James H

That about sums it up. Around 7 years ago, I bought a 1:35 Tamiya M2 Bradley. The reason? I built it as a spotty 15 year old, when the kit was a brand new tooling (1985). I think I'd probably built all the aircraft I wanted too, and this was the only option left in the model shop. When I started the hobby again a few years ago, I hunted down the kit on eBay and bought the Eduard BIGED set for it. The kit is still available if you look, but Eduard have now discontinued their PE sets for it, which is a shame. In the light of Meng's release, I can understand it though. Despite the newer Meng tooling, I thought I'd see what I can do with this kit. There must be another reason to build armour? Yes? Well, Brett Green asked me to tackle something for Tamiya Model Military International magazine, and this is going to be my debut in that publication, followed by a 1:35 Kingtiger from Cyber Hobby. For the moment though, this is what I'm building, and I'll post some photos for you tomorrow. This is a PE-fest!!

Hi gang, I actually started this model a few months ago, but in light of a workshop disaster on the production line, I've decided to put it to the front again and accelerate the build. As you might be able to tell, this kit isn't yet released by HK Models, and as far as I am aware, this is the only 335A-0 test shot that exists outside of HKM. I will build this for Tamiya Model Airplane International. For this build, I'll complete it as the machine currently on show in the NASM, but in American colours, as she was evaluated at the end of WW2. This will need the new Eagle Editions decal set which is currently in transit between Montanna and northern England! This is the scheme I will do: So what are the differences between this and the previous Do 335B-2 kit? Ok, this is a brief list: No wing-mounted cannon and gun pods (smooth leading edges) No fuel tank in weapons bay. A bomb is included, but not to be used with my build. Curvier windscreen, as opposed to the more angled, armoured screen of the B-2, and no side bulges either. Different nose undercariage strut with mudguard. For this build, I will use a combination of both Profimodeller and Eduard sets, with HGW seatbelts into the mix. There is a LOT of metal in this one, and unlike some of my tardier updates, I promise to post some photos of this one tomorrow. Thanks for watching.

Great looking model. I'll match you with my Bandai kits soon

Can you list?

Hi folks, Behind the scenes, LSM have been very proactive in working with HKM. Mostly on the Lancaster, but we have had a reasonable input to the forthcoming Mosquito kit too. If you'd like to see what we've been up to, then here is the box art, featuring my model, with the rest being done by LSM's graphic than division ( ) Pleased that we can finally announce it. Hope you like it!

Great looking bird, and thanks for being frank with this one.

