Eduard

1/32 F-86F-40 Photo Etch Sets For the Kinetic F-86

Stock Number: 32653 Interior parts 1 & 2

Reviewed By  Dick Montgomery, IPMS# 14003

MSRP: $29.95 Website: www.eduard.cz Direct product link The Box This photo-etch ("p.e.") set of parts for the Kinetic F-86 kit was provided by Eduard. The product arrived in a plastic sleeve envelop with a set of printed instructions and a white cardboard stiffener insert. The stiffener prevents any serious damage to the photo etch and my sample arrived in mint condition. The Parts There are two "sprues" of p.e. parts in # 32653 containing 74 p.e. parts. These parts are in full color so no painting is required. Sprue 1 contains the instrument panels, side consoles, rudder pedals, and seat harnesses. Sprue 2 contains most of the details that will be fitted to the ejection seat, with some parts that are to be applied to the decking located under the canopy. For the sake of this review those parts engineered for the decking have yet to be applied. Sprue 1 is backed with an adhesive film that helps to keep the tiny instrument dials and levers from sailing away from the workbench when being removed from the sprue. The parts stay attached to the adhesive backing as one cuts the attachment points between sprue and part, but then can easily be removed with the tip of a #11 Xacto or a fine tipped tweezers. Sprue 2 does not need this backing as these parts are bigger and more easily handled. The Instructions The instructions are printed on both sides of a single sheet of paper and the illustrations are well drawn. Additional time spent studying the drawings will ensure that the builder will use the proper part and attach it in the proper location. The "key" contains symbols for seven different actions, those being "application of a mask and painting prior to assembly", "symmetrical assembly", "remove", "grind", "drill hole", "bend", "option" (as in use it if for a particular variant), and "replace". It should be noted that not all of these actions are called for, and not all are a necessary part of using an Eduard product. There are an additional four symbols for "original kit parts", "photo-etched parts", "parts to be removed", and "fill". These last four symbols use varied shades of gray highlight. I found these shades difficult to distinguish but, perhaps, a modeler with better eyesight (my sight is hampered by some eye damage) might be able to distinguish the shading with less difficulty. Regardless, if one studies the instruction carefully all will become clear. Conclusion The detail engineered into the parts is extremely fine and well done. Considerable thought went into the way in which the various parts are to be folded in order to make knobs, levers, and throttle quadrants. The instrument faces are very well done and result in a realistic, colorful, and detailed appearance. The parts are held on the sprues by very thin "connection points" and these points are easily clipped, thus preventing accidental damage to the part when pressure is applied to the connection point. The pre-painted surfaces retain their paint when the parts are bent to shape. The parts provided by Eduard appear to match the images found when searching the internet for references. In general, the p.e. parts are easy to use and are produced at a high level of quality. What's Out There? Eduard 33049 1/32 F-86F-40 Interior for Kinetic kit. (Contains parts for the cockpit, and the ejection seat harnesses) Eduard 32 653 1/32 F-86F-40 Interior set for Kinetic kit. (Contains parts for cockpit, ejection seat and surrounding "deck" areas under the canopy) Eduard 32244 1/32 F-86F-40 Exterior set Hasegawa F-86F-40 # 1084 1/32 scale Hasegawa F-86F-40 # 8003 1/32 scale Kinetic F-86F-40 # 32003 (NATO)1/32 scale kit What I Used The Hold and Fold by The Small Shop, www.TheSmallShop.com Zap a Gap Medium CA+ by Zap, a super-glue found at your favorite hobby shop. Hasegawa kit #8003, F-86F-40. (It should be noted that the Eduard p.e. set was designed to be used with the Kinetic kit. I had no difficulty using the Hasegawa kit even though some of the instructions provided by Eduard did not apply to the Hasegawa kit. Recommendation I highly recommend this product. The amount of detail that this p.e. set adds to the basic kit makes a huge difference in the quality of the finished model and the pleasure and enjoyment I derived from this project.