Eduard

1/48 Canberra PR 9 'BigEd' Set For the Airfix kit

Stock Number: 4918

Reviewed By  Rod Lees, IPMS# 10821

MSRP: $59.95 Website: www.eduard.cz     Direct link to product First, a big THANK YOU to our friends at Eduard. They crank out some of the best aftermarket stuff around! Please keep it up !!!!! In my opinion, Eduard makes the most detailed PE sets available -- nobody else comes close. With the release of the "BIG ED" set for Airfix PR 9 Canberra, we have yet again a superlative set to work. Comprised of four of Eduards' upgrades, this set improves the Airfix PR-9 immensely. As usual, it all comes in a big red/yellow folder, with four sub-sets: · EX265, Canberra 1/48, (Exterior and some interior details) · 48613, Canberra PR 9 landing flaps · 49009, Remove before flight · 49437, Canberra PR 9 S.A. (Interior details, instruments, switch panels, etc.)

First, the basic upgrades. PE for the Ejection seats, exterior details, landing gear, antennas, etc. You cannot go wrong with this. Although I find the SA feature doesn't do as well as I would like (that's what superglue is for, and I take great pains to prevent touching the cement on the back of the parts), the improvements to the seats alone are worth a lot.

The instrument panels and switch side panels are about as good as they can be. Again, you cannot dry-brush these items anywhere near what the BIG ED sets provide. There are several detail items I chose not to include; the open nose section (complete with panels and electrical boxes) would make for a visually inspiring model. External details such as chaff/flare covers, fairings for the fin's "bullet", etc., all add up. And as for installation of the turbulators (also known as strakes or "little fins" on the surfaces of the model), I chose to leave them as the kit provides them. (Cool factor note: These small airfoil items "dirty up" the air in front of the control surfaces, making them more effective.) Then we have the flap set.

Yep. It DEFINITELY improves the kit items without much modification. Remove the molded in details, and realize a vastly-improved flap well. I had occasion to use my new "etch mate" folding/holding tool on this build; it was worth the cash! Included are flap wells and new flaps, complete with detailed exterior. Plan your folds; you don't want to bend parts the wrong way to cause work hardening to make the part snap off… experience here! Two items I used that truly added to the kit were the interior surfaces of the nose gear doors, and the brake hose assemblies.

There are other details that you cannot see well; the static discharge wicks (which I left off as a hazard to my eyes in the workshop when I move around the models), details for the camera bays, etc. The box behind the ejection seat looks much better than just drilling through the plastic item.

In the end, an excellent addition to an already great model. Invest in BIG ED… it's worth it! The canopy masks make a tough job easy; it's not like you have a DO-17 or HE-111 cockpit to mask but it's simple enough and prevents bleed-through with the kabuki tape masks. Again, value added. And last, but overlooked, "Remove before flight" flags. One last added "touch" to the overall project. Again, my thanks to Eduard for the chance to review this set! It provides excellent detail to an already nice kit and the "Big Ed" set saves money over the individual sets.