Editorial

Dear friends,

We launched the new August arrivals on our webstore on Friday, 31 July. As usual, we announced the launch on Facebook and Instagram. As usual, we received a barrage of hate comments on these platforms, asking why we keep releasing the same things over and over again.

I really do love this favorite reaction to practically every new release we announce, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. In case you haven't read or heard anything similar before, it goes something like this: "How about doing something new? Why yet another P-40?" The question changes slightly depending on the release. For example, when we released the P-40K, people asked, "When's the P-40F coming?", only for the same objection to be raised when the P-40F was announced: "Why not do something new? Why another P-40?" followed by "And when's the P-40B coming?" There are countless variations on this theme. My favourite is: "A 1/48 P-40B? Where's the 1/72 Su-7?" I'd love to kill for that one, and I'd enjoy committing the murder so much that not even Quentin Tarantino would be ashamed of it.

I understand that our release schedule may initially give the impression that we are constantly releasing the same types of aircraft kits. However, if someone takes a closer look, they’ll realise that the kits actually differ from one another, even if they are of the same type of aircraft. For example, the Bf 109 F-4 and the Bf 109 K-4 are not the same aircraft. While they may sound similar — both aircraft were manufactured by Messerschmitt and are based on the same design — they are not identical. There was a time when it didn’t matter. In the 1970s, for example, nobody bothered with the difference between the P-40E and the P-40K, or the Bf 109 F-4 and the Bf 109 G-2. In fact, the difference between the F-4 and the K-4 was even discussed back then – even if the differences would have been obvious to everyone. Today, we live in a different era. We have almost unlimited access to information, and this shapes what we do. It’s no longer enough to produce two basic kits of the main variants of a given type – the P-40E and P-40N, for example – and keep re-releasing them in the same two boxes. This isn’t feasible for two reasons. One is the aforementioned level of knowledge in society and the ability to share it. This gives rise to customers’ expectations of manufacturers. As customers are now familiar with these variants, they expect us to provide them. The days when modellers either ignored the differences between variants or resolved them themselves are long gone. Today, perfection and thorough resolution of variant differences are required of kit manufacturers. Of course, not every manufacturer complies with their customers' wishes. Many do not, for various reasons. Some have been releasing a single box for 50 years and believe that this is the right way to do things. Others are reluctant because it involves a lot of work, with no guarantee that all versions will sell. However, we believe that our customers are serious about this and genuinely want the different versions of these famous aircraft types. Our sales figures prove this belief to be correct. So, when we release the P-40K, it’s a valid question if someone asks us when the P-40F will be released. I don’t yet know exactly when we’ll release the P-40F, but we’re tentatively planning for the second half of next year. We will release it because that’s how we work: we release entire development series of aircraft. These are often extensive: the Spitfire and Bf 109 families comprise dozens of versions of these aircraft, so it’s a project that takes years. It’s important to accept that this approach is geared towards customers who are building comprehensive development series and are therefore on the same wavelength as us.

I understand that there is another group of modellers who have different objectives. To them, it may seem as though we are constantly releasing the same thing. However, I’m sure you’ll understand that we have to choose one approach over the other. We cannot cater to both schools of thought. Therefore, I would ask the representatives of the opposing group to be tolerant and to have a sense of perspective. If you don't want the Spitfire Mk.XIV to be Eduard's twenty-fifth Spitfire, simply ignore it and leave it to those who do. I would also ask those who do want it to be patient. I realise that it’s been 13 years since Eduard released its first Spitfire, and this one won't be released until sometime next year. But it really can’t be done any faster. Firstly, we are not physically or technically capable of doing so, and secondly, even if we were, releasing all the Spitfire variants within three or four years would make it monotonous and wouldn't hold the interest of even the most die-hard Spitfire enthusiast.

Nevertheless, in the first eight months of this year, we have released model kits of thirteen different aircraft types in 1/48 scale, six in 1/72 scale, one in 1/32 scale and one in 1/144 scale across various product lines. I count several versions of the Bf 109 as a single type. If anyone finds this formulaic, I would be grateful if they could explain why. As for our August range, the 1/72 scale Bf 109 F-4 is the only kit of this type that we sell — we do not stock any others. Similarly, the other new release, the P-40K, is the only P-40K kit available from us. You won't find any alternatives in shops either. Put simply, no other manufacturer in the world produces or offers any other 1/48 scale P-40K kit. The 1/32 scale P-51B kit is the only kit of this type in our range and is being released for the first time. It really is a brand-new product – we’ve never released anything like it before.

