Eduard Detail Sets for the Eduard A6M Zero

In late 2021, the Eduard A6M Zero hit the streets, and its reception has been very, very positive (and see our review HERE).  As is typical, the release of the kit is coordinated with the launch of a variety of detail sets for the kit.  Here, we take a look at some of their cockpit, landing gear, and wheel sets for the legendary Mitsubishi fighter.

Eduard A6M2 SPACE #3DL48050 (MSRP: $14.95) features fifteen 3D printed parts on a section of decal sheet and twenty-seven additional photoetched metal parts on a single fret.  The 3D printed parts include all the elements for the pilot’s instrument panel, side console details, and other small items.  The photoetched metal fret provides the shoulder harnesses, lap belts, trim wheel, aiming sights, and more.

The quality of 3-D printing is very good.  Buttons are represented as finely raised features, and various instrument dial faces have very finely printed details, all designed to lay down on the kit parts after they are sanded smooth.  Each glass dial face is treated with Eduard’s “glass effect” to produce just a perfectly smooth and high-gloss surface mimicking the uniform reflectivity of glass.  The SPACE line also combines these 3D parts with Eduard’s photoetched metal parts, which cover those items or details best represented by that medium.  The pre-painting of the shoulder harnesses and lap belts is particularly nice, and it captures even the finest of stitching details.  The only ding that can be considered is that the 3D printed parts possess a somewhat glossy sheen, and everything but the instrument dial faces could use an application of a flat coat to achieve the most realistic appearance for the Zero’s cockpit. 

Eduard #644128 A6M2 Löök (MSRP: $12.95) provides an alternate route to enhance the detail the 1:48 scale Eduard Zero cockpit.  Here, you get four pre-painted cast resin parts, along with six pre-painted photoetched metal parts.  The instrument panel and side console parts are drop-in replacements for the kit items, and the detail here is excellent.  Individual dial face details are discernable, and each dial face has been treated with Eduard’s clear glass effect.  The additional fret of photoetched metal parts provides the pilot’s shoulder harness and lap belts, buckles, and clasps.  The pre-painting of the belts details is exceptional, right down to reproduction of the stitching, equivalent to that seen in the above SPACE set.

Eduard Brassin #648693 A6M2 Wheels (MSRP: $9.95) contains three cast resin parts: the main wheels and the tail wheels.  The main wheels are a step above the kit parts.  They are flawlessly cast with sharp inner and outer hub details, circumferential tread, and finely represented manufacturer imprimaturs represented as slightly raised detail on the tire sidewalls.  A very useful masking set is provided for the wheel hubs.  The tailwheel and tailwheel assembly is a single cast resin part, so a little hand-painting will be needed when it comes time to paint the very small tire.

Eduard Brassin #648695 A6M2 Undercarriage Legs BRONZE (MSRP: $29.95) contains two beautifully cast bronze main landing gear designed to replace the kit parts.  Six additional cast resin parts provide the main gear well doors which attach to the outboard side of the gear struts.  The bronze casting is very high quality to result in a gorgeous set of main gear struts, while the cast resin landing gear well doors feature exquisite detail beyond what the injection molded parts in the kit can provide.  This set is a bit expensive, but you do get what you pay for, and one may assume some of the price tag reflects the cost of bronze casting.

Eduard Brassin #648698 A6M2 Seat (MSRP: $5.95) consists of a single part: just the pilot’s seat.  This is one of Eduard’s “Castless PRINT Brassin” parts.  It is fully 3-D printed, and the resolution on the printer is so fine that there are no print lines to be seen.  This seat is as smooth as a cast resin part.  It is gorgeous, and features all the perforated “lightning holes” in the seat back.  A small pre-painted photoetched fret provides the shoulder harnesses and lap belts.  For the price, one cannot beat the quality and detail, as well as the significant improvement over the kit seat.  It is very well priced for the detail it provides.

We thank Eduard for the review sample.  You can visit them on the web at http://www.eduard.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EduardCompany

 

Haagen Klaus
Scale Modeling News & Reviews Editor
Detail & Scale