Tail End Charlie

So, What New Things Await Us In 2026?

Text: Jakub Nademlejnský 

January is traditionally the month when Eduard reveals in detail the plans for the next twelve months. That is, mainly for the first half of the year. The second half is traditionally sprinkled with too many variables dictated by the amount of time between now and then. That makes it hard to implement any plans with certainty. We always have a general idea of what we might be able to accomplish, but you know how things are going in the world lately. Today, you never know when some leader of a great power will decide to start a war with a foreign country and change the course of the world, which, to no one’s surprise will carry smothering consequences for a small country, even one as capable as the Czech Republic.

Although you will already be familiar with the main points from Vladimir Sulc's editorial for this newsletter, I would still like to elaborate in more depth on a few key ones that I have something to say about, since I am part of the team that works on these innovative projects.

Alien

 Alien is clearly our most complex decal project to date, barre none. You have certainly heard a lot about it, and if you haven't heard enough about it, I recommend you listen to the Eduard podcast with Zdenek Nozicka. But I would like to write about something else here that is not talked about much with respect to this project, and that is the riveted decals. I think this will be the first time that someone has done something like this. The idea is that the individual decal segments in the Alien kit will be riveted directly using the same technology as we used to produce rivets as a separate product for the Mi-24V. The set was very popular at the time, it was very successful, and over the years I have seen several built Hinds with these rivets on the Internet and at model exhibitions. And I have to admit that they really suit this helicopter. They are a prominent feature of the real thing. The procedure for producing such decals is as follows. First, the decal itself is printed on decal paper. This is then varnished with a full-surface varnish. After the varnish dries, raised rivets are printed onto the decal using our UV printers and the topcoat underneath serves as the carrier. So do not remove this varnish from the model under any circumstances if you want the rivets on the model to last. The test prints look great and I am very much looking forward to feedback from modelers. If such a concept is accepted, as I expect it will (looking at it strictly as a modeler), it opens up new possibilities for us in the field of model design and what can be practically offered to the modeler.

Events

 I would like to continue by touching on exhibitions, where we have two new events worth mentioning. This year, for the first time, we are adding the Glue & Glory event to our events calendar, which is taking place in Deredingen, Switzerland. We will be presenting new products on site, and we plan to organize seminars there, so if you are traveling inn the vicinity, definitely stop by. Regarding E-day, I would like to add that in addition to the fact that it will be a multi day affair and in the summer, we will also expand our scope throughout the area and occupy practically most of the Zahrada Čech working area. This will mean two additional halls, more space for people to move around or room for refreshment stands, etc. We are also planning other new events for E-day, and we will keep you informed about all of them. It’s seriously shaping up to be a good one. Stay tuned….

3D Prints

 Since we introduced 3D printing as a direct and practical manufacturing aid in 2021, this year we are celebrating the 5th anniversary of its use. I think it has been a great five years, full of dynamic development. Today, we only have one of the machines on which we started production. The others have been replaced with much more modern machines, the production capacity has also been increased and, given the boom offered by the Hybrid concept used in kits being developed here, it will be dramatically increased this year. At the same time, we will continue to modernize this year and keep up with and implement the latest printer technology. Phrozen, whose printers we use for printing our new Hybrids, is already supplying distributors with the latest 16K resolution printers and we will definitely include them in our 3D printer arsenal.

I will also talk about these and other bits of news at the modeling get together in Prostějov, which will take place this Saturday, January 10th, on the premises of the sports stadium there. I cordially invite you all to this event. I wish you all a happy and successful 2026!

The very first Brassin set produced in 2021 by direct 3D print.