Hihihihihi

1:32 German seatbelt sets (various) HGW Catalogue # see article for code and price Available from HGW The latest flurry of new seatbelt releases from HGW are aimed at the recent flurry of German model aircraft kit to hit the market, from both major conflicts. Recently on LSM, we’ve seen reviews of the Fly Model Arado Ar 234B-2, as well as the Horten Ho 229, and also the beautiful Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 from Wingnut Wings. Jan Bobek, forever with his finger on the trigger, has catered for those who are now looking to build these latest releases, and of course, he has sent us these to look at today. The sets we have, all in 1:32, are: 132542, Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10 (Orlon, Ersatz), for Revell kit, 240 Kč 132556, Arado Ar 234B/B-2/N, for Fly Model kit, 272 Kč 132557, Horten Ho 229 (Orlon, Ersatz), for Zoukei-mura kit, 240 Kč 132558, Hansa-Brandenburg W.12, for Wingnut Wings kit, 240 Kč 132560, Messerschmitt Me 262 (Orlon, Ersatz), for Hasegawa/Trumpeter etc, 240 Kč Overview If you’ve never used HGW seatbelts, then you really are missing out on an opportunity to add more realism to your projects. The new generation of their seatbelts are now all laser-cut, meaning you only need to snip them from their micro-fibre ‘fret’ The first thing you need to do (and some forget!) is to peel the thick paper backing from the textile sheet, and as you snip the various parts from the fret, scrunch them up in your fingers and then open them out again. This breaks any tension in the material, and allows them to be more realistically posed. You can now assemble the belts using small drops of CA, best applied on the end of a toothpick, or similar. Assembly is always very easy, with both textile and PE parts being identified by different colour markers on the assembly drawings. Unlike the RB Productions belts which are adjustable when complete, you will need to get a measure of your own specific model before setting any buckles and clasps into position, and then gluing them permanently. Now, you can apply your belts to your model, using a little CA, and draping them in a realistic fashion. Once set, apply a coat of gloss varnish to them and weather them with oils. Apart from the extra realism, you will notice another little quirk. A whole range of laser-engraved stitching will now be easily seen! It’s quite difficult to see these unless you apply a wash. Of course, there is no need to paint these belts, as they are all pre-printed, and contain excellent detail, such as serial numbers and data patches etc. Laser cutting has also provided another nifty effect too, and that is that the edges of the parts have an extremely subtle scorched effect which darkens the ink. This is perfect as it looks just like shading, and helps to add some weathering, albeit unintentional. Now, you will notice that some sets are very similar, and in some cases, they may be identical. The reason that HGW release sets such as these, and not generic ones is that some belts, their fasteners, and securing, may have been slightly different. When you buy a set for a specific model, you can be assured that it will be perfectly compatible. However, if your specific, named set is out of stock, you may be able to substitute it for a different named set. Just check that the components are the same, and all will be well. Each set is packed into a re-sealable letterbox sleeve that has a stiff piece of card to protect the contents. In the front, a rather attractive packing slip denotes the contents, and onto this, both the textile sheet, and the Eduard-manufactured PE parts are tacked into place with easily peel-able glue. To the rear, a slip is included which shows construction. Everything appears to be easy to follow, and indeed, I have made many of these without any problem. 132542, Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10 (Orlon, Ersatz) Please note here that these are the late-war green Orlon material, and may not necessarily be good for your model. The caveat here is to check your references. If you can’t find information to the contrary, showing beige belts, then these green belts look rather good. 132556, Arado Ar 234B/B-2/N This set caters to both single and two-seat Ar 234 kits that Fly Model recently released. If you are only building the single seat machine, it’s still worth buying this dual set, as having a spare set of belts will prove to be a cheaper option than purchasing a second set for a different, compatible model. This set of course represents the lighter, beige belts which were pretty universal during the war. 132557, Horten Ho 229 (Orlon, Ersatz) The beauty of the Ho 229 is that its ZM kit incarnation never actually flew. As it never existed beyond prototype stage, it’s entirely likely that it would have had the newer, green Orlon belts, unless there was a supply chain shortage. Who knows?! As a result, HGW have printed these to represent those later style belts, and they sure look good to me. 132558, Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 A departure from WW2 as we look at belts for a Great War aircraft. This time, we see a set designed for this attractive sea-borne biplane, consisting of two lap-belts for both the pilot and rear gunner/observer. For this specific release, I would look at perhaps burnishing the PE parts, or washing it heavily in black/dark grey enamel. 132560, Messerschmitt Me 262 (Orlon, Ersatz) If you buy an Me 262 kit, the chances are it will state that the seatbelts are beige. Again, it’s not inconceivable that these late war fighters may have been fitted with the green Orlon belts, and this set helps to cater to that possibility. I can’t see any difference between this and the Ho 229 set, so if this specific is out of stack at your LHS, you can use the Horten, and vice-versa. Conclusion I’m a big fan of these sets, and really don’t like to build a project without a set of compatible belts from HGW. I’m pleased to see this range expand and cater to new releases almost as soon as they are announced, and HGW’s reference means that you know your set will indeed work specifically for your project. Superbly produced and at a more than reasonable price. Give them a try! Very highly recommended My sincere thanks to HGW for the samples seen here. To purchase directly, click the links in the review. James H

