Douglas C-47
Detail Sets & Mask
(for Airfix)

Eduard, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Mark Davies

Eduard's 1/72 scale Lancaster Wheels is available online from Squadron.com

I have yet to see the new-tool Airfix C-47 kit in the plastic, but here are links to images of the kit contents posted by Stuart H, and gallery images of the completed model by Alan price, that appeared here on HyperScale earlier in 2014. These and various reviews I have read lead me to believe that this is the best C-47 kit in “The One True Scale” so far.

Eduard was quick to release a number of detail sets for Airfix’s new kit, and have the following items listed on their website (the first three are not subjects of this review):

• 72587 Exterior,

• 72590 Surface Panels,

• 72588 Landing Flaps,

• 672046 Wheels,

• SS513 Interior SA (cockpit),

• 73513 Interior SA (cockpit & cargo cabin)*,

• 73514 Cargo Seatbelts, and

• CX401 Mask.

* Item #73513 combines #SS513 with a second fret of additional parts.

For me, Eduard is a brand name that is synonymous with superb quality, and this is certainly the case with the review items, from their packaging and instructions to the actual components. Each PE set and the mask comes packed with a large card stiffener sealed in cellophane, along with printed instructions. The wheels are packed in Brassin’s excellent two-part bubble pack with foam protection, along with a pre-cut paint mask and instructions that have paint call-outs cross-referenced to Gunze’s Aqueous and Mr. Color paint ranges. The instructions for each item are also downloadable in as PDF’s from Eduard’s website.

The quality in all cases is excellent, as we would expect of Eduard. Before illustrating the contents of each accessory, I will make some personal observations regarding its utility and benefits.

I am a fan of Eduard’s masks, and the benefits of this are self-evident. Whilst the kit wheels look good from images I have seen, and I am sure the Brassin items will be an improvement on these. The pre-coloured cockpit set (item #SS513) is also included with item #73513. It is very nicely executed, but I had some doubts as to how much will be visible with the finished model. However, the Airfix kit includes a crew entrance door that can be modelled open, so hopefully this will help Eduard’s added detail to be seen. Likewise, the cargo area details and seatbelts might seem superfluous at first glance, until you consider the size of the large cargo door that can be modelled open.  It is a case of “horses for courses”, but I am sure there will be many who appreciate Eduard’s interior sets for what they have to offer.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and so it is the case here. The following images combine Eduard’s CAD illustration and instructions (bottom-left), whilst my images of the actual items appear elsewhere in this review:

672046 – Wheels

SS513 – Interior (cockpit)

73513 – Interior (cockpit & cargo cabin)

73514 – Cargo Seatbelts

CX402 – Mask

These detail sets and mask are all of excellent quality and stand to enhance the new-tool Airfix C-47. None is essential to correct kit failings, but all have something to offer; whether to simplify painting, improve appearance, or lift interior detail to new levels.

The interior sets may be a little harder to see, but with doors modelled open the added detail should be observable to some degree. This will be enough to make these items a “must have” for some, and fair enough too.

I highly recommended all of the sets reviewed here based on their quality, and leave it to individual tastes and preferences to determine the benefits offered and need for each. 

Thanks to Eduard for the samples and images.

Review Text Copyright © 2015 by Mark Davies
Page Created 20 January, 2015
Last updated 20 January, 2015

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