Fresh and new Eduard’s “Brassin” name is a welcome addition to the aftermarket world of modeling. A sub-set line from the Eduard Model Accessories the claim of ‘Best Resin Around’ it appears credible with this offering.

Package contents:

• Brassin detail set for Bf 109E in 1/32th scale from Eduard
• 9 super-detailed resin parts
• Express Mask

After just finishing the Eduard 109 kit I can see where these bits would have been appreciated. They are finely cast with excellent details and would have greatly improved some areas of the kit. Most notable is the tail gear and gearbay.

The set comes in a blister pack containing 11 resin pieces of differing shades of gray and a mask set along with detailed instructions offering a choice of two rims.

The Reich Air Ministry (RLM) issued requirements for a single-seat fighter powered by a single BMW 003 jet engine on September 10, 1944. From the many German aircraft manufacturers interested, Heinkel’s proposal was selected. Heinkel designed and built The He-162 very quickly. The final design was chosen on September 25th and the He162 flew for the first time on December 6th, less than 90 days later.

It was made primarily of wood due to the short supply of metals. In early test parts came unglued in flight with one such event resulting in the death of the test pilot. As a result, parts were strengthened and some redesign was needed. The glue for the wood parts was found to be defective in many cases. The aircraft was the fastest jet aircraft in the air hitting 550 mph at sea level and speeds reaching 562 mph at 19,000 feet.

First Impressions

This review product arrived in the mail wrapped in cardboard and amply reinforced duct tape. Upon opening the mailing package I found a heavy-duty, injection-molded black plastic, 11 ¾” by 15 5/8” long, enclosed in a clear plastic bag wrapper. A small sprue of clear plastic parts was also enclosed. The aircraft carrier deck is molded as an inverted tray, and is quite sturdy.

The engraving for the deck planks and elevator were clean and crisp, but might be considered too pronounced for an airplane model. For the bean counters, there are 190 tie downs. The welded seams are almost too finely rendered, with only a small portion that appears to have “faded”. There are four rectangular depressions that I assume receive the clear parts. On the underside of the tray was a date: 2001.

For fans of the “Psycho” movies that starred Anthony Hopkins as “Norman Bates”, this kit will bring back some fond or not so fond memories. This kit arrived just as my favorite time of year started, as I decorate for Halloween like no other holiday. I was also fortunate enough to have one of the movie channels recently run “Psycho”, “Psycho II”, and “Psycho III”, which provided good references for how to paint the house. When first released, this was a new kit made by Polar Lights, and it does a nice job of capturing the look and feel of the Bates mansion of the original “Psycho” movies (the remake with Vince Vaughn has a completely different house).

I am tempted to re-title this book "Albatros D.I - D.Va: Legendary Polish Fighter" because it really takes a more Eastern European perspective on this iconic family of aircraft. This is refreshing because too often books on WWI German aircraft present a Western Front perspective. The Eastern Front was a different theater with differing imperatives, challenges and solutions. Complicating the war effort was the polyglot force that made up the Austrian-Hungarian military forces, of which Poland was a part.

The book takes a narrative approach to the subject, being more about the stories than technical specifications while still including the latter. It covers all of the Albatros fighters including: D.1, D.II, D.III, D.III Oeffag, D.V, D.Va, Dr.II and W.4. But the emphasis really is on the most successful aircraft - the D.III (including the Oeffag built version) and the D.V. The chapter organization is as follows: