Merit quietly issued a 1/35 X-craft submarine and once I got my hands on it, I was impressed with both the molding and size of the kit. Still, there was some room for add-ons and improvements and Eduard has issued a photoetch sheet to help address some of the issues.

Eduard’s sheet is composed of a single sheet with 30 superb parts. The sheet addresses the hatches on the top of the ship by replacing 6 individual parts and adding detail and texture. A little removal of the hinges and these go on smoothly. There are slight folds on four of the parts but this is easy to accomplish with a new #11 blade.

Next, the kit propeller is undersized and Eduard uses the kit hub but has you wrap three individual blades around a dowel and add them to the hub. This takes a little patience but the result is a larger and more accurate prop.

Detail parts are also added to the entire support for the rudders and dive planes to add three dimensional effect. The same is done along various ports on the side and to the top of the snorkel or exhaust (research hasn’t shown what the part is exactly). This part requires you bend into a circle and add a cap and then attach to the kit part.

Lastly, the kit vents at the bottom as substituted by Eduard’s parts. Merit does include photoetch with the kit but it is not as finely done as the Eduard parts. These are one to one replacements and fit right along the keel.

A quick simple upgrade with minimal muss and fuss. Only the propeller takes much effort but it is so worth it. The rest of the parts are added with no hassle. This is one of the easiest upgrades I have put into a kit and the results are well worth the price. Recommended!

My thanks to Eduard for the excellent photoetch and for letting us review the sample.