty complex and time consuming thing. Not to mention possible (probable) paint bleed under the mask to mess-up the clear areas. Eduard has a solution for this in the form of a sheet of die-cut masks for specific aircraft. This set is for the Hasegawa 1/32 scale Bf 109F-4.

You get a small (1-7/8” x 2-5/8”) rectangle of a very thin, tough material on a peel away surface. The die-cuts are almost invisible and I had to hold them at an angle to my light source to actually see the individual pieces. That is precision!

Review Author
Roger Carrano
Published on
February 18, 2011
Company
Minicraft Model Kits
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$40.00

The B-24D was the first mass produced model of this aircraft which entered service early in 1943. Along with turbocharged engines and increased fuel capacity, there was a total of 10 machine guns. It was one of the heaviest aircraft in the world at over 59,000 lbs, on par with the British Bombers like the Lancaster and Halifax. Because of its ability to carry large loads of bombs and its capability to fly long distances it was chosen for “Operation Tidal Wave”, its most famous mission, which was a low level air strike on nine oil fields at Ploesti, Romania on August 1, 1943. It was to be a strategic mission to destroy these oil fields in order to reduce the amount of fuel and oil for the German war machines. This turned out to be one of the most costly missions of men and machines. Over 600 crewmen were killed and 50 B-24’s were downed on this mission. This mission was to become known as “Black Sunday”.