Eduard

1/48 B-26 Big Ed Set For the Revell-Monogram kit

Stock Number: BIG4884

Reviewed By  Charles Landrum, IPMS# 26328

MSRP: $69.95 Review copy provided by Eduard, (www.eduard.cz) Eduard continues to bundle their PE and mask sets for a specific model into their Big Ed sets. The advantage is one stop shopping for the modeler; often at a considerable discount than if you bought the sets separately. This latest offering in the Big Ed series, for Monogram's venerable B-26 ought to be called the "Humongous Ed" for the amount of PE provided. Included in the package are: 48561 B-26 Marauder Exterior 48562 B-26 Marauder Bomb Bay 49029 B-26 Marauder Seatbelts 49372 B-26 Marauder Interior EX105 B-26 Marauder Masks This is a hefty package, with some of the set having up to three frets of photo etch, designed to transform your B-26 into a metallurgical wonder! The detail is double etched and very fine and gives many components the rugged look of worked metal that is true to the prototype. The colored photo etch is magnificent and still a wonder to behold - how do they do it? As a bonus, several of the frets are also etched with tear-dropped shaped holes. They allow the modeler to heat and smash clear sprue to make navigation lights. The instructions are 3-D, in color and with clear pictograms and while I had problem interpreting some of the placement of PE, still it they are much clearer than other manufacturers instructions. So let's take a closer look by set.

Set 48561 comes is the big one and comes with three frets of PE plus piece of film. This set is a major rebuild of the wheel wells, and adds a lot of details to the engines and exterior of the fuselage. What it includes: Well detail including sidewalls, front wall, stiffeners and hydraulic and electric detail Replacement interior details, hinges and actuating rods for the gear doors Replacement interior details, hinges and actuating rods for the gear doors Brackets, scissors links, and hydraulic lines for the landing gear Boarding ladder for the nose wheel well Cooling jackets for the barrels of the gun packs Ignition harness and engine details Replacement cowling flaps Replacement wind deflectors for the side gunner positions Miscellaneous antennas This is quite an involved set and will require you to plan out your modeling of the main wheel wells. I dove into this set with the goal of building up components for this review. It was slow going, because of all of the detail being added. The components are precise in their fit and the assembly is straightforward. You end up removing some plastic, especially on the nose gear and the molded detail of the gear doors. But many of the larger pieces, fill in the voids left in the Monogram kit. The result is very convincing.

Set 48562 contains two good-sized frets of details that give a makeover to the bomb bay. While the bomb bay detail in Monogram kit is good, this set makes significant improvements. Here is what you get: Replacement bomb bay access doors with the option to open them. This is especially important if you detail the radio compartment or forward portion of the rear fuselage and want to see the through Significant detailing of the forward and aft bulkheads Side bulkhead details Detailed panels for the inside of the bay doors and replacement hinges and actuating rods Replacement bomb racks with far more detail - this alone is a significant project Bomb detail including fuses, fins and bomb hanging padeyes There is a lot of value in this set based on the detail provided. The only detail that I question is the motivation for opening the forward door; the radio compartment is about the only place to add weights to prevent the plane from sitting on its tail. Still the option is there.

Set 49372 is another large one, four frets and film that completely remake the interior. This set goes a long way to add detail in the cockpit, and the after part of the rear compartment. The color parts are for the control panels in the cockpit including the main control panel. The colors are crisply printed and very realistic looking. The details for the entire set include: Numerous cockpit details for all sides of the cockpit including the overhead. Details include throttles, levers and wheels. The main control panel uses the kit part sanded smooth. Two replacement seats, which are a complex build up parts, requiring a lot ob bending. Seat tracks provided New forward bulkhead between cockpit and bombardiers position Details for the bombardiers station, the Norden bombsight and the flexible nose gun The tail gun position has a myriad of new and replacement parts including the ammo storage racks and feed belt assemblies Detail for the waist gunners positions including replacement side doors, door tracks, gunners seats and gun details Dorsal turret details including the mounting plate, turret detail and gun detail Plus you get a nice double relief name pate for your model display This is another set where you have to plan your assemblies well around any plastic detail you might add and painting. Set 49029 provides colored PE belts for the Marauder, sufficient for 6 seats. It includes the shoulder harness for the pilot. The bets cover the pilot, co-pilot, waist gunners and turret gunner. There is no belt placement indicated for the bombardier. These are well-engineered and realistic belts, which are much easier to assemble than past methods of construction. The final set is a two-sheet mask set. Like other Eduard sets, you fill in broad areas with a liquid mask, with these adhesive masks providing the sharp edge. Coverage includes: Tires Rear gun position Turret Windows Nose glazing Canopy Wing landing lights While not essential this set makes the task of masking the glazings much easier. This Big Ed set is a wealth of detail which will go a long to improving the realism and appearance of the B-26. I have the Premier Edition of the B-26 kit, which includes an older generation of CMK resin. In most cases this resin is unnecessary or of lesser quality given the magnitude and quality of this Big Ed set. This is one of Eduard's more complex sets and experience working with PE is a must. A PE bending tool will certainly make your life easier as you step through the details. I found one essential to getting the Pilot's and Co-pilot's seats in the proper shape. I also recommend good references, for as good as the instructions might be, good photographs will clarify the details further and help you decide the sequence of assembly as you add detail. If you want to build a detailed B-26, this package is a must and will save time and money in collecting the details. Thanks again to Jana Sulcova and Eduard for the review sample.

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