Editorial

Welcome to the April edition of the Eduard Newsletter and this, its editorial. Today, as always, it will be about current news, but first I will give you some tidbits about the coming months.

Among kit releases, another MiG-21 in 1:72 scale will be making its debut in April, the MiG-21R reconnaissance version. We are releasing it in the Profipack line first. We had a surprisingly hard time making the molds for this kit, and in mid-March it looked like we would have to postpone the release of the recce bird by a month. In the end, we managed to tame the beast, complete the molds, and release the kit on schedule. I must admit that I was relieved. Not only because postponing the release of an announced new item is unpleasant and a bit of an embarrassment, but also because such a delay is not an isolated event. It holds up machines and people and causes further delays in subsequent projects. Projects are produced serially, one after the other, so if one project is delayed, the path of the next one is blocked. It's like a traffic jam on the road. It occurs quickly, is removed slowly, and usually results in further accidents and other frustrations. Which is, as we know, annoying and generally just plain unpopular. After the MiG-21R, it was the turn of the P-40K in 1:48, a May release. And not just any ol’ release, but a Royal Class, and you can certainly understand that its delay would cause great annoyance. Fortunately, we managed the situation, we released the MiG as planned, and yesterday we also finished the mold for the P-40K, which in the meantime also needed one minor adjustment. Today we tried this mold for the first time in the injection molding machine and next week we will start packaging.

Another project is already in the machines, the P-51B Mustang in 1:32nd scale. We already have one mold ready for it, we have to make four molds in total and we have about two months to do them. One of them, for the wing, is already in a high stage of development and we can expect that we will have a test shot sometime in the middle of the month. Thus, those who come to Mošon at the end of April will be able to see it with their on eyes. The Mustang is an important project, it will be the first kit of the Hybrid series in 1:32nd scale. At the same time, it is not a particularly simple project, it is in 1:32 scale and it is large, both in terms of plastic parts and molds for them, and in terms of printed parts as well. These are also large, very detailed and will be extremely demanding on our production capacity. In all aspects, completing this project will be a very adventurous affair. Among other things to consider, we have to create new types of boxes to safely store the 3D prints in within the main package. We are also building a new 3D printer farm for it, which we have finished, but we currently do not have the printers for it. They have become a bit of a scarce commodity, but according to the latest news from the supplier, they have already arrived at customs in Bulgaria, so they are not that far from us. The 32nd scale Mustang is a July release and will have its premiere at E-Day in Litoměřice at the end of June.

Of course, delays can occur for many reasons, and we are not the only ones who have problems with this phenomenon. If the delay affects a cooperating company, such as Kinetic, then it also has an impact on us and the final slippage can amount to several months. We have already postponed the release of the F-18C Hornet 1:48 in the Limited Edition line several times. This release is based around Kinetic’s plastic, and the good news is that last week they were already in the truck and traveling to the airport. They are in China for now, but the chance that they will be in the Czech Republic during April is quite high. However, it’s not a sure thing. The new war in the Middle East makes us a bit nervous, and problems with fuel prices and the lack of granuals for molding have hit China and practically all of Asia before us here in Europe.

That the war in Iran makes us a little nervous is an understatement. In fact, it makes us a lot nervous, and I probably don't even need to go into the reasons. It looks like we have another difficult period ahead of us, when many things will be unavailable or expensive or will have long delivery times. The fact that there is a threat of a shortage of helium leaves us relatively calm, but that plastic granuals for molding is in danger of being scarce, unfortunately, is a raw reality. Even if the Hornets are here, until we have them in stock, there is reason to be nervous. On the other hand, there is also good news. For example, we will probably receive the 1:48th scale Catalina plastic in April, even though it is only a July release. That is not all good news though, since this plastic will unnecessarily occupy warehouse real estate, but as I say, times are nervous and what is at home counts.

The Gunze paints and accessories are already here. This large delivery arrived yesterday, and the Gunze products are back in stock. We will try to order another shipment in April, because GSi is moving its shipping warehouse to the Netherlands and the shipping will be out of service for several weeks. The preparation of two more book projects, the Limited Edition Battle of Britain Spitfire Mk.I in 1:48, and the MiG-21R in 1:72nd, are also going well and without major problems thus far. The Spitfire is a June release, the MiG-21R, July. Both are Limited Editions and both will be on sale at E-Day in Litoměřice in June. Some longer-running projects in the Brassin series are also approaching implementation, such as the wheel wells for the F-16 in 1:48, which will be released including the landing gear legs, and the weapon bay for the F-35 in 1:48th. It's huge and production is sure to be slow, it's not only big, but it's also heavy. Only one well fits on the standard printing platform area, and its test print took 22 hours and 45 minutes to make. Unless we come up with something to speed up production, production will be slow. Hellishly slow. But it's a nice item, no doubt about that.

As for current April news, in addition to the already mentioned 1:72 MiG-21R, today we present to you a 48th scale kit from the Limited Edition Mighty Eighth: 65th Fighter Wing series, dedicated to the P-51D Mustangs serving in four fighter groups of the 8th USAAF Air Force, grouped into the 65th Fighter Wing. The kit includes a total of thirteen paint schemes for the Mustangs of the 4th FG, 355th FG, 361st FG, and 379th FG. Among them are well-known and lesser-known aircraft and pilot names, among the very famous ones we can mention are Hubert Zemke and Claiborne Kinnard. This kit contains one set of plastic and follows on from the successful Mighty Eighth: 66th Fighter Wing (11174), released three years ago in July of 2023. The third April release among kits is the 1:48th scale P-40N in the Weekend series, completing the P-40N release in all our editions. As a reissue, we are releasing the MiG-21MF as a Profipack kit in 1:48, which is, by the way, the most successful MiG-21 kit in our store.

Turning our attention to aftermarket accessories, I would like to draw your attention to the photo-etched sets for the MC.200 Saeta in 1:32 by Italeri and for the 1:48 F-16I SUFA by Great Wall Hobby, as well as the Brassin cockpit and ladder for the MiG-21F, designed for our 1:48th scale kit. Of course, you can find many more interesting accessory sets in our current offer, for example, smaller Brassin sets for the 1:24 Airfix Bf 109G-5 and for the Hurricane Mk.I in 1:48 by Arma Hobby, among many others. In addition to the new products, we are once again introducing reissues of several photo-etched sets issued in time-limited and quantity-limited series.

As was the case in March, we will again be taking part in several events in April. Spring is simply the exhibition season, so the day after tomorrow we will be in Prostějov, and at the end of April we will go to Mošon in Hungary. We are also continuing with the preparations for E-Day. The parameters of the Saturday party and its accompanying program have been clarified, where we are still waiting for the confirmation of the band. We also have the framework of the main program of discussions, workshops and interviews in the café. The moderators have confirmed their participation, including Jindra Štěrbáček, who will moderate the Pot Q and A session. And because we expect warm summer weather, we have also ordered an ice cream stand!

Happy Modelling!

Vladimir Sulc