Riders in the Sky 1945 Limited Edition

Published on
Review Author(s)
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$165.00
Product / Stock #
2123
Company: Eduard - Website: Visit Site
Provided by: Eduard - Website: Visit Site

Eduard has released a limited edition version of the B-24 Liberator GR Mk VI and GR MK.VIII in the RAF Coastal Command service. The kit is based on the Hasegawa kit plus two additional Eduard sprues, Decals, etc.

In the box is:

  • 11 x grey sprues
  • 2 x clear sprues
  • 4 x poly caps
  • 1 large decal sheet
  • 1 mask sheet
  • 2 x photoetch detail set
  • Riders in the Sky 1945 book
  • 1 instruction booklet
  • 1 box artwork poster

The kit options and decals allow building 13 different aircraft, all the choices are great. I opted for the M version, an RCAF aircraft operated in Canada July 1945. The kit looks awesome in the box and all the additional items make this a great addition to any stash.

Construction

The construction starts with the fuselage interior which went together very well. The only small issue is there are a lot of small ejector pin marks which are easily sanded or filled.

The next stage builds the nose and cockpit areas of the aircraft. This is also very easy to assemble. Remember to paint the PE2 part interior green as this is not indicated on the instructions and is visible via the cockpit glass. Also, some additional sanding and cleaning was needed to line up F11, 10 and the F3 parts so they look good. The nose weights should also be added now. You need to add at least 2 oz. nose weight or it will be a tail sitter. The nose section is now attached to the main fuselage. Here also a bit of sanding and filling is required to get the best fit. I used the provided masks for all the clear parts.

The tail assemble is next and presented no problems. Then the windows are added to the main fuselage and tail attached. Now comes all the additional details to the underside of the main fuselage, making sure you do the parts relevant to the aircraft you are building. This is very clearly shown. Now you add the bomb bay racks and doors which can be open or closed, I chose open.

Now we come to the part where I made a rookie mistake by following the instructions without question or thought! The issue here is there is a mistake in the wing assembly instructions that reverses the engine upper and lower cowlings. I blinded did this and before I clicked had finished the wings and fully painted them! So I decided to leave it due to time constants. Eduard has issued on the web site corrected instructions and I have attached the relevant sheet so you can be prepared when you build the kit.

Now the undercarriage is assembled for the wings and turrets. There are a few options for the turrets so ensure you mask and build the correct ones.

Next the wings are assembled and other fuselage parts added. On the version I was building the top turret is not installed and the hole is called to be filled. I actually used an unused kit part number D4 and just sanded it to fit.

The painting was now completed and with the version I did the masks were a great help. There are a lot of decals, some of which were very small and difficult to add, so be slow and careful with them.

Apart from the error I made the kit is a truly fantastic build and looks great. All the details lead to a very impressive kit once completed.

Summary

This was an awesome kit, a joy to build, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Thanks go to Eduard for providing this kit to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it.

Box Art

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