Eduard 1/72 Photoetch Sets By Chris Banyai-Riepl

The latest 1/72 sets from Eduard provide details for a wide range of subjects, from the Ju 88 to the P-3 to the S-100 Schnellboot. Starting with the Ju 88, Eduard has come out with two sets designed for the Hasegawa Ju 88C-6 kit. The first set, 73-294, provides details for the interior. The cockpit of the Ju 88 is quite busy, and this set does a great job of enhancing the Hasegawa kit with new sidewall details, replacement radio equipment faces, a new instrument panel, and more. The guns get replacement barrels, and they also get nicely detailed ammunition containers as well. All of the seats receive seatbelts, and the gunsight is also replaced. The end result will be a significant improvement over the kit.

For the exterior set, 72-475, the main focus is on the landing gear and engines. The engines get some nice grillwork and some exterior engine instruments. The tail wheel well gets some structural details as well as new door interiors. The main gear, though, gets some extensive treatment, with new doors, brake lines, oleo scissors, and other structural details. Finally, the ailerons get new control horns, the landing light gets a new cover, and the various antennae are replaced with more to-scale representations. This is a simple set, but one which will greatly increase the realism of your model.

Moving to the P-3, Eduard has come out with a set (72-467) that provides the old Hasegawa kit with a bomb bay. This is basically a box assembly, so it should not be too tough to fold up. There is extensive detail provided, though, so whether you have this bay loaded up or empty, it will look good. While the instructions indicate that you should just cut away the bay from the fuselage and drop this piece in, I would recommend finding some way to support this bay a bit more sturdily, to ensure that it ends up aligned properly. This would be a simple modification, though, and with the Hasegawa P-3 in plentiful supply, it would make for an interesting change from all those clean P-3s you see out there.

The final set, 53-033, is for the Revell S-100 Schnellboot Flak 38. This is an extensive set that leaves little untouched. This includes copious details for the wheelhouse, both interior and exterior, such as doors, hatches, instruments, and steps. The main deck also gets quite a bit of detailing, from supports to shields to grab handles, and even new grills for the vents. The weapons also get some upgrades, with the torpedo receiving not only a new set of blades, but a whole new attachment strap assembly. The guns are also extensively reworked, with new shields, ammunition clips, levers, wheels, and more. Finally, the depth charges get improvements to their racks, as well as straps to hold them in place. While the Revell kit is nice out of the box, these finer photoetch details will greatly improve the look of the boat.

My thanks to Eduard for the review samples.