Bf109 E Engine set

Eduard's 1:32 scale Bf 109 DB 601 A/N engine set comes in a different package than the first products released under the same label. This is not surprising since it is probably the most ambitious product of the Brassin line to date, so a brand new boxing was needed. Of course, practical reasons played a role as well since this reference is composed of much bigger resin pieces than before. For sure stashing them inside the usual plastic blister would have been a nightmare. This reference is destined to the new Eduard series of kits:

- Bf 109 E-1 (kit n°3001 - review HERE. )

- Bf 109 E-3 (n°3002 - review HERE. )

- Bf 109 E-4 (n°3003 - review HERE. )

- Bf 109 E-4 Weekend (n°3403 - review HERE. )

- Bf 109 E-7 Trop. (n°3004 - review HERE. )


Inside the cardboard box there are several resin parts (almost 40), two photo etched frets and the instructions. Well, for the latter I believe they are included. I have received an earlier sample box in which they weren't present so I had to download them from the Eduard website. The content is protected by two pieces of foam and the resin pieces are bagged separately to prevent them from damage.

The quality of the castings is really excellent. Eduard have produced some great resin parts here and despite having scrutinized every recess, I haven't found any air bubble or moulding flaw.

Unless the similar set from CMK (see review here), this time the resin parts are 100% original and have been produced by Eduard with the same computerized technologies than the parts of their plastic kits. This means that computer driven milling machines where used to produce the masters and only the resin pouring technique can be qualified as semi-artisanal. The end result are pieces that are unrivaled in term of crispness and surface finish. It's simple, once the pouring blocs are removed, nothing differentiates a resin part from a plastic part… apart from it's much greater level of detail of course.

One would have thought that the resin part alone would have sufficed to produce a representative replica of the Daimler Benz engine, but not Eduard. For good measure they have included photo etched parts. This is the plus of their Brassin range since it adds an even greater level of detail. The result of the combination of resin and metal parts is simply amazing here. Apart from some wires (none are included as PE parts), there is really not much to add.

A bonus is included in the kit: a resin maintenance satchel with various tool and some more in metal on a second PE sheet. A nice touch for sure. Too bad though that no decals are present to reproduce the serial number of the engine like in the CMK set.

The construction notice is quite easy to understand and the only difficulty I can envisage during the build is the removing of the casting blocks which are quite heavy on some parts. I don't know if it will be possible to put the cowling over the engine on the finished model, like on Tamiya's Spitfire Mk.IX kit, but the Eduard part is very fine so it might be possible. The engine cowling has a very nice finish on the interior and some subtle lines of rivets on the exterior. The later are in relief and though looking very convincing, they don't match the finish of the plastic parts of Eduard's model on which the rivets are engraved. How much this will affect the appearance of the finished model has to be determined.

Conclusion

Eduard have produced a high quality DB 601 for their own kit with this Brassin reference. If you want to display your model with the engine cowling removed and if you are not put off by the price, this is probably the best option on the market. Highly recommended!

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