Administrators James H Posted January 14, 2015 Administrators Share Posted January 14, 2015 1:32 and 1:24 Luftwaffe cowl latches YahuCatalogue # See article for code and priceAvailable from StoryModels If you like to pose your model's cowlings open, or indeed wish to do so for a maintenance diorama, then the various aftermarket companies serve us well in respect of the resin and PE internal sets, such as engines, weapons bays etc. Where they do fall down in many respects are with supplying cowl latches for Luftwaffe machines. Cowls were very typically secured with an adjustable clip-latch which was packed full of tension in order to beat the airframe and vibration stresses placed upon them. To give you an idea of a latch, here is one I own, which came from a Focke-Wulf Fw 190. The majority of this latch was actually fastened within the fuselage skin, with the tab of course being the part which you would outwardly see. This would clip to the adjustable, cast part which would be fastened to the cowl itself. Even after all these years, it still operates. The part is made from a cast alloy, with a high tensile steel spring within, and a steel latch. Yahu might not be a name you've heard of before. They are a pretty new company, from Poland, producing small PE sets, and colour-printed instrument panels etc. Two of their very latest sets are dedicated to the modeller who has been looking for a photo-etch latch solution for their project. Well, look no longer, as I'm pretty sure that these will cater to your requirements. The two sets we have here are: YMS3201, Luftwaffe latch (10 pieces), £2.90 YMS2401, Luftwaffe latch (10 pieces), £2.90 I have to note here that these are ALSO available in 1:48 too, directly from StoryModels. Each set is packaged into a small zip-lock wallet, with a cardboard carrier stapled to it, with product code. Inside each wallet, you'll find a piece of folded card which depicts how you need to fold the etch parts, and of course, a sigle photo-etch fret containing 10 latches. In the 1:32 set, the fret is packed within another small sleeve. Now, these really are amazingly simple. There is NO assembly to perform at all, and all you need is a PE bending tool. Some folds can readily be performed with just tweezers, but the external latch has wings which need to be folded backwards. Each latch should take no more than a minute to prepare for your model. You will of course need to remove any resin/plastic from the model, representing the folded latches, and insert these as replacements. It goes without saying that you may need to adjust the size of the moulded slot to accommodate these parts. Each piece is connected to the fret via two tags. These are a little wider than I'm used to, but they are thin, so will be easy enough to cur through. There is a small amount of etched detail on each latch lever. Work starts with folding back the wings on the latch lever, and then simply concludes by bending the mechanism to the rear of the latch. Etch quality is excellent, and the small drawings are easy to follow. ConclusionYes, this is only a small review. It really couldn't be anything else, but this is such a handy little set to have in your drawer for when it comes to building something German, and with opened cowls. A number of us must surely have forgotten to add these during our projects. I know I have, and this simple little set will now mean you have no more excuses. Sometimes, it's the small details which really enliven things, and I'm thinking that Yahu think the same. Highly recommended My sincere thanks to StoryModels for the review samples you see here. To purchase directly, click the links in the article. James H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators JeroenPeters Posted January 14, 2015 Administrators Share Posted January 14, 2015 Nice one! I use PK TinyLand latches, but these look similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krow113 Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Fran Posted January 14, 2015 Administrators Share Posted January 14, 2015 Simply but a very efective AM! Very NICE! Thanks Jim for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkranias Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 nice write up JH. Like the original you have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RalphSarc Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Oh wow these are cool!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artro219 Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadoux Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Fine ! Gérard . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_StoryModels Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Beautiful photo artro219. I love the sunset effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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