Set #49325 contains 3 etched frets (one of them pre-painted) - for a total of 175 parts - and details the Vindicator in 4 main areas:

• 1. The interior
  
• 2. The wing flaps
  
• 3. The engine
  
• 4. The bomb-load
  

The cockpit

Accurate Miniatures are famous for their detailed cockpits, but Eduard still give the Vindicator's a complete overhaul. The pre-painted fret contains superbly detailed instrument panels and equipment consoles. The level of detail in the printed/painted dials is amazing and they should look great with some clear varnish "glazing" in the bezels.

The seat harness is equally well represented, with separate buckles and straps. Only lap-belts are provided - which is correct for Navy planes of the era. The life-raft also gets a new harness, complete with buckles, and items like the throttle quadrant are completely replaced with a folded-metal version with separate levers.

The gunner's position gets some welcome attention. The machine gun was probably the weakest item in the original kit's cockpit and this is put to rights here. The clumsy details must be shaved off and new etched side-plates, handles, sights and ammunition box added, along with a sling harness and mounting ring.

The colour instructions do a good job indicating where kit parts need to be modified so, dare I say it, construction should be reasonably straightforward if you take care. There are a few boxes to fold, but this part of the set isn't as complicated as some of Eduard's cockpits. Anyway - the Accurate Miniatures kit is really aimed at experienced modellers, so anyone seeking to add even more detail is likely to be able to cope...

Landing Flaps

The flaps get the classic Eduard treatment, with delicate one-piece "fold and glue" inserts to line the wing. The folds are quite long and complex - you have to fold triangles along the length of the pieces - so a tool like an Etch-Mate or Hold & Fold could prove useful. Once the interior is boxed-in, the flap itself can be added. Again, it's one-piece, with delicate ribs that you must twist into position to glue. The instructions are pretty clear, but it's still worth taking your time to plan the assembly carefully and, as I've advised before, I'd prepare the new flaps before cutting away the kit originals, just in case...

The Engine

The kit's engine loses its rather heavy moulded-on ignition harness, which is replaced with individual etched items. I'll actually use wire to represent this, which will probably be easier to work with and more convincing than the necessarily 2-D etched parts - but the instructions offer a good reference for fitting the ignition wires, whichever route you choose. The cooling gills each get delicate folded actuators - that's 12 to make up - but the result should look great!

Bomb-load

Finally, the bombs come in for some extra detailing. There's new fins, arming propellers and retaining straps and, again, the results should be a big improvement over the original plastic parts.

Conclusion

All in all, this is an excellent set which takes an already excellent kit up to real show-piece standard. Navy fans who already love the detail in Accurate Miniatures kits should revel in the extra level of finesse here. Recommended.

Thank you to Eduard for kindly supplying the review sample.

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