Big-Ed 4883 includes four individual sets, all of which are available separately. As with the rest of the Big-Ed series the multi-pack offers modellers a worthwhile cost saving over the individual sets. The package comprises:

EX200 - Painting masks
FE195 - Placards
49376 - Interior and exterior details
48554 - Flaps

EX200 Painting masks

This is a classic example of Eduard's masks - simple, but very useful. The sheet contains 21 die-cut masks for the canopy, armoured glass bulkhead and wheels. It's the kind of set we've come to take for granted in Eduard's own kits and serves of a reminder how far they've advanced the standard of kit presentation these days.

FE195 Placards

The placards fret contains 34 pre-painted parts. The detail on the data-plates is quite extraordinary, with minute rows of "text". They are intended mostly for the cockpit, but there also several for the nosewheel bay and gear legs. The placards are designed to be used with the original Hasegawa kit parts and in a couple instances - e.g. the instrument panel and throttle - there is an overlap with what's included in set 49376.

49376 Detail set

This 2-fret set occupies the bulk of the package and is the most comprehensive. The first fret is pre-painted and contains 78 new parts. These replace the instrument panel with a superb new multi-layer version. The original kit panel is very good, but the detail on the instruments here is again amazing.

As you'd hope, there's a seat harness to fill the most obvious gap in the Hasegawa cockpit, a new throttle, gun priming handles, plus a plethora of tiny knobs and levers to dot around the office to bring it to life.

The second fret holds a further 88 parts. There's a new seat and electrical boxes to fold to shape, replacement rudder pedals and a lot of extras to add to the undercarriage legs and wheelwells.The cooling vents are replaced and the kit's bomb gets a thorough makeover with new fins and fusing propellers. The set includes several sets of cables and piping, which obviously are a bit flat for some tastes. If you don't want to use them, they serve as useful templates for cutting alternatives from soft wire.

48554 Landing flaps

Last but not least is a set of landing flaps. These always look more daunting to use than they really are - experience with several earlier Eduard sets shows that they are actually quite straightforward to fold to shape and fit - and they certainly make an eye-catching enhancement to the kit.

Conclusion

Big-Ed 4883 is a very neat package. Obviously aimed at reasonably experienced modellers, it offers significant upgrades over what is already a beautifully detailed kit. It offers a $15 saving over buying the sets it contains individually. Hmmm - the idea of an Airacobra with a superdetailed office and dropped flaps is a tempting project for those long winter evenings not so far ahead... Recommended.

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