Spitfire Mk.XVI Gun Bays
for Eduard kit

Eduard BRASSIN, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brad Fallen

Eduard's 1/48 BRASSIN Spitfire Vb Gun Bays are available online from Squadron.com

When I reviewed Eduard’s Brassin gun bay set for the Airfix 1/48 Spitfire Mk.V earlier this year, I concluded it was a great set but not one for modellers inexperienced with photo-etched brass – there is a lot of folding required to install the set.  Not so with Eduard’s equivalent set for its own 1/48 Spitfire Mk.XVI, where the gun bay frameworks have been cast as single resin parts.

Nonetheless this isn’t a detail set for the faint of heart.  Installation of the gun bays requires surgery to the kit’s beautifully moulded upper wing halves.  I’ve looked at these again today, and can honestly say I don’t know if I’d have the courage to cut into them.  But if you do – and the necessary cuts are all along straight lines – then installation of the gun bays from thereon in should be straightforward.

Eduard has designed the bays so they can be completed as single units and attached to the undersurface of the upper wing parts.  I’m sure the designers did their homework in making sure the resin bays fit between the plastic wing halves, but test fitting as you proceed with construction is probably a good idea.

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Thumbnail panels:

The two largest resin parts – the gun bay frameworks – are attached to a single casting block.  At first glance, it looks like a solid, old school block of the kind that demanded time, effort and bad language to remove the parts.  However Eduard has cleverly engineered the casting so the frameworks sit above the main block on thinner, perforated waste resin that should be comparatively easy to remove.

When the frameworks have been cleaned up, detail is added in layers starting with the photo-etched floors.  The Hispano cannon and M2 Browning machine guns are well represented, as are the ammunition belts. 

Eduard’s instructions are clear about what goes where and in what order, but I’d recommend looking at photos of the real thing as well – there are a couple of good ones in the Spitfire Site links below.

The access panel covers are also provided.  These are delicately detailed on both sides and, I’m sure, are intended as diorama accessories rather than snug fitting replacement parts.

This is a relatively straightforward ‘detail up’ set for Eduard’s 1/48 Spitfire Mk.XVI kits, and should be within the capabilities of most modellers with a little resin and photo-etch experience. 

Highly Recommended.

Reference

The Spitfire Site:  Variants and Technology – the Hispano Cannon

The Spitfire Site:  Sorting Out the “E”:  American Armament for the Spitfire Mk. IX/XVI

Thanks to Eduard for the samples and images.

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2017 by Brad Fallen
Except Blue Background CAD Images by Eduard
Page Created 25 May, 2017
Last updated 25 May, 2017

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