1:24 Typhoon guns Eduard Catalogue # 624002 Available from Eduard for €14,95 Bunny Fighter Club price: €12,71 Eduard have released a whole suite of PE and resin sets for Airfix’s 1:24 masterpiece, and we’ll bring you a look at the wheels and photo-etch parts in the very near future. In the meanwhile, this rather nice set has arrived, designed to replace the four 20mm Hispano cannon that packed a punch with this brutal-looking bird. Having built the Airfix 1:24 Typhoon, which I have to say is magnificent in everything from its engineering, to the depth of detail and rendered surface finish, there are only a few things which generally let it down, and one of them is the rather lacklustre set of cannon. Eduard’s new replacement resin parts are supplied in their familiar Brassin blister pack, and the set itself contains replacements for the entire gun, including the barrel and ammunition feeds. In total, there are SIXTEEN parts in this set, cast in a combination of light and medium grey resin. All parts are safely protected within the package by pieces of foam, with the barrels packed in between the layers themselves. Therefore, you won’t see these from the front of the pack, but they are included. This set is designed to simply replace the kit parts, and as a result, there is no surgery required. Probably the worst aspect of the Airfix parts are the ammunition drums that have an awkward seam along them which you’ll struggle to remove. The fit of these, and the ambiguity of their position, along with the spent chutes, makes fitting these quite tedious. With this release, not only do we have excellent gun detail which was lacking in the Airfix parts, but the drum feed is moulded as part of the main gun section. This saves so much time in getting things right, and it goes without saying that the detail on these could simply never be recreated in injection form, as a single part. For the gun bodies, there is a small casting block to the rear underside, extending upwards slightly to protect the rear of the gun. Removal should be very easy. As the guns are ‘handed’, the ammunition feed enters the chamber from opposing sides, depending on installation. As a result, there are two R6 and two R6 parts here. Two blocks contains the spent shell chutes, connected to their casting block via a thin membrane of resin. Again, clean-up will be minimal, swift, and very easy. Unless you find a way of building your model without the external fairings, the barrels within are going to be completely hidden, except for the protruding muzzle. However, Eduard has supplied four far nicer barrels than those in the kit. I found that a lot of the Airfix parts seemed to have seams which indicated that the moulds weren’t aligned, or they’d slipped. This included the thin barrels. Eduard’s replacements are excellent, with good recoil sprint detail, and a slightly flared, open-ended muzzle. The rear end is also keyed to ensure correct orientation into the main body. Lastly, replacement ammunition feeds are included. These are a big improvement over the kit parts, with beautifully defined shells, and also with the tips of the lower shells being seen in between the upper feed. Cap detail is also included. The instructions clearly show where everything needs to fit, and Gunze paint codes are supplied too. Conclusion A very simple and very well-priced update to the one area on the Typhoon which I did fell was a little under par. As always this set is beautifully produced, and is actually easier to install than the kit parts, with the added bonus of detail that wasn’t provided in the kit, and no seam removal hassles. In my book, it’s worth it for the last reason alone! Very highly recommended My sincere thanks to Eduard for this review sample. To purchase directly, click THIS link. James H

