EDUARD – NEWS IN JULY 2008 July 1st, 2008 The first half of the year is over, and I’m happy we were able to finish off with a kit of the caliber of the Bf 110 Royal Class. We were extremely active during the last six months, and we are going to continue in this fashion over the remainder of the year. The validity of this applies not only to kits, but the photoetched line as well. Since last autumn, we have worked very hard to improve our photo-etch style, and also to improve our release schedule to bring more interesting and exciting news. I hazard to guess that we have been successful in this effort; it is not easy to find any lame items in our July list! Actually, it is what we have been doing for some 18 years, and we have paid dearly for our pursuit of the standard of quality that we have been able to achieve. There are easier ways to achieve a high standard, such as copying. Last month, we received a Chinese photoetch set for the Wyvern. After a detailed analysis, we found that among some twenty parts, only one is different from parts contained in our own set, and only four parts are altered to a small extent, mostly because the scans of our parts were not read properly. All other parts are absolutely, even amazingly, exact copies of ours. Even the number of rivets are consistent! Simply amazing! Yes, it is not identical….the brass is in its natural color, and the part placement within the fret has been changed. It is a really nice example of Chinese style creativity.

KITS IN JULY

In July, as promised, we continue with our quarter scale Hellcats. The edition slated for release this time around is the British Hellcat Mk.I/Mk.II. This is a Dual Combo kit, with a nice selection of Royal Navy Hellcats in different forms. There are two kits, obviously, with parts for the Hellcat Mk.I (F6F-3) and the Hellcat Mk.II (F6F-5). The marking options encompass six aircraft, with the decals being printed by Cartograph to their usual high standard. There are four sheets of photo-etch, two for each version.

Two WEEKEND edition kits are being released together with the Hellcat. The Fokker D.VII F offers the only known marking without the lozenge surface. It could look flat, with the overall white, but it isn’t. The pilot generated a high level of controversy in the years after WW I, as the second ranking man of the Nazi regime. Yes, the pilot was Herman Göring. Which is not the reason why we selected this marking, but rather the lack of the lozenge scheme, keeping the price of the kit down, consistent with the Weekend Edition concept.

Another WEEKEND kit, the Yak 3, offers very colorful markings of the proud victor over Göring’s Luftwaffe. A good balance around ideological lines, but not really a factor in our selection procedure! History, yes, but not ideology.

AUGUST KITS

There has already been some very comprehensive information regarding the August kit releases presented, but its been said that repetition is the mother of wisdom, so, for August, we have two important releases. The first one will be the Fokker Dr.I, in a standard orange boxing. This kit will offer six marking options for two complete kits contained in the Dual Combo set.

August will also see another new 1/48th scale Fw 190 kit. We are on final approach to finishing the Fw 190F-8. Here, you can expect another, slightly refined Focke-Wulf. We added two large frames with new wings and a rich assortment of stores. These include various bombs, weapon containers, rockets such as Panzerschreck and Panzerblitz, and fuel tanks. So, this is another new variation on the Fw 190 theme.

The third August kit will be the Sopwith Camel in the WEEKEND edition. All these kits will be introduced at the IPMS Nationals in Virginia Beach in early August.

JULY PHOTOETCH

There are some really important photo-etched sets in the July list, such as three sets for the M-3 Grand in 1/35th scale (Academy). I’m personally happy we were able to quickly release the three sets for the brand new 1/48th scale Saab J-35 Draken by Hasegawa.

36032+36034+36035 M-3 Grant PE details

48597+48598+49417+FE417 J-35 Draken PE details

The set for the Ki-45 from the same manufacturer and the same scale took more time, but it is surely good to see it on the list! In 1/72nd scale, we have three sets for the new Lancaster (Revell) and the set covering German WW I seatbelts, which rounds out our approach for the completion of various seatbelts in all scales. This is also the reason why we added the 1/32nd scale French WW I seatbelts. There are another six sets in 1/32nd scale, actually split among two kits, the P-47D and F6F-5 Hellcat, both made by Trumpeter.

