So how do you upgrade Revell’s beautiful new PV-1 Ventura? Well, one of the areas on the kit that isn’t bad but could use some love is the wheel wells and landing gear doors. Eduard has come out with two very nice PE sheets in this set to upgrade the kit.

The frets address the main gear wells with replacement parts, added sidewall detail, and improved bulkheads. There are added covers and hooks not present in the kit, and all is relief-etched for a great look. One excellent thing they did was to have the main piece slide over the kit’s normal attachment points for the landing gear so you are still attaching the plastic to plastic for a nice, firm grip. One other point to note is that there is very little sanding or part removal to do. For the wheel wells, I only needed to remove the side bulkheads and a little relief on the front of the wells.

The frets also replace bulkheads in the aft wheel well which slide right into place. Two brackets are also added. All of the landing gear doors are detailed with new panels and hinges. I elected not to use the hinges themselves as they are finely details but fragile, and for me to transport to a show, I want the plastic-to-plastic bond. The aft wheel well doors are also replicated in PE.

Last, the set addresses the main struts with replacement oleos, brake lines, and PE detail for each strut. I was caught on this as the oleos are very nice but removing the kit parts would require removing the kit brake line and I like the 3-dimensional quality of the kit part.

This is a great set. To me, it accomplished two things well. First, it adds detail where there wasn’t enough in the first place. Second, it also covers up some ejector pin marks, and that is always great. The only down side is that the PE set costs the same amount as the kit itself, but for those wanting detail, it is well worth the money. Definitely recommended. My thanks to Eduard and IPMS/USA for the chance to review this set.