Info EDUARD

Monthly magazine about history and scale plastic modeling.

Strana 6

Tamiya 1:35 scale M-24 Chaffee. Two sets, one
photo-etched and one Space, are dedicated to
the 1:72nd scale Curtiss H-81A-2 by Arma Hobby.
Also of note are a 3D-printed gun bay set for
our 1:72 scale Spitfire Mk.Vb, as well as three
smaller 3D-printed sets and one LooK set for
the new 1:72nd scale Junkers Ju 52.
Upper Engine Cowling
for the 1:32nd P-51B
Finally, I’ve saved three 3D-printed sets for
the 1:32 scale P-51B, specifically for the kit from
our new Hybrid line, for last. The announcement
of a 3D-printed upper engine cowling in our
Brassin range caused quite a stir online.
A wave of criticism ensued, with accusations of
dishonest practices on our part with claims that
we had designed the engine cowling incorrectly
in the original kit and were now offering
a fix by releasing a replacement as Brassin set.
It is therefore worth clarifying the situation and
explaining why we decided to release this engine
cowling as a separate aftermarket accessory.
The impetus for releasing this set was a wave
of criticism based on the premise that the kit’s
upper engine cowling, molded as an integral
part of the fuselage halves, was a poor design
decision, and that the details in this area would
be substandard, specifically lacking in definition.
It was suggested that the upper engine cowling
should have been molded as a separate piece,
or that we should at least provide it as an
alternative 3D-printed part.
First off, I will try to explain why we decided
to incorporate the upper engine cowling into the
fuselage halves in this kit from the beginning.
The fact is that a separate upper engine cowling
is not a superior technical solution compared to
having the cowling split across the two fuselage
halves, which is the approach we took for this
kit. Both are perfectly valid solutions. Each
has its own advantages and disadvantages,
but they share one common trait: there is
always a surface perpendicular to the mold‘s
parting plane. Such a surface invariably creates
challenges for both mold making and the
molding process alike.
The variant with the cowl as part of the
fuselage halves is more complicated to develop
a mold for. There involves a complex machining
procedure, electroerosive machining, and
is very demanding on precision and strict
adherence to the technological procedure
demanded by the process. By the way, we
repeated the production of that fuselage mold
three times before we were satisfied with the
result. But during pressing, there is less risk of
damaging the molding, because the panel lines
on the molding are not perpendicular to the axis
of removing the moldings from the mold. In the
end, the surface on the cowl molded in this way
is actually very good. If we produced the cowl
separately, it would probably look a little worse
on the sides around the exhaust area. Also, in
this case, there would be a greater risk that the
upper cowl would not sit quite right with respect
to adjacent parts, either due to inaccuracy in the
manufacture of the mold or inaccuracy of the
modeler during assembly. It is also good to know
that the technical solution for the connection of
the two fuselage halves is made in such a way
that a joint is formed on the upper part of the
nose where the cowling is. It should be there,
but you need to glue it carefully, don‘t cover the
joint with glue or forcefully squeeze the halves
of the fuselage together, and above all, don‘t
putty the seam after gluing. It‘s a good idea to
lightly put the halves of the fuselage together
and brush the joint with a welding type glue.
Naturally, the modeler doesn‘t know this in
advance and likely thinks over their approach
differently. The problem is that, no matter which
approach we take, there will always be someone
who doesn‘t like our solution. People don‘t tend
to give it much thought and they’d much rather
just bitch about it because it’s easier. Or, they
ask us to at least release something like the
cowling in question as a separate part. We did
that, but then we got criticized again, accused
of messing it up in the first place, only to then
profit by selling the cowl at a high price as
a replacement part. But you still end up with two
viable options to chose from.
However, this is not a correction part. The
kit does not require any correction; the engine
cowling as molded is perfectly fine. We released
this set because modelers asked for it. To be
honest, if we hadn’t already prepared it for the
P-51B engine set, which we are planning to
release in January 2027, we never would have
released it as a standalone item. But since we
already had it, I decided to put it out. I’ll admit
that a large part of this was simply my own
curiosity; I wanted to see how many modelers
would actually buy the cowling, given how many
had written to us about it. The result so far has
been surprising. Among this year’s pre-orders,
it ranks second in terms of volume, trailing only
the weapons bay set for the 1:48th scale F-35A.
Edoween and Black Friday
In November, there will be two online events.
The first is ‘Edoween’, held in conjunction with
the Scale ModelWorld Telford Afterparty running
from November 5th to 10th, and ‘Black Friday’,
linked to the Bratislava Winter Afterparty,
running from November 26th to December 2nd.
Additionally, we will open a pre-order window
for two kits, the 1:48th scale Dieppe 1942 / Fw
190A-3 and the 1:72nd scale F-4J Phantom II. This
pre-order window will be open from November
13th to 24th, with the kits scheduled to ship in
the second half of February, 2027. Furthermore,
the ‘Sweep’ promotion on selected items from
the Brassin line is still ongoing.
And that is all I wanted to tell you today.
We are flying to Telford on Friday, and on
November 28th, we will be in Bratislava for the
Plastic Winter (Plastiková zima) event. If you
happen to be at either—or perhaps both—of
these shows, do stop by and see us. We will have
some interesting items on display such as, in
Telford, we expect to have the complete plastic
parts collection for the MiG-15, and in Bratislava,
we will even have the MiG-15 available for sale.
Happy Modelling!
Vladimir Sulc
INFO Eduard6
November 2026

Tamiya 1:35 scale M-24 Chaffee. Two sets, one photo-etched and one Space, are dedicated to the 1:72nd scale Curtiss H-81A-2 by Arma Hobby. Also of note are a 3D-printed gun bay set for our 1:72 scale Spitfire Mk.Vb, as well as three smaller 3D-printed sets and one LooK set for the new 1:72nd scale Junkers Ju 52.

