Having taken a look at some simple additions suitable for average modellers who want to improve the Wimpy, now it's time to go to the other extreme. The sets covered here are really aimed at very experienced modellers - but the results should be quite amazing for anyone with the patience and skill to stay the course.

Set #48552 - Bomb Tails - $19.95

Starting with the "simplest" of the sets first, Eduard have released a single fret to replace the overscale fins and vanes of Trumpeter's bomb load, along with extra details like fuses and shackles.

A single fret doesn't sound too daunting - until you realise that it contains literally 100s of separate items and that every bomb's tail is constructed from 5 new parts and the fins must be set at precisely 90° to accept the rolled cylinder of the tail itself.

The double-sided A5 sheet of instructions is very clear - colour coded to show how each kit bomb must be modified, so it's really a question of a lot of identical small precision jobs. This is probably something best tackled over a few sessions on a "production line" basis to avoid kit-builder's "battle fatigue" setting in.

Set #48550 - Bomb Bay - $54.95

What good are detailed bombs without somewhere equally impressive to stow them? Eduard have really gone to town here, with 3 frets, plus a sheet of film windows. 8 pages of A-4 instructions break everything down into manageable stages, but I'd still recommend reading them several times to form a clear mental picture of the assembly before even thinking of touching the etched parts.

This is a highly complex upgrade set. Basically, the Eduard set replaces everything except the bomb-bay roof and each of the main load-bearing frames consists of over 60 parts, folded to form a girder-structure, with more to add between them. As well as the interior, the bomb-bay doors are supplied - that's another 30 parts - so it's clearly appropriate to coin that over-used phrase - "This is a kit within a kit".

The parts are superbly detailed and will remain very delicate until they are folded into shape to give them some rigidity. With so many parts requiring precise bending, this is definitely a case where a purpose-made folding tool will prove invaluable.

Conclusion

Trumpeter's Wellington already has a nicely detailed bomb-bay, but Eduard's etched parts manage to make the plastic originals look positively clumsy by comparison. The two sets together arent cheap but, for anyone with the skill to use them to their fullest advantage, the results should be amazing. This is really a case where etched metal is the only medium that that can reproduce this sorty of detail in scale. I can already foresee a lot of Wimpy's posed on mirror bases to show off their super-detailed bomb-bays and weapons loads. Highly recommended to experienced modellers.

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