Eduard Brassin 1/32 F4U-1 Wheels Diamond Pattern 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.

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 a nice set of resin main gear wheels and hubs for the Tamiya 1/32 F4U-1/F4U-1A kits. This set features a nicely cast diamond tread pattern on the tires and a multi-layer approach with the wheel hubs to achieve that open appearance as well as some nicely detailed brake hubs fitted for the Tamiya kit. The separately cast wheel hub covers have flashed-over openinge though one is open for you to see. All you need to do is open the remaining flashed-over holes with a file tip or even a pencil tip. Of course this set also includes a set of die-cut yellow tape (Kabuki) masks to make painting of the completed wheels easy. These wheels should work with the Trumpeter kit as well though they will require modifications to fit.

In all, this set provides a nicely detailed landing gear alternative for the Tamiya kits. Recommended for experienced modelers!

My sincere thanks to Eduard for this review sample!