1:72 Avia B.534 ‘Royal Class’ Eduard Catalogue # R0010 Available from Eduard for €82.45 Bunny Fighter Club price: €70.08 The first thing you really do need to know is that Eduard’s new Avia B.534 kit is entirely new. It takes zero lineage from the kit they released many years ago. It is entirely new-tool. Ok, that’s that sorted! To celebrate the release of this kit, Eduard have gone the Royal Class route again, and provided the modeller with a very attractive package containing multiple kits, some photo etch and masks, as well as a book too, albeit in Czech. We’ll look at this later. As with some other Royal Class releases, the box is essentially printed in a single colour. This time it’s a sort of red, rusty russet brown, with ‘Royal Class’ being printed all over it in an attractive high gloss. A vector drawing of a B.534 is the centrepiece, printed in gold. More glossy panels are shown on the box sides with numerous photos and the colour schemes. What makes this kit a little different than previous releases is that it contains FOUR complete model kits which utilise the four different fuselage sprues contained therein, and a total of THIRTY-ONE colour schemes! The variety is very varied, and typically ‘Eduard’ in approach. Again, we’ll look at this later. This is quite a heavy little box, primarily due to the thick book within, an assembly guide, and a separate colour scheme booklet too. Unlike my grey and orange test shot, all parts in this release are moulded in the much more sensible grey styrene, and all sprues are not individually bagged. There are two re-sealable sleeves of grey styrene, containing four sprues each. In fact, one of these sleeves has both the fuselage and wing sprue, co-joined, so in effect, there are eight sprues in there. Two zip-lock wallets are also included, each one containing one of the circular, clear sprues. These are identical. SPRUE A (x4) First up is the wing and flying surface sprue, and four of these are supplied. All of these are also identical. The upper wing is full span, with port/starboard panels for the lower, and ailerons are moulded integrally. Surface detail is actually very good, with perhaps it being a little exaggerated. Either way, the finish is very good, with the sort of definition that shows that this is a modern tooling. Aileron hinge detail is fine, as are the wing strut reinforcement plate details. For both the fin and stabiliser, separate control surfaces are supplied, so you may droop the elevators and offset the rudder if you wish. Surface detail is very much the same as the wing. If you plug these parts onto the fuselage, they will sit in situ without glue, showing the tolerances Eduard are now using. Very impressive. SPRUES B, C, D & G (Fuselage) It seems strange to lump four sprues together here, and it’s definitely the first release where I’ve seen four very different fuselages included. Firstly, if you’ve seen or built Eduard’s 1:48 Spitfire release, you will immediately see a comparison here in terms of overall detail finesse and style, but of course, in a smaller scale. Eduard provide fuselage parts here which include those for a raised spine machine, with enclosed forward cockpit, as well as a semi open cockpit version, and one which a low back and bubble canopy. Also included are parts for an unarmed machine, without the gun channels and side blister. Each fuselage is moulded with an integral under-belly radiator, and the fabric/stringer rear fuselage is very subtle in execution. As the lower wing is supplied as port/starboard panels, a tab is moulded on the fuse, into which the wings plug. Having built that test shot, I can tell you that there is no sloppiness whatsoever when these are inserted. The correct wing dihedral was immediately achieved. The forward fuselage has extremely fine panel line engraving with the exhaust stubs just protruding to the exterior. Eduard have also designed the upper, forward cowl to be a separate part, and again, when this is installed, its joint is nigh on invisible. Small dimples on the fuse sides indicate the position of the cabane struts. At first glance, these appear to be insufficient, but again, my experience of this kit proves that to be wrong. In fact, I built the test shot, without paint, in only 90 minutes, inclusive of cleaning up the parts and installing the upper wing and struts. There really isn’t too much to see internally, except for some detail around the cupper cockpit edge. However, lack of detail here is due to the fact that a detailed series of parts actually fit into here, including frames etc. Other parts on these sprues actually vary slightly due to the type of fuselage you will use. For example, whilst one sprue may contain the forward, upper engine cowl, another will include this with an extension to cover the cockpit area. Each also contains two instrument panel options. One of these has moulded instrument detail, and the other is blank, allowing for the installation of the photo-etch parts which are also included. Here, you will also find a variety of parts including a drop tank (for one option only), and a small number of cockpit parts. SPRUE E (x4) As this is the last grey sprue, it contains the remainder of the parts for this kit, including two propeller options, radiator parts, detailed cockpit, spatted and un-spatted wheels (spats are integral to wheel), undercarriage struts, inter-plane and tail-plane struts, tail skid and tail wheel options etc. Check out the main wheels, complete with manufacturer writing! Now, just because this is 1:72 doesn’t mean that interior detail is skimped on. Just the opposite. Two detailed internal sidewall frames are included, and onto the cockpit floor fits the pilot seat and control