Eduard 1/32 Swordfish Mk.I Seatbelt Set First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | February 2010 | Manufacturer | Eduard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Swordfish Mk.I Seatbelt Set | Scale | 1/32 |
| Kit Number | 32654 | Media | Photo-Etch |
| Pros | Nice enhancement for the Trumpeter 1/32 Swordfish cockpit | Cons | |
| Skill Level | Intermediate | MSRP (USD) | $20.00 |
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.
Eduard didn't stop there. One of the challenges for less-experienced modelers attempting to use photo-etched details in confined spaces is trying to avoid having cyano adhesives from oozing out of the most inopportune places such as an instrument bezel or other visible location. Eduard has produced self-adhesive photo-etch to solve that problem. Simply remove the part from the fret, remove it from the backing paper, and then place the part in its location. According to Eduard, you can move the part to fine-tune its placement before pressing the part more firmly in place to set the adhesive.
This set provides nicely color-printed seatbelts and shoulder harnesses for the three cockpits of the Trumpeter 1/32 Swordfish. This set was designed to work with all of the variants of the Swordfish being released by Trumpeter. This set complements the interior detail sets being released separately such as this one for the Swordfish Mk.I.
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!