Eduard 1/32 F4U-1 Engine First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | May 2014 | Manufacturer | Eduard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | F4U-1 Engine | Scale | 1/32 |
| Kit Number | 632032 | Media | Resin, Photo-Etch |
| Pros | An intricate scale model of its own right | Cons | Nothing noted |
| Skill Level | Intermediate | MSRP (USD) | $54.95 |
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.
Many AMS modelers will collect the relevant Eduard photo-etch sets for a given project, but they'll also go out and gather specific resin enhancements as well. Eduard has stepped up with a new product line to complement their photo-etched detail series - Brassin. Brassin is a play on words with Brass and Resin, and in many sets in this series, the resin details also include a set of color photo-etch as well.
In this release, Eduard has produced what is supposed to be a detail set for Tamiya's 1/32 F4U-1 Corsair kit, but this set is a complete kit of its own. This set is a finely detailed resin and photo-etched rendition of the Pratt & Whitney R2800-8 18-cylinder, 2000 horsepower radial engine. Take a look at these images - this kit is molded in light and dark gray resin with a fret of photo-etched details.
The engine core is molded in light gray resin and includes the crankcase, gearbox, intake manifold, and the 18 cylinder heads. The rest of the resin details are molded in dark gray resin which include the ignition ring, cylinder pushrods, exhaust stubs, open cowl flaps, cowl flap actuators, cowling interior, and the front of the cowling. The photo-etch fret has the ignition harness and additional small details. This set does make use of the exhaust manifolds and engine mount from the kit.
This set will really enhance the details 'under the hood', especially with that beautiful resin cowling interior which makes it even nicer to depict this kit with the cowling removed and the cowl halves displayed next to the aircraft. While this set is tailored for the Tamiya kit, you may be able to adapt it to the Trumpeter or Revell Corsairs with some work, but you're on your own for that project.
This is another great set for your next project and will make any AMS modeler happy!
Recommended for experienced modelers!
My sincere thanks to Eduard for this review sample!