Authored by Robert Peczkowski, with color profiles by Zbigniew Kolacha, this book, is a comprehensive text and photographic/image guide to the Republic P-47B-D.

The book thoroughly covers the “B”, “C”, and “D” versions of this famous World War II aircraft. This story is told in excellent text, accompanied by period B&W photographs, excellent color images of surviving airframes, extracts from official manuals, and a superb collection of color profiles by Zbigniew Kolacha.

Of particular interest to the hobbyist is the excellent color artwork which depicts many of the camouflage schemes and markings found on the P-47.

Of particular interest in the list of chapters are those which feature “Detail Photos” of the fuselage, wing, engine, canopy, cockpit, tail, undercarriage, guns, and stores. The modeler will find these images rich in detail.

This set is made specifically for Hasegawa’s F/A-18 E/F kits and as Hasegawa’s EF/A-18 G Growler is the F/A-18F kit with extra sprues for the Growler add-ons, it can also be used on the Growler too.

The set consists of 6 resin parts, three for each exhaust. The parts are the actual nozzle, the exhaust can and the rear face of the engine. The parts are extremely well cast, as expected from Aires and in comparing the parts to photographs of the real nozzles, Aires is spot on, capturing the details perfectly.

In the last several years, Eduard has had great ideas by taking well done kits from certain manufacturers, adding their beautiful photoetch, masking sets and Brassin resin to it and issuing it as a complete set. This is one of those kits and it is a winner! What you get in the package is Hasegawa’s excellent 1/48th scale F-86 Sabre with a masking set for the wheels and canopy. Also included are excellent resin castings for the ejection seat and two frets of photoetch. One is colorized and is used to detail the cockpit with seat belts, multipart instrument panels, and other small parts. The second fret is not colored and contains replacement parts for the canopy deck and details, more seat details, and other smaller bits. Also included is an excellent color instruction guide and decals for five different markings:

Eduard offers their photoetch in a couple different formats for those that haven’t had the pleasure. They offer the Big Ed sets which are full meal which include multiple frets, masking sets and many, many parts for those that want the ultimate detail on their kits. They also offer the sets in groups which include multiple frets for specific areas such as interiors, wheel wells or exteriors. Lastly, they offer “Zoom” sets which are one fret of colored photoetch to address, usually, cockpits. This set is one of the latter and addresses the kind of barren cockpit in HobbyBoss 1/48 A-6E TRAM kit which is already a wonderful kit. The set consists of one colored photoetch fret with excellent instructions which included a multipart instrument panel, multiple parts for the ejection seats including belts and other parts to address the side instrument panels and boxes.

The Product

I love brass, it complements plastic models so well that I use it on almost all my builds. This set covers several deficiencies specific to the Gunship version found in the old but excellent Monogram/Revell AC-47 plus minor generic items. Set includes upgrades for; the tailwheel bay, window vents for the mini-guns, gas-caps, main landing bulkheads and access panels, engine ignition harness, oil cooler screens, prop governors, exhaust pipe embellishments, brake lines, new main landing gear cross braces, tail cap off plate, several smaller panels, lots of antennas and a very cool boarding ladder.