Eduard 1/32 F-100D Super Sabre Weapon Bay Detail Set First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | February 2008 | Manufacturer | Eduard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | F-100D Super Sabre Weapon Bay Detail Set | Scale | 1/32 |
| Kit Number | 32184 | Media | Photo-Etch |
| Pros | Beautiful transformation of the Trumpeter 1/32 F-100D kit gun bays | Cons | Instructions are not color printed as in the past making it more challenging to follow the assembly and kit part modification sequences |
| Skill Level | Intermediate | MSRP (USD) | $19.95 |
First Look
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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.
When Eduard first introduced the acetate-printed instrument faces that go behind their photo-etched instrument panels, this raised the bar on model cockpit reality as you could almostread the time on the aircraft clock. How could they top that?
It took a number of years, but the answer is color photo-etch. Somehow Eduard has developed a process for printing color directly on their photo-etched parts such that now you not only can read the instrument faces, you can now see the color warning arcs around airspeed indicators and color reference circles around Luftwaffe flight and engine instruments.
This set is focused on the gun bays of the Trumpeter F-100D kit. The D-model had four 20mm cannons with ammo trays that ran up the sides of the fuselage on either side of the cockpit. The F-model had just two cannons. This set adds some nice details to the guns themselves.
Structural details are added to the interior of the bays to capture the look of the interior of the F-100 airframe with the access panels removed. Much of this detail would have been next to impossible to replicate in styrene, but that is the advantage of photo-etch!
Much of the effort is put against the ammo trays and the feeds that run down and under to the guns. You can see the 20mm ammo belts that are replicated here in photo-etch.
Last and certainly not least are the gun bay access panels completely rendered in photo-etch. These nicely replicate the interior reinforcing structures and fasteners so that you can set these doors around your Hun have have them look as amazing as the rest of your model!
You should be able to find this detail set at your local hobby retailer or one of the many online hobby shops. Trust me, thisis worth looking for!
My sincere thanks to Eduard for this review sample!