The second reaction, mentioned in the introduction, "P-40B 1/48? And where’s the Su-7, 1/72?", highlights a slightly different issue. It’s quite logical that modellers would want aircraft kits that they like, and which are either missing from the market, or whose kits are really old and have long since been surpassed both technically and in term of design.

It makes sense that modellers would want these. However, from our perspective, some of these requests are, at first glance, somewhat uneconomical, whilst others are downright crazy. For example, in response to the August release of the Wilde Sau Episode 3, one modeller asked why, instead of more Focke-Wulfs, we didn’t produce twin-engine Bf 109s. He was probably referring to the Bf 109 Z. There are, of course, brave companies that will fulfil such requests for model-makers. We, however, are generally not among them. I, for one, would never dare to make moulds for the Walrus in 1/48 scale. I’d be willing to buy 3,000 sets of moulded parts from someone who dared to make the moulds, and I’m sure we’d sell them. In fact, I reckon we’d even sell 5,000 of them. But making the moulds for that is in a different league altogether, and I wouldn’t dare attempt it. I’d be afraid we wouldn’t survive such a bold move. You know what they say: the graveyards are full of heroes.

The second reason is technological. We have achieved a high standard in the production of our kits. We simply cannot compromise on the quality of our work. However, we can re-release something old from our catalogue that doesn’t meet today’s standards as a reissue or in the Heavy Retro range, and that’s fine. Our customers will understand that, at least those who follow us. However, if something like that falls into the hands of someone who doesn’t follow us and isn’t aware of our practices, it could be disastrous. We’re left with a disappointed customer who bought the aeroplane kit they wanted, saw that it was published by Eduard – a reputable company – but were disappointed when they opened the box. We also lose a potential customer. The same applies to the cover art. When we announced the Catalina, the initial reactions weren’t particularly positive. These modellers didn’t consider that there hasn't been a 1/48-scale Catalina kit available for years, and that you can only buy one on eBay for a considerable amount of money. They simply asked why we were releasing an old, broken-up kit instead of making a new one to our standard.

That’s the crux of the matter. Our standard is expensive, and we cannot compromise on it. Therefore, we must consider very carefully which projects to invest in, in order to ensure a return on investment. Neither the Walrus nor the Catalina qualify as such projects. You might say, "What nonsense is this?" You might object: "But you’ve just released a Catalina kit – a re-release of a 20-year-old kit – and sold all of it in no time. The Catalina didn’t even stay on your online shop for a week. So why wouldn't you sell your own Catalina, which would surely be much nicer?" The answer lies in the model's sales potential. We sold 3,300 of those repackaged Catalinas and they really did sell quickly. We could easily have sold more – perhaps even 5,000 or 8,000 units. We could release an older version of the Catalina – the PBY-5, which has no landing gear – and we probably will. That could add another 3,000 units to the total. Another option would be to release a super-limited edition Catalina that spotted the Bismarck in 1941, thereby ensuring its destruction a few hours later. This could be part of a dual combo pack containing a 1:700 scale Bismarck kit, for example. It would certainly be a unique item, and it would generate significant interest, perhaps even more than I dare hope for. That would add a further 1,500 kits sold. And that’s about it. We’re creative, but we’ve already reached our sales ceiling here. To recoup the investment in the moulds for our own Catalina, produced in our own style, we would need to sell at least three times as many. I very much fear – indeed, I’m certain – that we won't be able to do that.

In a way, it’s an economic trap that we’ve set for ourselves. But any company can fall into it. You might argue that there are companies that produce aeroplane models that I say can’t turn a profit and therefore shouldn’t be manufactured because the sales volume would not be enough to recoup the initial investment. However, I am writing about our own situation. Perhaps those companies manage it better and sell enough units to make such production profitable. Or maybe they save on the development and manufacture of moulds. That’s possible. It might be enough simply not to rivet the surface. Or they might not produce so many alternative parts. Maybe they manage to save money while still selling at a higher price than us. I don’t really think so, though; our experience suggests that we won't sell more or make more money if we raise our prices. But who knows? Maybe they can do it in Poland. As is well known, we in the Czech Republic are a bit slow off the mark and haven't quite got the hang of it yet.

