This is one of three photoetch sets provided by Eduard for the Meng 1/35 scale D9R Armored Bulldozer kit. The Meng D9R kit itself has previously been reviewed [Meng D9R Review]. The Eduard Exterior set has also been reviewed [D9R Exterior Review], as well as the Eduard Interior Photoetch set [D9R Interior Photoetch Review].

This Cooling Slats photoetch set primarily replaces the cast on plastic engine hood louvers with individual photoetch louver slats. Eduard also provides an exterior photoetch set and a color interior set for the D9R.

Included in the package are two photoetch frets, one thick and one thin, and Eduard’s typical highly detailed instructions. When working with photoetch, I will go through the regular kit’s instructions and mark all the parts and steps that are affected by the photoetch. This allows easier reference for installation of the photoetch as the kit is built. Photoetch can be attached with super glue or by soldering. I try to use soldering on the larger pieces, especially where strength is important, but soldering requires lots of practice to get smooth joints.

The first series of steps replaces the cast on louvers on the engine cover with photoetch louvers. The cast on louvers need to be removed first, and I used a sharp woodcarver’s chisel to slice them off, followed by scraping with an X-Acto, and sanding.

The photoetch louvers are made up of a folded frame plus individual pieces for each of the slats. Assembly of the slats into the frame is tedious and delicate, but with a little practice they went together okay. I considered soldering the edges of the louver slats; however, I thought that with my limited soldering skills I would end up with clumps of solder on the edges of the louver frames. Instead, I used super glue, applied with a thin wire, after each slat was installed. The resulting appearance of the frames shows the saw edge rather than a seamless frame, plus any of the photoetch nibs left on the edge of the slats,

The photoetch pieces add a bit of irregularity, which has a better appearance then the perfect alignment of the cast on louvers.

Assembly of the photoetch for the radiator grille requires some care. I soldered the frame of the grill, part number 30, to the back plate, part number 27. The center notched frame section is very delicate, and I ended up breaking off one end trying to bend it to the correct alignment. This caused problems in assembling the frame to the plate. I did leave in the filler pieces inside the notched frame until after everything was soldered in place.

Another part included in the Cooling Slat set is a storage bin. I soldered the box and cover together and used superglue for the hinges, bolts, and other small pieces. The frame for the louvers is a tight fit into the box, and I broke it off while bending.

Many extra parts are left over when assemble of the photoetch is complete. There are extras of most of the small pieces, which helps when parts go flying.

This photoetch set adds nice, thin louvers to the kit, but it requires lots of patience to assemble. I recommend this set to modelers who have considerable experience with photoetch, including soldering. Ultimately, it is a nice set that adds considerable detail to the D9R.

Thanks to Eduard for producing this set and supplying the sample to IPMS/USA for this review.