One of the latest releases from Eduard in their Brassin line is this ejection seat meant to replace the kit part in the Tamiya 1/72 scale F-16CJ Fighting Falcon. The Eduard set consists of one resin part and a photoetch fret with eight items that can be used to dress up the appearance of the cockpit of the Tamiya kit. The F-16CJ Block 50 release by Tamiya follows their impressive renditions first rolled out in 1/32 scale, and later in 1/48.

The set consists of an ejection seat that is cast in grey resin, and a photoetch fret that holds the seatbelts and canopy breakers (the seatbelts are provided pre-painted). The resin seat provides an improved level of detail as compared to the one supplied by Tamiya. As one can see in my comparison photos, the Tamiya seat is relatively plain, but will suffice if using the pilot figure provided with the kit. If you want an open cockpit for your model, the Eduard offering has seatbelts, which will make the ejection seat more realistic.

My hits for this set would include the level of detail provided in the Eduard parts, as the ejection seat is crisper than the kit-provided part, and Eduard includes the seatbelts as well as canopy breakers for the upper portion of the seat. The addition of this seat will greatly improve the appearance of the cockpit of your F-16CJ. I have no misses to report on this particular set.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend this Eduard ejection seat set to modelers who are looking to replace the seat that is offered by Tamiya with a beautifully cast resin part. There should be no fit up issues when installing the Brassin seat, and modelers with some experience in working with resin and photoetched parts should find it easy to utilize this ejection seat.

I would like to thank the folks at Eduard for graciously providing these wheels to the IPMS/USA for review and to IPMS USA for allowing me to receive this set. I would also send kudos out to the assistants in the Review Corps for the great job they do in keeping the Corps running strong and as always, my appreciation to anyone who takes the time to read my comments.