Following their series of Interior Detail Sets for Revell's 1:32 Ju 88, Eduard have turned their attention to the exterior.

Set #32224 - $ 24.95

A single fret contains 95 perfectly etched new parts. Working around the airframe, there are new details for the tailwheel and the fuel vent under the tail. The maingear legs are dressed up with several items including brake-lines, while the wheel wells receive a makeover with new structural members. The interior of the main and tailwheel doors benefit from bracket and actuators, and detail panels attach to maingear supports. Continuing on the nacelles, there's a printed film with new engine instruments and inserts for the radiator faces.

Attention then turns to the ailerons and dive brakes, with a plethora of small parts either enhancing or replacing the hinges and actuators. Rounding everything off are a pair of antennae to fit under the fuselage. To be honest, I think these are probably too 2-dimensional to work without a bit of help in this scale (the same could also be said of the brake-cables) - if Revell's plastic versions are too bulky, the etched mounting brackets seem too slight, so I'd try to build them up with several layers of paint.

The black and white instructions occupy 2 sides of A-5 with clearly drawn diagrams. Colour coded versions are available online at Eduard's website and it's worth checking these, as they do highlight where kit parts need to be reshaped or removed better. Overall, the set shouldn't be too complicated for anyone with a bit of experience working with etched parts. There are a couple of boxes to fold, but really it's just a case of careful work removing original moulded details and adding the metal replacements, some of which are quite small and fiddly.

JX084 Canopy Masks - $ 14.95

Die-cut painting masks aren't something that often gets people partticularly excited, but they're obviously worth their weight in gold as a time-saver on a subject like the Ju 88 with its glasshouse canopy and multi-facetted nose glazing. Not surprisingly, it takes 2 full sheets of kabuki tape packed with items to cover all the panes. Masks are also included for the wheels, but it's the canopy masks that dominate with over 50 basic panels, some of which would be a real pain to do conventionally, so the set will save literally hours of work.

The simple A-5 instructions are very straightforward - it's just a matter of working steadily and ticking off each item as you go.

Conclusion

Eduard's exterior sets are a worthwhile investment for anyone tackling Revell's impressive largescale Ju 88. While some of the details will be tucked away out of sight in the wheel wells, what modeller doesn't enjoy the satisfaction of "just knowing it's in there" - and, of course, the canopy masks will be a real sanity saver, regardless of whether you intend to superdetail the kit or not.

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