49415+FE415 Ki-45 Kai Toryu s.adh.

72478+72479 Lancaster Mk.I/Mk.II exterior & bomb bay

73305 Lancaster Mk.I/Mk.II interior

32195 P-47D-20 Thunderbolt exterior

Ship fans could find another set of colored naval figures, this month the Kriegsmarine sailors in 1/350th scale. In the future, we will continue with these figure sets, which certainly make the ship models come alive. These figure sets are one of the examples of how we have strived to improve our sets. To eliminate the platitude of the figures, we are introducing the bend style for the figures, providing a very good 3D effect seen on the built-up figures. That’s all for now. I wish you all a pleasant summer. Yes, I know, summer is also associated with hurricanes and other catastrophes, but it is also commonly understood to be the vacation season. So, have a nice vacation! I’ll be in the Alps over the next two weeks in preparation for Virginia Beach together with our Eduard exhibition team in early August. Besides August’s news, we will show you also some future projects, such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109E in 1/32nd scale and the SPAD XIII in our favorite quarter scale. Happy modeling! Vladimir Sulc

JULY 2008 RELEASES / Available July 1st, 2008

US RETAIL / PRICES IN US $

PLASTIC KITS 8223 Hellcat Mk.II DUAL COMBO $49,95 8456 Yak-3 Weekend $19,95 8482 Fokker D.VII F Herman Göring Weekend $19,95 PHOTOETCH 1/350 SHIPS 17511 Naval Figures German WWII 1/350 $14,95 1/35 AFV 36032 M-3 Grant fenders Academy $12,95 36034 M-3 Grant exterior Academy $24,95 36035 M-3 Grant interior Academy $34,95 1/32 AIRCRAFT 32187 F6F-5 Hellcat exterior Trumpeter $29,95 32188 F6F-5 Hellcat engine Trumpeter $19,95 32189 F6F-5 Hellcat undercarriage Trumpeter $34,95 32195 P-47D-20 Thunderbolt exterior Trumpeter $29,95 1/32 AIRCRAFT COLOR 32608 F6F-5/F6F5-N Hellcat interior SA Trumpeter $29,95 32613 P-47D-20 Thunderbolt interior SA Trumpeter $29,95 32620 Seatbelts France WWI $12,95 1/48 AIRCRAFT 48597 J-35 Draken exterior Hasegawa $29,95 48598 J-35 Draken ladder Hasegawa $12,95

1/48 AIRCRAFT COLOR 49415 Ki-45 Kai Toryu SA Hasegawa $29,95 49417 J-35 Draken SA Hasegawa $24,95 1/72 AIRCRAFT 72478 Lancaster Mk.I/Mk.II bomb bay Revell $29,95 72479 Lancaster Mk.I/Mk.II exterior Revell $29,95 1/72 AIRCRAFT COLOR 73017 Seatbelts German WWI $10,95 73305 Lancaster Mk.I/Mk.II interior SA Revell $29,95 ZOOM 1/48 AIRCRAFT COLOR FE402 Fokker D.VII Weekend Eduard $10,95 FE415 Ki-45 Kai Toryu s.adh. Hasegawa $10,95 FE417 J-35 Draken s.adh Hasegawa $10,95 MASK 1/72 AIRCRAFT CX215 Petlyakov Pe-8 1/72 Zvezda $10,95 CX218 AH-64D Apache 1/72 Hobby Boss $6,95 CX219 CH-47A Chinook 1/72 Italeri $7,95 1/48 AIRCRAFT EX253 Sea Fury FB.II 1/48 Trumpeter $7,95 BIG-ED – VARIOUS SCALES BIG3265 SBD-5 DAUNTLESS TRUMPETER $74,95 BIG4895 Fi 156C TAMIYA $44,95 BIG5303 USS CV-14 TICONDEROGA 1/350 TRUMPETER $69,95 AVIPRINT DECALS AV48018 Ki 45 part II 1/48 $16,95 AV48019 Bf 110 1/48 $16,95