Eduard Ki-44 Shoki Interior Self-Adhesive

Included in this set are pre-colored photo-etched parts to enhance the following parts of the new Hasegawa kit:
- Machine gun receiver covers
- Seat and seat belts
- Throttle and mixture control levers and quadrants
- Rudder pedals (with straps)
- Head rest
- Cockpit access doors
- Canopy frame pull handles
- Seat frame detail
- Cockpit floor ribs
- Control stick detail
- Instrument panels and gauges
- Gun sight ring
- Trim control cables

Usually found lurking on the Armorama website with the rest of the tread-heads, I am new to the world of 1/32nd scale aircraft. A new-comer to these pre-painted PE sets from Eduard, I’m hooked; hooked on the exquisite detail possible in this new technology, and the ease of build of self-adhesive construction. After seeing the texture and stitching on the Eduard belts, the raised detail of the individual switches, and the increments finely depicted within the colored gauges, one will never be content with kit-supplied detail again.

Though my first Hasegawa kit, the new KI-44 Shoki (Tojo), has adequate interior detail, the Eduard metal parts elevate the detail to a new level. Some modifications to the stock kit are necessary: sanding-off the gauge face detail and sawing-through the fuselage sides to remove the moulded-on cockpit door detail. Applying the self-adhesive, metal parts are almost as easy as applying decals. After being removed from the frets, parts can be slid from its backing paper to its location, and easily re-positioned, as needed.

The seat and a few other details are still constructed in the conventional manner, with CA cement, or “super glue. ” Great care must be used if using CA cement near these parts: attempts to remove any unwanted excess cement will remove the fragile color printing. The seat belts, with their superb stitching detail, are easily installed and will be the highlight of the finished interior. Happily, unlike other Eduard interior sets, these belts are one-piece and don’t need to be threaded through tiny buckles.

I am fairly experienced in working with photo-etched detail sets, but these pre-colored additions from Eduard are new to me. Although I initially planned a quick, in-box review, after marveling at the detail this new technology affords, I just had to build the kit. No special tools were needed. I don’t own a fancy bending machine (still!), so I make do with my blunt duck-bill tweezers and an old paintbrush with a mushroomed, wooden handle.

Conclusion

This set transforms an already good kit into a show-winner. Less-expensive than the full interior detail set, it provides all the most important parts for a stunning model.

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