Of course, we’re trying to solve this tricky problem and do something about it. For instance, we have developed the Hybrid project. We see this as a way to reduce the initial production preparation costs, primarily by reducing the investment required for new moulds. At the same time, combining traditional moulding with the production of component assemblies via direct 3D printing enables us to improve quality, particularly with regard to internal details, to an unprecedented degree. In other words, we can achieve a quality that would otherwise require a model-maker to invest in supplementary etched, cast or 3D-printed sets. Not to mention the investment of hours of model-making work.

After conducting market research and launching the 1/48-scale S-199 and 1/72-scale Enstrom 470 kits, we embarked on our first three full-scale projects for the 1/32-scale Hybrid series of model kits. The first of these is the P-51B Mustang. Production of this first kit began in early June, incorporating both traditional moulded parts and 3D-printed components. In order to produce the 3D parts for the Mustang, we purchased 15 new printers, set up a new workshop, and assembled a core team for 3D printing. The original production estimate for this kit was an initial run of 2,000 units. This was based on feedback from modellers and retailers at the time. However, following the kit’s launch at E-Day in late June, orders quickly rose to 5,000 units. At that point, we found ourselves in the same position as North American, the manufacturer of real Mustangs, back in 1943. At North American, production of the airframes was already underway, although they were still missing engines as Packard was having difficulty getting production up and running. If you’re interested in this, you can read about it in the book included with our kit. By the end of June, we had produced and packaged 500 kits, some of which were already in the hands of customers who had bought them on E-Day. We also had plastic mouldings – we had a further 5,000 sets of these in stock – but we were short of 3D-printed parts. To resolve this situation and meet demand, we quickly purchased an additional 20 3D printers. This brings our total to 51, which is more than four times the number we had when we started producing the first 1/48-scale S-199 Hybrids. However, machines alone aren’t enough – people are also needed for production. We hired temporary staff and, during July, increased production of the Mustang parts to a 24/7 schedule, meaning continuous operation across three shifts, seven days a week. Given the current situation on the Czech labour market, I consider this to be nothing short of a minor miracle. As of today, we have fulfilled all pre-sale orders for end customers. We have fully produced and sold out the first batch of the 932011 P-51B Royal Hybrid 1/32 scale model kit. Production of the second and final batch of this Royal Edition began at the start of August. We still need to dispatch orders to some retailers, who should receive their kits by the end of this week. What we don’t know is how many orders we’ll receive from modellers once sales of the August new releases begin and from the IPMS USA National Convention 2026 Afterparty, which started yesterday.

We’ll also be receiving more orders from retailers. Some have not yet ordered this Royal Edition 1/32 Mustang, while those who have will, in many cases, be replenishing their stocks by mid-August. Therefore, it is highly likely that this kit will sell out completely by the end of September at the latest, but probably sooner. There will not be a third edition. However, the 1/32 scale P-51B Mustang will not disappear from our catalog. In October, the sold-out Royal Hybrid series kit will be replaced in our range by the new 1/32 scale P-51B Mustang Birdcage kit, which will be released as part of the standard Eduard Hybrid range. This new version will differ from the current one in that it will not include the book, pilot figure or landing gear bays plugs. As the name suggests, it will also have slightly fewer 3D-printed parts, featuring just one cockpit version and one seat version. In January 2027, it will be joined by the P-51B Mustang Malcolm Hood. Later in the year, we will release two further kits: the P-51B Mustang CBI and the Mustang Mk.III.

If anyone wants to criticise us again for only ever releasing Mustangs, well, OK, it may seem that way. However, I hope it won't be the same modellers who are currently criticising us for not including any British or Far Eastern Mustangs in our range of colour schemes. One gentleman gave us a rather vulgar telling-off, saying that we constantly include aircraft from an insignificant European theatre of war in our kits while ignoring those from the more interesting Far Eastern theatre. He added that if we plan to release the P-40N and P-51B from the CBI in the limited-edition 'Sharks and Stalions' box, we're taking advantage of modellers because we've already released many kits with those boring European markings that they bought, and now this. We have a somewhat different view on the significance of the various theatres of World War II. As for me, I'd rather not comment on "taking advantage".

As you might have guessed, I’m writing this editorial on a plane once again, as has become my habit in July over the last few years. So, I’m sending you greetings from flight KL611, which is travelling from Amsterdam to Chicago. On Monday, when this issue of Info will be published, we’ll be heading to Fort Wayne in Indiana, where we’re looking forward to seeing our friends from the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Peru – in short, our friends from North and South America!

Happy modeling!

Vladimír Šulc