Bf-109G-5 Photo Etch

Published: November 13, 2016
Company: Eduard

When Eduard releases their Weekend Edition or their Overtree issues they release a small ‘essential’ fret of pre-painted photo etch. Such is the case with the latest release from Eduard.

This one fret of photo etch provides the modeler with a pre-painted instrument panel, seatbelts and interior parts. They also provide radiators, exhaust deflectors, antennas and an access panel. Really, can you paint as well as Eduard prints on their instrument panels? I know I can’t. I love the pre-painted instrument panel and the seatbelts.

Typically, these sets don’t come with instructions but the downloadable kit instructions show where they go.

The key to these LEPT frets is that they are only available for a limited time, normally about a month after the release of the… more

Bf-109G Stencils

Published: November 12, 2020
Company: Eduard

The new Eduard Bf-109 is an exceptionally good kit and a lot of fun to build. What do you do if you have an Overtree boxing with no decals? Well you can get these decals to handle the stencils.

Eduard has started to print their own decals. One of the first ones they’ve done is the stencils for their Bf-109. Packaged in a self-sealing plastic wrapping with a thin cardboard backing, the decals are printed on a 2 ½ x 4 ¾ decal sheet. Also included is a sheet of instructions are included on a half of an A4 sheet. The finesse of the writing is legible in this scale. The colors are perfectly in register. The decals are very thin. So you will have to use plenty of water to move them around on the model once you add them, but they work flawlessly. Even if you don’t use setting… more

Bf 109G-6 Decals

Published: November 12, 2020
Company: Eduard

Ok so what do you do when you screw the pooch on the initial release of a model kit and you’ve already invested lots of money on decals? Well if you are Eduard then you simply offer them as a separate item to use on your new kit.

I built three of the initial Bf-109Gs from the 2014 release. The decals were the best thing about the release, despite size issues with kit, the decal were perfect. They were designed properly and even scaled perfectly for 1/48^th scale.

Eduard has packaged up the set of decals and stencils in this release. They are packaged in a ziplock type bag with a thin card stock that protects them from the elements and bending. The individual aircraft decals are printed by Cartograf so you know they are perfect. They are thin, in perfect… more

Bf-109G Royal Decal Sheet

Published: November 12, 2020
Company: Eduard

What do you do when your kit is too large but your decals aren’t? Well if you are Eduard you offer the decals for sale to go with you newly released Bf-109G. These decals were designed for the Royal Class release of the Eduard 2014 Bf-109G release.

Packaged in a resealable package with card stock support, this 8.5 x 13 inch sheet is printed by Cartograf. There is also a small stencil sheet printed by Eduard. That means that they are as perfect as decals can be. The colors are perfectly in register. The decals are very thin and quite colorful.

The sheet covers SIXTEEN aircraft covering every version from the G-2 to the G-14. It also covers German, Italian, Finnish, Hungarian, Rumanian, and Swiss and aces like Hartmann, Barkhorn, Baer, Trautloft, Schroer and Gabler. The… more

Bf-109G External Fuel Tanks

Published: November 12, 2016
Company: Eduard

It is no secret that I love the Eduard Bf-109Gs. While they are state of the art kits there is always something that can be ‘upgraded’. The latest Brassin Upgrade for the Eduard kit is an external drop tank and ETC rack.

Packaged in vacuformed packaging typical of many of the Brassin line, inside of this are two drop tanks and two ETC racks. Molded in light grey resin the two drop tanks represent different configuration tanks. One with crimped end and the other the simplified tank. The ETC racks are beautifully rendered and some of the most accurate racks available on the market. Inside this set is also a set of decals with the stencils in black and red.

The instructions are simple to follow. You will have to slice off the four parts of plastic, which is easy enough to… more

Seatbelts Luftwaffe WWII fighters STEEL

Published: November 10, 2016
Company: Eduard

Seats and seatbelts are the two biggest things that are visible in the cockpit. Eduard has been trying to get the look of seatbelts to look like the real thing with the minimal amount of effort for the modeler. They’ve gone from having unpainted photo etch belts, then they were pre-painted, then there was Fabric and lately the Super Fabric. Well enter the latest addition to the seatbelt line, STEEL.

This set contains EIGHT sets of seatbelts for aircraft such as the Bf-109, FW-190 or Me-262. But what is so special about them? Well to start out the belts are .1mm thick at the thickest, such as areas around the buckles. The ‘fabric’ portion is actually only .04mm thick making this realistically thin and easy to shape. They are slightly weathered to make them less stark.

… more

Bf-109G-6 Engine and Fuselage Guns

Published: November 9, 2016
Company: Eduard

Are you the type of person that likes to go to the end of the book and read the ending first? Well if you are, here is what you need to know before you start this kit:

1. Add the decals in Step 1 after you paint the engine block. If you don’t, it will difficult to add later. Eduard doesn’t even mention the decals until Step 31.
2. In Step 3 Part 53 is mis-numbered and should be Part 54
3. In Step 6 Part 54 is mis-numbered and should be Part 53
4. In Step 23 make sure you remove the entire mounts for the plastic exhausts inside the cowling and the deflectors. The instructions are not clear on this but if you don’t the engine won’t allow the fuselage to close.
5. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING - Step 24 - DO NOT CLOSE UP THE FUSELAGE UNTIL YOU INSTALL… more

Trainers No More: Trojans at War

Published: November 9, 2016
Company: AOA Decals

AOA Decals has been releasing some great decal sheets for Vietnam era subjects. Their latest is for the T-28 Trojan. In this particular scale, these decals can be used on either the old Monogram or newer Roden kits.

This particular sheet contains markings for 18 aircraft. Included in an A4 sized ziplock bag are four double-sided 8.5 x11 instructions sheet in full color. The cover photo is quite unique. The marking options include Air America, South Vietnamese Air Force, USAF, Royal Lao Air Force, Royal Thai Air Force and Royal Cambodian/Khmer Air Force. The instructions are very clear and concise. There are all four views of the stencils. Just in case the aircraft had alternate markings they are also shown. Two sets of stencils are included, one the standard and one of… more

OS2U-2 Kingfisher USS Texas, USS Maryland and Cape May

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Yellow-Wings Decals

The colorful aircraft of the ‘golden age’ of Naval Aviation are some great looking aircraft. While this period was short lived it was also a time for the transition to war with the corresponding change of camouflage colors. One of the aircraft that went through this period was the Kingfisher. Designed pre-war it soldiered on throughout the war so the variety of marking options is quite varied. The new Kitty Hawk Kingfisher is a beautiful extensive kit that covers the aircraft quite well. Yellow Wings decals adds some flair to it.

Packaged in a 6x9 inch self-sealing ziplock bag, the modeler is treated to a heavy card stock cover page which includes full color side views of two aircraft. Behind that are three double sided pages of instructions printed in full color. The first… more

OS2U-2 Kingfisher USS Maryland, Quonset Point and Sitka Alaska

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Yellow-Wings Decals

Yellow Wings is well known for their thorough research and excellent decals of traditionally Navy subjects, in particular from the ‘Golden Era’ of aviation. This particular sheet covers the time Kingfisher during the immediate pre-war timeframe.

Packaged as most decals are nowadays in a ziplock baggie, these decals are further protected by a heavy card stock title card. The instructions are included on three double sided 8.5 x 11 sheets.

The instructions cover all three aircraft. Each sheet contains a profile view, split view of the plan views and a head on shot. The specifications are included. These sheets look very much like the historical data from the National Archives.

The decals are printed by Microscale on three 5 1/4x 8 inch decal sheets. There are… more