Eduard 1/48 Bf-110 Royal Class Kit (Bonus Part)

NOTES: This review is only of the “bonus part” a Bf-110 Instrument Panel.

 I ordered the Eduard Royal Class Bf-110 kit looking forward to some new Bf-110 Zerstorer builds. The price was a bit high and I hesitated to buy one when it was first released. Also, I was concerned that the price was driven up by some unnecessary add on's like an Iron Cross and a large scale instrument panel. I really don’t need these “extras”.  After reading a few reviews on the kit and pondering the purchase I realized I still had about $ 140.00 left from the economic stimulus check and it was my civic duty to buy one of these kits.

When I received it my initial impressions were quite good. Crisp moulding, lots of options and variety – an unbelievable kit(s) in a reasonably sized box. But I kept going back to the instrument panel etched metal. In one word – stunning. It is what we have come to expect from Eduard. But who wants to build an instrument panel? There must be a SIG group somewhere that our friends at Eduard know about and they must be doing this for those folks. Then I see a “You Tube video” on how to build one and how easy it is and ‘click” all projects are put on hold and the instrument panel becomes priority #1.

The instrument panel is actually a “bonus” component of a large and well executed two complete kit boxing comprising over 500 parts in olive colored plastic; 24 parts in clear; nine photo-etched frets including four in color with even a workshop ladder on a large photo-etched fret. There are four resin parts; masking sheets; markings for 12 aircraft; a replica Iron Cross; and last but not least a 1/4 scale Messerschmitt Bf 110 instrument panel including additional clear parts and two extra color photo-etched frets for the instrument panel.

The instrument panel could be conceivably packaged into a small box and sold as a kit. The main panel is about 8” wide (i.e. 20cm) and 5” high. There is one black plastic parts tree with the dials and knobs/switches. There are two clear plastic trees for the instrument dial faces and clear light domes. The package is completed with two color photo etched trees and one die cut vinyl sheet which represents the instrument dial faces.    

It is as advertised; it can be called the “Royal Class” because it is fit for royalty. You will be delighted with a perfect build. Now I am wondering if this is a test market effort. Eduard has mastered all the technology pieces to properly execute a fantastic series of cockpit instrument panels. The size is just right – ¼ scale (not 1/48^th). It is large enough to permit the smallest detail to be easily applied yet small enough to impress modelers. Eduard is to be commended on this display of future thinking. With their state of the art CAD/CAM, perfect injection moulding, precision die cut and printed vinyl  and unbelievable micro printing of etched metal components, a complex kit like this instrument panel is a reality. My only negative – the instructions call it a ‘dashboard”. That’s an accurate term for an automobile but I wouldn’t use it for an aircraft instrument panel. That’s about the only mis-step with this kit and I can live with it!

There are no hidden tricks or superior modeling skills required to build the instrument panel. I did however find some tools to be especially helpful. A Squadron Tri-stick file was used to sand and polish every part before gluing.  I used Testors TES3507 Liquid Cement with Applicator for the first time. It has a long thin tapered nozzle which can be used to precisely apply a small drop or two in a controlled fashion. Careful gluing is required for this build. You do need to be careful not to apply it onto the clear parts. I also used Model Master - 8876C Clear Parts Cement to attach the instrument needles and other small components to the die cut vinyl instrument faces. The clear instrument covers are just pressed into place without glue. The black plastic instrument surrounds hold them in place. When the dial surrounds are properly glued into the pre-drilled holes everything comes together and the panel detail quickly unfolds. All the instrument dial frames were attached using Testors TES3507 Liquid Cement with Applicator. This cement seemed to be thicker than other liquid glues including the Testors liquid glue in a  bottle with a brush. For example, the thick viscosity allowed me to place a small drop on the instrument dial pegs that align the dials into their proper position. This avoids any accidental drips and damage to the clear dial surfaces.  The etched metal also requires a very sharp cutter or hobby knife. I pulled out my special Trimaster cutter for the etched metal fret.

The instructions are complete and have you place parts from left to right in a clear and methodical approach. The first step is to paint the panel RLM 66. I allowed it to dry over night then over a three day weekend continued to add parts until it was done per the kit instructions.

When it was finished I asked my wife to come and take a look at it. She was impressed (or tried to make it look that way). She smiled and said “That’s quite large does it go into an airplane model”? You should have seen the look of disbelief on my wife’s face when I said “Yes, it does but the plane is about the size of this office and I don’t know where I can put it on display!” I could tell by the worried look she thought I was serious.

What’s next – maybe a nicely detailed resin gunsight with decals and color etch to go with the instrument panel?

Andrew Garcia

August 2008

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