stick. Even if you are adverse to photo-etch, you will still need to use it if you wish to install the rudder pedals. As I’ve already mentioned, there are PE options for the instrument panel, but also parts for seatbelts, and some side wall detail. Options are provided for a machine with under-wing bombs. SPRUE F (x2) Options are provided for posing your canopy in both open and closed positions (where an enclosed cockpit is being modelled). All parts are crystal clear, with neatly defined framing, and small sprue gate connection points. Certainly no concerns in this area. PLASTIC SUMMARY Being a new-tool kit, you don’t expect any defects or flash, and there certainly is nothing like that. No sink marks or horrible seams to eradicate. Just snip the parts and trim the gate excess away, and you’re good to go. A real joy for the modeller. PHOTO ETCH There are FIVE photo-etch frets included here. The first is a colour-printed one, and is for use across all four models. It contains a number of options for a layered instrument panel as well as seatbelts and other cockpit details. Printing is excellent, especially when you bear in mind the small scale of this kit. The other four PE frets are identical, with one being assigned to each of the four aircraft in this release. These frets contain stirrups, straps, port detail and even a pitot. Also included is a fuselage-mounted gun sight, alternative bomb fins, plus wing bracing wires and buckles! MASKS One sheet of masks is included for all four models, containing all the various parts for the different canopies supplied in this kit. Wingtip and stabiliser masks are also included for a small number of scheme options. Cutting appears to be sharp, and the instructions clearly show where each part is to be placed. INSTRUCTIONS & COLOUR SCHEME BOOKLET Instructions are printed as a glossy, 12 page A4 publication, Eduard supply a brief history of the Avia B.534, and a useful parts map and colour code list for Mr Hobby/Gunze paints. Assembly illustration is by means of clear line drawings, and is simple to follow. Notation is given throughout for PE and mask use, and full rigging drawings are included, spreading over 2 pages of clear illustration. The colour scheme book is a thicker publication than the instructions, with a page being given over to a single scheme. Eduard’s knack of choosing varied subjects is evident here, as we see everything from racing machines, through to the more unusual Luftwaffe types, with the rarer fuselage format. Simple colour notation is included, and decal placement is easy to follow. Now, just take a look at the schemes on offer here: DECALS With so many scheme options, it won’t surprise you to know that there is more than one sheet of decals provided in this Royal Class release. There are actually THREE sheets included, with what also looks to be either a correction or omission sheet containing two small decals. All schemes on the main sheet are divided into sections, meaning it is easy to locate the markings you require for a specific aircraft. Eduard have thoughtfully printed some of the national insignias and codes as one decal instead of multiples, meaning you won’t have an issue with spacing etc. On this main sheet are a number of stencil decals, and also a number for decorating the wingtips and rudders of a number of options. There are also a large number of national markings included here, which are common to several schemes. The second largest sheet contains a number of Czech and German national markings as well as more swastikas that you can shake an entire Staffel at! These are provided as halves, and presumably as I’m not unlucky enough to be a German modeller, a full set of 16 complete swastikas of various styles and dimensions. Unlike the first two Cartograf-printed decals sheets, the third is printed by Eduard, and to be honest, I find Eduard’s own decals just as good, as they are printed with equal finesse. This sheet contains more national markings, plus some codes and emblems. Printing is excellent throughout, with all decals containing minimal carrier film, and being respectably thin. Printing is also in perfect register. BOOK The accompanying Eduard publication is a 66 page, softback book which looks at many of the schemes supplied in this release, along with accompanying reference photos which the modeller will find invaluable for finishing their work. This very attractive book contains what I imagine to be a good number of rare images of the B.534, including some with internal detail shots. Photo quality is generally very, very good. A number of colour reference photos are also included. As previously mentioned, all text is in Czech, but as an aside, if you have a smartphone with the correct Google app, you can hover this over the text for an instant, live translation! Conclusion As a large scale guy, I normally don’t take too much of an interest in small scale models, but this release from Eduard is one that certainly has a draw. Having built that test shot, I know this model builds beautifully, plus the schemes in this release certainly want you to start snipping styrene straight away. The kits themselves are about as state of the art as we are currently seeing, pretty much rendering your filler redundant, whilst containing detailed photo-etch parts. I also think the price of this is pitched pretty well when you consider the contents, and that reference book. If you’re a member of the BFC, then you have an added discount too. Need something to reignite your mojo? If so, then please treat yourself to this small yet heavy little package. VERY highly recommended My sincere thanks to Eduard for this review sample. To purchase directly, click THIS link. James H

