As someone who was very involved in developing the Kitty Hawk UH-1D, I know of some of the shortcomings of the kit. Some things that were not able to be addressed or were caused by the limitations of the plastic. Some things are just better in photoetch.

The key about these Big Ed sets is that they are a one stop shop for a kit. Not only are they a one stop shop but they are discounted significantly than if you were to buy the sets separately. In this case the saving is almost $20.

This set does contain everything you’ll need in photoetch. The first set is 48935- UH-1D Cargo Interior. It contains one large fret that has a new photoetch floor with new pedal troughs and seat tracks. It also contains a new roof piece that has a pattern which is added to the kit part. If there is a downside of the set it is that the floor has the holes for all the seats. Not a big deal as the holes are small and would be easily overlooked if you left out a seat or two. The really nice thing is that the attachment point for the seatbelts is included so you can add them to the floor.

The second set designed for the kit includes two frets. One is pre-painted and the other is brass. The new pre-painted interior parts include a new instrument panel painted in the correct light grey, overhead console, and center console. The brass parts include the emergency release for the cargo door windows. The ammo chutes for the miniguns is included along with the map case, door pull handles, and stanchion panels.

The third set is for all the seatbelts and shoulder harnesses for all the seats. They are all pre-painted in a brand new light grey. Seatbelts varied from the light blue grey when new to a faded tan, almost white.

The fourth and final set is the masks, set EX564, needed to finish the model. They are essential, in my opinion. The are perfect fits for the kit. You will need some masking fluid to finish them off, but they will certainly cut down on the build time. I hate masking canopies so the real savings is in time.

So how much does this all cost? Well if you were to buy them separately they would be over $66, but in this package deal they only cost $46.71. That’s a savings of $19.42. That’s like getting the UH-1D set for free. So let’s recap, a complete set of photo etch and masks for the kit in a one stop shop plus all of that for a reasonable price. What more could you want from an aftermarket company and set? Another great set from Eduard.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Eduard and IPMS/USA for the review copy. You can obtain your copy by contacting Eduard at www.eduard.com or at your local hobby shop or online retailer.