Platz have released an impressive pair of aftermarket sets to add new life to Italeri's MH-53E Sea Dragon, offering new decals and etched details.

JD-36 JMSDF MH-53E Sea Dragon decals

Price: 2,520JPY

Custom printed by Cartograph, this sheet provides markings for a pair JMSDF Sea Dragons - s/n 8629 and 8631. The overall scheme for both is the same, with White topsides and Lt Gull Gray undersides.

The printing is superb, as we've come to expect from Cartograph, with precise registration on the thin, glossy items. The design follows Platz's distinctive style so, rather than present the modeller with masses of individual stencils, they are grouped together where possible onto patches of crystal clear carrier film. Due to the nature of the MH-53 though, there are still plenty of separate stencil markings to place, so you can look forward to some satisfying decalling sessions.

Highlight of the sheet has to be the distinctive traditional artwork for a/c #31, and the sheet also includes window surrounds, instrument panels and a grills. An interesting feature is that the non-slip surfaces are depicted in a slightly speckled dark grey - something I haven't seen before, and which could look very effective.

A 2-sided bi-lingual Japanese/English instruction card is provided. Gunze Sangyo and ModelMaster paint matches are given, and FS references are included for each colour.

M-72 MH-53E Etched details

Price: 1,470JPY

As with all the Platz etched sets I've seen, this is produced by Eduard, so the quality is assured. The small fret contains 75 new items to superdetail the interior of the Sea Dragon.

Many of the parts are pre-painted and the detail of this is quite exceptional. It shows just how fine the resolution of Eduard's printing is, that the instrument panels here are far superior to even Cartograph's work on the decals described above. Interestingly, Eduard have opted for a very dark grey for the panels to allow the instrument faces themselves to stand out in black.

The detail throughout is extensive: in the cockpit the seats get pre-painted harnesses, plus side armour, there are new consoles and throttles with individual levers, replacement rudder pedals. Meanwhile, in the rear compartment, there are more consoles and data plates. The fret includes a few small boxes to fold to shape, but this isn't an overly complicated etched set, so anyone with a little experience should have few problems.

The instructions are classic Eduard, with clear illustrations, and self-explanatory despite the Japanese-only general guide. Platz continue to use full colour-shaded versions of Eduard's sheets, which I think is worthwhile as it does make absolutely clear where new parts fit and old ones must be modified or removed.

Conclusion

If you're looking to build a JMSDF Sea Dragon, Platz gave everything you need to pack it with interior detail and finish it in a choice of attractive colour schemes. Recommended.

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