Definitely the best of these I've seen. Thanks for posting. I know what you mean about the connection between the fuse and wings, and some parts of the kit are really not good.

Where do I buy this from?

For me, it's the Ho 229 and the Triplane. Those are just fantastic! Thanks for these

Very sweet, especially with having to get that Mossie done at the same time.

Very nice. Kagero do some great titles, and I have that new Revell Ar 196B with single centre float

Here's one of the sublime pit:

You're motoring! From here, the build goes very quickly. Superb work as always. Those bays are sublime.

I love those schemes. Great review and photos! Thanks for the time you put into this one

Hi folks, I've kept this one pretty much away from LSM simply because of the limited time I've had to build this for publication. From start to finish, this was built over 3 weeks, with only about 2 weeks of that really being used. This is a test-shot of the forthcoming 1:32 Focke-Wulf Fw 190F-8, from Revell, finished in kit decals. Watch out for this next month in Tamiya Model Magazine International.

Sublime!

Superb work! Love the Typhoon. Where did you get those chairs?

I'd love to see these used in anger.

Lucky guys!

1:32 Do 335 detail sets (for HK kit) Eduard Catalogue # see article for code and price Available from Eduard Last year, I had the privilege of building a test shot of the Dornier Do 335B-2, from HK Models. This was featured in Military Illustrated Modeller recently, and was built out of box due to lack of any PE parts supplied from the manufacturer. Over the last months, we’ve seen a number of releases from Profimodeller, and now, Eduard have released a whole suite of both detail and upgrade sets for this important model kit release in both photo etch and resin. In our box this month, we received: 32364, Do 335 exterior, €22.95 32825, Do 335B interior S.A, €17.25 33143, Do 335B interior S.A ‘Zoom’, €14.95 32826, Do 335B seatbelts, €7.45 632042, Do 335B wheels, €11.25 632050, Do 335 exhaust stacks. €7.45 JX175, Do 335B masks, €11.25 Do 335 exterior All PE sets for this release are packaged into the narrow, letterbox format sleeves, with a cardboard stiffener. This set contains a single, bare brass fret measuring approximately 140mm x 95mm, and with around 110 parts, all neatly manufactured. Again, don’t be lulled into thinking that this contains parts for exterior surfaces. When Eduard says something is ‘exterior’, they mean that it is outside of the cockpit, as this set clearly shows. This set kicks off in the engine bay, providing PE lifting lugs to replace the plastic parts, and also a little extra, minor detail such as supercharger intake meshes and other brackets. A set of cowl latches are also included. Moving onto the forward gun bay, a little extra detail is given to the guns by means of the correct, curved ammunition feeds which were sorely missing from the plastic parts. Sticking with the engine theme, PE cooling flaps and radiator meshes are supplied for the rear fuselage, and a new radiator is provided for the forward engine. Interior bomb bay and wheel well detail is also included by the way of brackets, hinges, wiring looks and door detail, as well as detail for the ladder stowage area. Detail parts are also provided for the forward undercarriage strut and wheel hub. Lastly, those huge bulges on the side of the canopy are supposed to house rear view mirrors, and they aren’t included in the kit. Thankfully, this set redresses that issue. Do 335B Interior S.A. S.A. simply means ‘Self Adhesive’, and one of the two frets for the cockpit is produced this way, and of course, colour-printed also. This fret contains a two-part, layered instrument panel which is a big improvement over the kit part with its deeply recessed instruments, and of course there are numerous other panels and consoles too, along with their levers and switches etc. Colour printing is very good. Also on this fret are a set of replacement rudder pedals. The kit parts are actually quite poor, and seem massively undersize, so the inclusion here is very welcome. The second fret is a bare brass production, and slightly smaller than the colour fret. This contains parts for the ejection seat armrests, gun sight, cockpit floor, canopy/ejection seat handles etc. Some surgery, albeit minor, will be required to fit a small number of these parts, but nothing beyond the realm of even a beginner modeller. Do 335B Interior S.A ‘Zoom’ This set is a budget version