The review

I'm reviewing two of the sets of photo etch for the new Airfix Blenheim Mk1
73512 – Self adhesive interior
72592 – Bomb bay

Both sets are in the usual Eduard packaging, with a sturdy card backing to avoid any transport damage, with the instruction sheet folded to fit.

Self adhesive interior - 73512 – £8.40
A single fret of 50 plus small items of etch, all on a non stick backing sheet. The majority of these are pre painted, and either replace detail moulded in the kit, or add extra detail. For example there is a yoke contained in the etch that requires the moulded yoke to be removed from the control stick, but will leave you with a much better scale yoke. Seat belts for both pilot and navigator chairs, and the cockpit sides are included. Of particular note is the etch for the turret gun, which is obviously tiny at this scale, but done correctly with make that vital difference.

I find the self adhesive etch a pleasure to use and find the extra dimension this adds to be worth the cost, and swearing involved with the tiny parts.

Bomb bay - 72592- £10.99
A single fret of 35 parts for making the bomb bay and replacing the tails of the main bomb load and the two external bomb racks. He construction of the parts looks quite straightforward, however as always with etch care will need to be taken, especially with small parts, if your carpet monster eats brass as well as plastic.

conclusion

In conclusion these frets are up to Eduard’s usual standards and can make a real difference to the finished model. Due to the large glazed area of the cockpit, the interior set is almost essential if your scratch building skills are not excellent as so much is able to be seen. The bomb bay is a different matter as most of this will not be able to be seen if the plane is attached to a base, but it still adds to the kit.

I have my usual complaint about Eduard’s etch packaging, the glue seems to get caught on the contents as you withdraw them from the packaging, a minor niggle, but a niggle none the less.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.