Eduard 1/48 RAF Fighter Crew 1940 Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

Hot off the press, the latest figure kit from Eduard. This set provides six figures in 1/48 scale in similar poses as depicted on the box art.

The kit consists of 36 parts on two sprue trees, each figure consisting of six parts. The molding is crisp and just waiting for some nice painting to bring these to life.

As depicted on the box art, two figures are crew chiefs/mechanics that are awaiting the pilot after the scramble warning. While the box art shows a pilot approaching the aircraft, that figure is actually climbing onto the aircraft, with the two crewmen looking on.

The other three pilots are depicted running past the aircraft to their own fighters on dispersal. I am hoping that one of the figures in the set isn't really posed as shown in the instructions as it looks like he is waiting for the center to hike him the football so he can kick off. Of course the parts can be tweaked to alter the poses to suit your vignette.

I remember a contest years ago when a modeler proudly brought in his hand-painted RAF pilot figure wearing a purple service uniform. Yes, purple. When we inquired as to how he came up with purple, he proudly pulled out his color reference - an old newspaper clipping of an RAF pilot and the original black and white photo had been colorized. The color mix had obviously shifted during the mass printing of that issue. He insisted that the photograph was correct and wasn't the least bit swayed when we asked about the green tinge in the pilot's skin on the photograph that he failed to replicate on his model. Don't worry, Eduard's color charts look far better.

If you're looking to bring some life into your trusty 1/48 Spitfire or Hurricane, this is just the figure set to do the job, and for six figures, the price is right.

My sincere thanks to Eduard for this review sample!