Eduard 1/48
A-10 Thunderbolt II Exterior 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.

This set consists of two frets of photo-etched details to dress up the exterior of the Italeri's recent 1/48 A-10 Thunderbolt II kit (reviewed here). This set compliments the Eduard Interior Detail Set for this kit reviewed here.

UPDATE: One interesting detail that I saw when I was preparing this review, but it didn't really register in my mind until Jason West pointed out the problem. If you look at the first fret of photo-etch up close (click on the first image, one of the two parts 11 and parts 21, 22, and 23 were not completed and were therefore not etched to be removed from the fret. Eduard has been advised of this problem and they're working to correct the mistake. Contact them directly if you received one of these early pre-corrected sets.

UPDATE 2: Eduard's excellent customer support resolved the problem and all of the current sets have the corrected fret in them. If you do receive an improperly etched part, Eduard will get one out to you fast. My replacement was here just as soon as their production was corrected and our images now show the proper detail set. Thank you Eduard for your excellent customer support!

The set starts off with a new APU exhaust duct and adds plumbing in the nosegear wheel well. The nose gear door received new hinges as well.

The nose gear strut also receives some attention with replacement landing light brackets, oleo scissors, hydraulic lines and frame details.

The main gear wheel wells are next with new bulkheads and frames, plumbing, and new gear doors. Like the nose gear strut, the main struts also receive new oleo scissors, brake lines, and tie down rings.

What's interesting is that this set provides new LASTE antennas that are made up of four layers of photo-etch for installation on the vertical stabilizers. A photo-etched slime light frame is also provided for the tails.

The set continues with a replacement for that unique air duct that mounts on the dorsal side of the fuselage between the engines.

The slime light nighttime formation light frames are also provided for the rest of the aircraft as well as a new GPS antenna, chaff/flare dispenser faces, and various other antennas around the airframe.

The ECM pod gets some attention by replacing the styrene bulges with photo-etched air ducts.

On the weapons' side, the Rockeyes receive new fusing and canister detailing. The AIM-9s receive new properly-shaped Lima/Mike fins as well as other airframe details. The Mavericks also receive missing structural details. The set concludes with adding filler caps to the external fuel tank.

While this set will really set off the detail in the A-10 kit, this detail set is not for the beginning modeler. You will need to be able to remove the photo-etch parts from their frets (simple once you know how) and then be able to apply these details using cyano adhesives without gluing yourself to the kit parts. It isn't difficult, or else these sets wouldn't be so popular.

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!