Eduard 1/32
F-100D Super Sabre Ejection Seat Detail Set

Eduard from the Czech Republic is easily the most prolific producer of aftermarket details. Period. Their series of photo-etched detail sets have brought additional fidelity to otherwise bland subjects, and have taken even the best-produced models and kicked them up a notch or two with details that cannot be produced with injection-molded plastic.

When Eduard first introduced the acetate-printed instrument faces that go behind their photo-etched instrument panels, this raised the bar on model cockpit reality as you could almost read the time on the aircraft clock. How could they top that?

It took a number of years, but the answer is color photo-etch. Somehow Eduard has developed a process for printing color directly on their photo-etched parts such that now you not only can read the instrument faces, you can now see the color warning arcs around airspeed indicators and color reference circles around Luftwaffe flight and engine instruments.

What is nice about Eduard's color printing process is that it can be applied to both sides of the part when needed. Such is the case with these detail parts for the F-100D's ejection seat.

Eduard has turned out seven detail sets for the Trumpeter F-100D Super Sabre:

• 32181 F-100D Exterior Detail Set
• 32184 F-100D Weapons Bay Detail Set
• 32185 F-100D Wheel Wells and Undercarriage Detail Set
• 32186 F-100D Slats
• 32599 F-100D Placards
• 32607 F-100D Interior Detail Set
• 32612 F-100D Ejection Seat Detail Set

What is interesting about this detail set is the fact that Eduard has you disect the kit seat for a few key parts such as the headrest, the side frames, and the rails. From there, you have a completely new seat bottom and rear in photo-etch from the lower fret. Onto this piece goes the seat cushion from the styrene seat. The seat is reconstructed bit by bit very similarly to the real seat, right down to the lightening holes found on some of the structures.

Once the seat is completed, next comes the color photo-etched parts to recreate the seat belts and shoulder harnesses. The set provides two sets of instructions, one for the standard 'empty' seat, and one to replicate a seat with a parachute pack in the seat. This set has the extra belts and harness details that will to recreate the look of an installed backpack parachute for modeling an F-100 on alert, as the parachute was not integral to the seat as it was with the Martin-Baker seats that would come later.

You should be able to find this detail set at your local hobby retailer or one of the many online hobby shops. Trust me, this is worth looking for!

Recommended for experienced modelers!

My sincere thanks to Eduard for this review sample!