The Eduard Bf-109F kit cockpit is quite nice in the box but it does lack the crispness that can only be offered in resin and photo etch. The Brassin set is designed for the Eduard kit. As such it will fit with minimal work.

Contained in a plastic thermoform package the set includes 17 light grey resin parts with no bubbles or blemishes anywhere. There are some clear resin parts included for the fuel inspection tube and the cockpit lights. As this is an Eduard set, it has to have photo etch. There are two photo etch frets, one is pre-painted and the other in brass. There is a plastic film for the gunsights. A decal is provided for the instrument panel should you elect to use that one. You get the option of one of two ways to represent the instrument panel.

I started construction on the cockpit by separating the resin parts from their pour blocks. This is all easily done. Then it was easy enough to follow the instructions. left off the seatbelts and shoulder harness until after painting.

The only part I had an issue with R65 which I had to trim slightly and move it forward just a bit because it interfered with the trim wheels. I’ve never experienced that before with any of the other Eduard cockpits I’ve built. Not a big deal just a note.

Much of the interior was added prior to painting everything Alclad Grey Primer. Then the parts were pre-shaded with Tamiya NATO Black and then sprayed Tamiya Dark Grey. Detail painting was done with acrylic paints. A wash of Lamp Black artist oils was added to the recessed areas to darken it up. A dry brush of RLM 02 and silver added wear and tear to the cockpit. A sponge and silver pencil added more prominent wear patterns in the seat pan and rudder pedals.

I decided to try the decal on the raised instrument panel. It worked okay. I was always going to use the photo etch panel which is built up in layers. The only issue I saw with this panel was that the two oil pressure and temperature gauges are not outlined in yellow and red. I added it with some acrylic paint. Not a big deal.

The seat belts and shoulder harness was added. You have to be careful as they are metal and as such are pre-painted. If you maneuver them too much or at too big an angle the paint will flake off. I had it come off in one spot but it was easily touched up with some acrylic paint.

A coat of flat was added to bring everything together. A drop of Krystal Kleer was added to the face of each instrument to simulate the glass faces. This also served to help seal the sandwiched panels together.

Some Mig pigments were added to the floor to represent an operational machine. The gunsight was added to the instrument panel before the panel was added to the assembly. Assembling the gunsight was an exercise in precision, but I was very happy with the results. The sidewalls, floor and instrument panel were all brought together. The cutout for the instrument panel needed to be opened slightly with the PE instrument panel. I tested the resin panel and it fit perfectly. So it was just the sandwich panel that needed to modify the part slightly. Less than 10 seconds with a knife blade.

I've been learning to solder photo etch parts so I used that when I needed to assemble the head armor for the canopy framing. It was an easy way to do it and allows me to manipulate the armor as necessary.

With the exception of R65 and the sandwich PE instrument panel, everything fit perfectly. The detail is superior to the kit offering. Although much of it is hidden in that cockpit the look of the Brassin cockpit is awesome and impressive. This set is easily within the capabilities of any modeler with a few resin sets under their belt. I absolutely love the additional detail and the exquisite execution. I’ll be using more of these sets in the future.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Eduard and IPMS/USA for the review copy. You can obtain your copy by contacting Eduard at www.eduard.com . You can also obtain a copy from your local hobby shop or online retailer.