of the regular interior release, containing just the colour etch fret for an immediate detail kick, without all the bells and whistles. Ideal if you only really care about the main cockpit elements, or if you are on a budget. Do 335B seatbelts Despite now releasing fabric belts in conjunction with HGW, Eduard are still providing a colour PE solution for those who want to add aftermarket seatbelts. This small fret contains 16 parts which simply need assembling and then bending into shape. You need to be careful not to flake the colour paint from them though. There aren’t any buckles to add here as these are etched onto the main parts and pre-painted. Assembly should only take about 15 minutes, as these are pretty easy to use. Do 335B wheels Whilst HK moulded their kit wheels to be weighted, they did so without any external pattern on the tyres themselves. I also thought the kit hub detail was certainly more than passable. Of course, compare these with the resin alternatives, and the kit parts pale into insignificance. As with all of Eduard’s Brassin releases, the wheels are supplied in a blister package, and are protected by a piece of soft, grey foam. When you open the package and remove the instructions insert, you will also find a sheet of masks. Each of the three resin wheels is cast onto its own block, and connected by a very thin membrane of resin, with the pouring spout on the flat part of the weighted wheel. Removal will be very easy and quick. Wheel detail consists of the thin, raised ribbing that was commonly seen on some late war Luftwaffe types. Hubs are also separate and are cast two per block. Detail really is excellent, with bolt, hose and other detail being meticulously reproduced in the smallest of details. To help with alignment, the hubs are notched so that you get them in the correct orientation to the wheel, and to each other. Masks are supplied to allow the covering of the wheel while the hubs are being sprayed. In all fairness, I would simply spray the wheels and finish them before fitting the hubs, but the option is there of course. Do 335 exhaust stacks When I built the test shot, I did so without instructions. For the greater part, that was just fine, but it got complicated when it came to adding the exhaust stacks to both engines. There are numerous shapes here, and I had to work out what sequence to fit them in. I’m still not convinced I actually got it right, but I tried my best. Seeing the instructions of course, makes everything far easier. Having seen this new Eduard set to replace the kit parts, I’m reminded of the hassle I experienced. Fear not though, as of course, Eduard have these numbered for ease of fitting, and they have made things even easier by casting each engine side on their own casting block. These are even identified by such writing as ‘Front engine RIGHT’ etc. Of course the part numbers are cleanly cast below each stub too. You’d be hard pressed to get this wrong. For further identification, the casting blocks for front and rear engines are also different lengths. The stubs have hollow ends, and a very fine welding seam running down each one. No clean-up is required after separating from the casting block. Also, the kit parts suffered from sink marks etc, and these of course exhibit no such flaw. It’s worthwhile buying these for that reason alone. The instructions are simplicity itself. A complicated problem with an elegant and straightforward solution. Do 335B masks This set will be specific to this release of the kit due to the difference in the canopy between both A and B variants. This set of masks contains everything you need to mask the canopy. It’s recommended that you use liquid mask to fill in the areas on the blisters, but you may find it easier to cut up the scrap material and fill using this. Conclusion Each and every one of these sets is well worth the investment, as they add so much to what is already a very nice kit. There isn’t anything difficult about incorporating any of these sets either, as all surgery required is very minimal. Production is excellent, and nothing appears to be a pointless exercise either. Costing is also realistic, but of course, when it comes to the PE parts alone, you will be able to achieve a further discount through the BIGED set, and joining the Bunny Fighter Club. Very highly recommended My sincere thanks to Eduard for supplying the samples you see here. To purchase directly, click the links in the review. James H

....resistance is futile.