After a lengthy gap since their last new WW1 kit, Eduard made a welcome return to the field this autumn with their highly anticipated new-tool model of the SSW D.III.

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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Some rather exaggerated surface details. . .: Ok, The reasoning behind the "exaggerated details on the wings is that the details will probably get covered in one of several manufacturers lozenge decals. Especially the rib caps. They get covered twice. Once with the overall cover and then the rib tapes. Can someone give me an unh-hunh? When completed the details will be softened sufficiently.

Hi Stephen

Ironically, it was comparing Eduard's shots of the finished kit with two layers of decals against reference photos that convinced me the rib and lacing effect was overdone.

All the best

Rowan

Eduard's decals are more that suspect at this point.

Hi Stephen

I'm glad you at least agree with me there - if anything, it's uncharacteristically restrained compared with your comments on the engine - and definitely something of an understatement compared with some of the comments I've read and heard about the decals.

But I don't understand how your point concerning Eduard's decals impacts on the heaviness (as I see it) of the rib detail - which I thought was what you objected to in my review?

I think you're possibly conflating two separate points; the decals are controversial for their colours, not their quality. While the colours have caused plenty of head-scratching, their quality is outstanding - which is hardly surprising as they are custom-printed by Cartograf.

In fact it was the way the kit's decals snuggled down so well over the rib details in Eduard's promotional build that both impressed me - and rang alarm bells over the prominence of the effect when compared to shots the full-sized aircraft.

For me, it's rather tragic that Eduard turned to one of the most highly regarded decal producers to print premium quality sheets for this kit, only to end up with a set that's been so criticised. As I wrote in the review, I presume the choice of colours must have been deliberate (or Eduard would have rejected the sheets) - but the colours chosen for the decals have no bearing on the issue of the moulded detail.

All the best

Rowan

To keep it simple, the decals they used in the examples are apparently not the same colors as the ones in the production issues of the kit. Even the rib tapes are narrower on the built example.





Eduard has not always been careful with built examples. Remember the Dr.I with the canted landing gear. It was soon replaced with a better example after the 1136X kit review by the way.



In this instance it appears that Eduard's "example" kit builder knew the decals were too "faded" and over compensated by trying a darker hue. Possibly overspraying a dark color and cutting down ribtapes by half width. That would be the easy answer. There are three of us discussing this as we build the kits for reviews.

Hi Stephen

This is getting silly. So the rib effect is overdone in Eduard's build because they're not the final decals?

Let's just agree to differ - it's the beauty of modelling, and life's too short. I'll knock back what I see as heavy-handed detail on my kit, and you can say I should have kept it if you wish - and I'll keep stumm if I feel the opposite about yours.

All the best

Rowan

No worries. Its just a difference of opinion. The engine aside and even with the decal & other issues it is still a kit to get. The fit is good. No warping in the plastic. Just make sure you add the firewall before you close up the fuselage entirely.

Eduard seems to be listening buts more like one step forward, one step back. They have tried to remove the glazing over their lozenge, but is still oriented the wrong direction. The profiles are a bit flawed.





A. SSW D.III, Possibly may have been assigned to Ltn. Seppl Veltjens (NOT Vallendor) of Jasta 15/ J.G.II as his reserve aircraft. The headrest identifies it as a machine from the first series of 18 that went initially to JG II. The balanced ailerons show the photo reference was taken after it was modified at the factory, upgraded with a new engine, wings and other modifications. Eduard’s “historians” have taken a page from the Datafile #29 (page 23 to be exact). And because Greven’s Jasta 12 machine is said to be photographed at Cher-les-Pouilly they have wrongly assumed the images below of our “V” marked SSW D.III are at the same location. But the other aircraft in the background in the bottom image are late model Albatros D.Va types. By July – August 1918 Jasta 15 had all Fokker D.VII machines assigned to it. The truth is we really don’t know what unit it was reassigned to.



B. SSW D.III 1611/18 is a machine from Kest 4b. Their unit marking was a black cowl.