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Eduard 1/72 Airfix Hawk 81/P-40B Photoetch

By Matt Bittner

While the Zoom sets tend to cater to just interior pieces, Eduard’s “larger” photoetch sets takes the Zoom set for that modeling subject and adds more to it. In this case (set #73 247), it’s an extra fret with mainly external detail.

For the internal, Zoom fret, you’ll need to sand off all molded-in detail on each fuselage half. Once that has been accomplished, then you can add first the larger piece of photoetch, followed by smaller pieces like electrical boxes, throttle quadrants, etc. This is accomplished on both fuselage halves. Next is the seat replacement/enhancement. After folding the Eduard seat you then add belts and other pieces to the seat, prior to gluing the seat to the cockpit floor. The final assembly piece is the instrument panel. Since there is no raised detail on the kit instrument panel, adding the two-piece main instrument panel is relatively easy, but only after you cut off the molded-on rudder pedals, since those too are served by photoetch. After the photoetch pieces are on the kit’s plastic instrument panel, then it’s finished by adding four “handles” to the bottom of the panel.

The second photoetch fret while including a few more pieces for the insides, consists of primarily external details. You receive “grates” to fit over the three-hole, nose intake, as well as a complete outtake section; replacement tail wheel doors and actuating mechanism; cowl flaps; plenty of extra detail for the main landing gear, including new doors, actuating struts, brake lines, etc.; replacement flaps (for while you’ll need to remove the bottom of the flaps, and reduce the area on the upper wing); gun sights; and trim tab control horns and wires, and rudder hinges.

There is plenty of detail in this set to make the new Airfix 1/72 Hawk 81/P-40B look even more stunning than it already is.

I definitely want to thank Eduard for sending this photoetch set to review.