Main Parts

The tan-coloured parts are beautifully moulded on 4 sprues. The fabric effect on the fuselage is very subtle. The represention of ribs on the wings and tail may be a little heavy, but should look great under a coat of paint. Alternative upper-wings, engine cowlings and fuselage top-deckings are provided.

Construction

This is not a kit to be hurried. While assembly shouldn't be difficult, this is a fairly complex model. All the control surfaces are provided separately and there are a number of small parts. My only area of concern is the fuselage to lower-wing joint. Eduard has tackled this in a way which creates a prominent seam which will need careful filling...

Details

Interior detail is exceptional for this scale, and there's no need to wait for a Profi-Pack version... Eduard has included a pre-painted etched harness as standard. Decal instrument faces are provided and a novel feature is a decal to represent the wicker-work effect on the pilot's seat - only a full-build will show how successful this is...

Painting and Markings

The painting guide is printed in colour. and, although it shows a lot of "dithering", the result is quite handy. Decals are printed perfectly in register (in my example) and provide markings for 3 aircraft, including that flown by Capt. Roy Brown. The wing roundels are ready-sliced to match the separate ailerons - a thoughtful feature, which should avoid any accidents with a scalpel. As usual in their new releases, Eduard have included a sheet of Express Masks.

Conclusion

Overall, this is an exceptional model... arguably the best WW1 kit yet produced in 1/48 scale. It can only help confirm Eduard's place in the "big league" of kit-manufacturers.