Upper Engine Cowling for the 1:32nd P-51B

Finally, I’ve saved three 3D-printed sets for the 1:32 scale P-51B, specifically for the kit from our new Hybrid line, for last. The announcement of a 3D-printed upper engine cowling in our Brassin range caused quite a stir online. A wave of criticism ensued, with accusations of dishonest practices on our part with claims that we had designed the engine cowling incorrectly in the original kit and were now offering a fix by releasing a replacement as Brassin set. It is therefore worth clarifying the situation and explaining why we decided to release this engine cowling as a separate aftermarket accessory.

The impetus for releasing this set was a wave of criticism based on the premise that the kit’s upper engine cowling, molded as an integral part of the fuselage halves, was a poor design decision, and that the details in this area would be substandard, specifically lacking in definition. It was suggested that the upper engine cowling should have been molded as a separate piece, or that we should at least provide it as an alternative 3D-printed part.

First off, I will try to explain why we decided to incorporate the upper engine cowling into the fuselage halves in this kit from the beginning. The fact is that a separate upper engine cowling is not a superior technical solution compared to having the cowling split across the two fuselage halves, which is the approach we took for this kit. Both are perfectly valid solutions. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, but they share one common trait: there is always a surface perpendicular to the mold‘s parting plane. Such a surface invariably creates challenges for both mold making and the molding process alike.

The variant with the cowl as part of the fuselage halves is more complicated to develop a mold for. There involves a complex machining procedure, electroerosive machining, and is very demanding on precision and strict adherence to the technological procedure demanded by the process. By the way, we repeated the production of that fuselage mold three times before we were satisfied with the result. But during pressing, there is less risk of damaging the molding, because the panel lines on the molding are not perpendicular to the axis of removing the moldings from the mold. In the end, the surface on the cowl molded in this way is actually very good. If we produced the cowl separately, it would probably look a little worse on the sides around the exhaust area. Also, in this case, there would be a greater risk that the upper cowl would not sit quite right with respect to adjacent parts, either due to inaccuracy in the manufacture of the mold or inaccuracy of the modeler during assembly. It is also good to know that the technical solution for the connection of the two fuselage halves is made in such a way that a joint is formed on the upper part of the nose where the cowling is. It should be there, but you need to glue it carefully, don‘t cover the joint with glue or forcefully squeeze the halves of the fuselage together, and above all, don‘t putty the seam after gluing. It‘s a good idea to lightly put the halves of the fuselage together and brush the joint with a welding type glue.

Naturally, the modeler doesn‘t know this in advance and likely thinks over their approach differently. The problem is that, no matter which approach we take, there will always be someone who doesn‘t like our solution. People don‘t tend to give it much thought and they’d much rather just bitch about it because it’s easier. Or, they ask us to at least release something like the cowling in question as a separate part. We did that, but then we got criticized again, accused of messing it up in the first place, only to then profit by selling the cowl at a high price as a replacement part. But you still end up with two viable options to chose from.

However, this is not a correction part. The kit does not require any correction; the engine cowling as molded is perfectly fine. We released this set because modelers asked for it. To be honest, if we hadn’t already prepared it for the P-51B engine set, which we are planning to release in January 2027, we never would have released it as a standalone item. But since we already had it, I decided to put it out. I’ll admit that a large part of this was simply my own curiosity; I wanted to see how many modelers would actually buy the cowling, given how many had written to us about it. The result so far has been surprising. Among this year’s pre-orders, it ranks second in terms of volume, trailing only the weapons bay set for the 1:48th scale F-35A.

Edoween and Black Friday

In November, there will be two online events. The first is ‘Edoween’, held in conjunction with the Scale ModelWorld Telford Afterparty running from November 5th to 10th, and ‘Black Friday’, linked to the Bratislava Winter Afterparty, running from November 26th to December 2nd. Additionally, we will open a pre-order window for two kits, the 1:48th scale Dieppe 1942 / Fw 190A-3 and the 1:72nd scale F-4J Phantom II. This pre-order window will be open from November 13th to 24th, with the kits scheduled to ship in the second half of February, 2027. Furthermore, the ‘Sweep’ promotion on selected items from the Brassin line is still ongoing.

And that is all I wanted to tell you today. We are flying to Telford on Friday, and on November 28th, we will be in Bratislava for the Plastic Winter (Plastiková zima) event. If you happen to be at either—or perhaps both—of these shows, do stop by and see us. We will have some interesting items on display such as, in Telford, we expect to have the complete plastic parts collection for the MiG-15, and in Bratislava, we will even have the MiG-15 available for sale.

Happy Modelling! Vladimir Sulc

6

INFO Eduard

November 2026

Info EDUARD