Eduard has come out with several photo etch sets for the 1/200 Scale, Merit, USS Hornet CV-8 (kit# 62001) and this is one of them. Part 5 provides detail parts to upgrade the 5 inch main guns and the Quad 1.1 inch guns.

For the 5 inchers, there are new man rails, gun sights, seats and elevation and training wheels. You also get new mount stands. For the 1.1 inchers you get detailing for the breeches, sights, seats and a new floor for the gun tub.

Assembly is straight forward but a tad fiddly. There are a bunch of tiny parts that need to be bent and shaped. The seats for the 1.1 inchers require several complex bends that took a while to get the correct shape. Some of the small parts are hard to hold and glue at the same time.

The instructions are quite adequate to provide detailed information on part numbers and placement. They also call out which kit parts need to be deleted. There is some minor surgery required on the kit but nothing that is overwhelming.

All-in-all Eduard has come to the rescue with some very nice detail sets to improve an already very nice kit. I would only recommend this set to an experienced modeler who has worked with tiny photo etch. But if you bought the Hornet your already a glutton for punishment.

Thank you Eduard and IPMS USA for providing me the opportunity to review this sample and let the modeling community know it’s out there.

Have fun and enjoy.