Hasegawa's 1/72 scale Mitsubishi MU-2S doesn't always get a much coverage, but Platz have given fans of Japanese post war aircraft a great excuse to give the kit a fresh look with the release of high quality etched details and decals for JASDF 50th Anniversary colour schemes.

Set #M-72016 Etched Details - r.r.p. 1,470 Yen

The fret of pre-painted parts is the fruit of the continuing alliance between Platz and Eduard. The 60 parts provide extra detail for both the interior and exterior of the kit and the etching and painted detail are excellent.

The cockpit benefits from delicate seat harnesses and the 2-layer main instrument panel, plus throttles is stunning. A clever idea is the painted cross-hatching to represent the soundproofing on new sidewalls and roof panels - far finer than anyone could reasonably hope to paint, and it should look suitably convincing in this scale. Turning to the exterior, there's added detail for the engine nacelles, nose radar and wheel-wells, plus windscreen wipers, wheel hubs and aerials.

The instructions are clearly drawn in typical Eduard-style, but have Japanese-only captioning. This is no problem, because the assembly is pretty self-explanatory and the diagrams are printed in colour to highlight where kit parts need modification. This isn't an overly complex set and should be suitable for most modellers with a little experience.

Set #JD-35 JASDF Air Rescue Wing Decals - r.r.p. 2,310 Yen

Along with many Japanese aircraft, the MU-2S flew in spectacular markings for the JASDF's 50th Anniversary celebrations. Platz have released a set of decals custom-printed by Cartograph featuring 3 schemes:

1. MU-2S, 23-3226, Air Rescue Wing, Komatsu AB Rsq, JASDF 50th Anniversary

2. MU-2S, 63-3228, Air Rescue Wing, Hamamatsu AB Rsq, Air Rescue Wing 50th Anniversary

3. MU-2S, 13-3209, Air Rescue Wing, Hamamatsu AB Rsq

The quality of the decals is excellent, with the thin glossy items printed perfectly in register. As with previous Platz sheets, the design is rather novel with the tiny stencil markings combined, along with the main markings, onto larger patches of crystal clear carrier film as one item. Obviously, you'll need to apply the decals onto a gloss base-coat to avoid silvering, but this approach means all the stencils are ready lined-up and will save a huge amount of time. As well as comprehensive stencilling, the sheet includes metallic propeller faces and window surrounds.

The instructions are printed on a single sheet of A-5, with colour profiles and B&W plan views. The notes are bilingual Japanese/English and include colour matches for Gunze Sangyo and ModelMaster paints.

Conclusion

Platz's etched aftermarket set for the MU-2S will enhance the standard kit considerably, and with the very attractive Anniversary colour schemes the finished model will be a guaranteed eye-catcher on any shelf. Recommended.

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