Eduard 1/48 Yak-1b Upgrade Set First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

Eduard from the Czech Republic is easily the most prolific producer of aftermarket details. Period. Their series of photo-etched detail sets have brought additional fidelity to otherwise bland subjects, and have taken even the best-produced models and kicked them up a notch or two with details that cannot be produced with injection-molded plastic.

Here is Eduard's upgrade set for their limited edition release of the Yak-1b ( look here). Since the kit has an impressive color photo-etch cockpit detail set, this offering addresses the aircraft exterior and you can see that there isn't much needed to enhance the kit.

First and foremost, this set allows you to remove the molded-closed landing flaps and replace them with this set that uses their latest 'origami' assembly approach. This set provides the interior details in the wing well that is exposed when the flaps are down as well as the structural details inside the flaps themselves. In older Eduard flap sets, you had to assemble the flap wells and flap interiors one rib and one stringer at a time. Assembly is doable for the patient, but for the rest of us... In this set, the ribs are already attached at the correct points, you simply bend/fold the structures per the instructions and then carefully twist each rib 90 degrees. The stringers are added once the ribs are in place but assembly is far simpler than the previous system.

In addition to the flaps, this set provides replacement main gear doors, tail wheel doors, cockpit rear deck plate, prop spinner frames, and canopy/windscreen frames. This set would be an excellent one to try your hand at photo-etch details and their improved system of building up the flaps and flap wells.

If you want to add some eye-catching realism in your Yak-1b kit, this set is just what you're looking for!

My sincere thanks to Eduard for this review sample!