One of the latest releases from the photo etch masters at Eduard is a BIG ED set meant for use with the Kinetic release of the Grumman A-6E TRAM Intruder. The set consists of seven different Eduard offerings that include the following:

• A-6 electronic equipment (item 48730)
• A-6 undercarriage (item 48731)
• A-6 wing fold (item 48732)
• A-6E TRAM exterior (item 48733)
• Remove Before Flight tags (item 49009)
• A-6E TRAM interior S.A. (item 49597)
• A-6E 1/48 canopy masks (item EX351)

Purchased separately, the seven items would set the consumer back $161.65 according to the Eduard web site, so the BIG ED set saves the buyer an impressive $46.65. Although not every part in every set can be used at the same time (for example, the wing flaps would not be separated if the wings were folded), the sets combines to dress up the Kinetic Intruder. I will tell you up front that I would highly recommend this BIG ED set to anyone thinking of adding more than one or two of the individual sets contained in this release.

Upon opening the review sample, my first thought was, “Man, that’s a lot of brass…” followed almost immediately by, “I am going to have to ask for more time up front for this review.” This became my summer project – not that I am complaining, mind you, as the complexity of using the various items to show in this review proved to be very time-consuming. In all, there are nine photo-etch frets spread across the six individual sets that are included, as well as the pre-cut canopy mask sheet as the seventh item. Just opening the cardboard envelope that holds the seven individual releases could be intimidating for those unaccustomed to using photo etch detail parts.

As is typical with Eduard photo-etch releases of the past few years, most of the frets consist of brass that has been electroplated, giving it a silver appearance. The interior set (item 49597) contains one fret with parts that are both self-adhesive as well as mostly pre-painted. The other fret that comes pre-painted is for the “Remove Before Flight” tags (item 49009) that can be dramatically used to display your aircraft while it awaits its next mission. I seem to have success in mixing a medium viscosity and a thin viscosity CA (cyanoacrylate) together when working with photo-etch parts, so that was my adhesive of choice during this review.

Most of the sets require the minor surgery of removing some molded detail in order install the improved detail photo etch parts. The only major surgery is removing a panel from the underside of the fuselage to install the electronic equipment set. I did not complete this surgery on my aircraft during this review, but to see the frame and equipment installed you can visit the Eduard site. If you are unfamiliar with Eduard sets, my one piece of advice is to have some good references available, as there will be one or two items in each set that have a position that will not quite be clear on the directions. Otherwise, everything is straightforward for the most part, with the photo etch parts really improving the appearance of the venerable “double ugly.”

Rather than taking a lot of your time to read a detailed description of how the items installed for me, I will let my photographs speak for me. I have included photos of kit parts with and without the Eduard items, sometimes as before and after shots, and other times showing items installed where the detail parts covered plain plastic. A few of the small items do require bending, so it will be well worth the investment in a special tool to assist with this (I have one of the original Mission Models Etch Mate bending tools, and it certainly paid for itself once again during this review).

My hit for this BIG ED set, as is typical for any Eduard set, is the level of detail that is always present in these products. Although the Kinetic kit is a nice place to start, the addition of this set will help to enhance it quite a bit, on the inside as well as the outside. Some details are enhanced with the addition of the Eduard parts, while in other instances detail that was not present can now be added.

My only real miss with this set was that in some cases, the instructions were not completely clear on where the photo-etch items need to be installed. I only had this happen once or twice on the individual sets, but reference photos cleared up the locations for me. I mentioned previously that good references are beneficial, and as the parts are upgrades to fine details in some cases, walk-around detail photos are the best way to verify locations.

In conclusion, I can highly recommend this BIG ED set to anyone looking to improve the interior and exterior appearance of his or her Kinetic A-6E TRAM Intruder. I do believe that many of the items would work equally well on the older Monogram offering of the A-6E, if that is the kit in your stash yearning to be built. In addition, as I mentioned previously, if you are considering multiple individual sets to enhance your Intruder, it would be beneficial to go after this BIG ED offering instead, as you will have an abundance of detail options at a reasonable price.

My thanks to the folks at Eduard for graciously providing this detail set to the IPMS USA for review, to Steve Collins and his assistants in the Review Corps for allowing me to receive this set, and as always, to anyone who takes the time to read my comments.