Scale Plastic & Rail

¼ Messerschmitt Bf 110 Instrument Panel (Limited Edition) from Eduard

¼ Messerschmitt Bf 110 Instrument Panel (Limited Edition)
Eduard
Catalogue # 14001
Available from Eduard and other good hobby retailers for around $29.95

This particular item saw its first release as part of Eduards 1/48 Bf 110 ‘Royal Class’ set, and thankfully, Eduard have seen fit to release it as a separate item for those of us who didn’t buy that initial release. However, this is now made available as a limited edition only, so if you wanted one of these, then perhaps now is the time to get one.

The Bf 110 Instrument Panel is presented in a box which is roughly the same size of some of the 1/48 WW1 aircraft kit releases, and features a photo of a completed panel set against the backdrop of various technical illustrations. Please be aware that the box edge does say that this kit provides parts to produce a panel for the Bf 110C variant, which isn’t too obvious by the initial kit boxing description.

Inside, one bag holds the bare instrument panel, and another bag holds the various instrument panel hardware, such as bezels, switches, screws, levers and buttons. Within this bag there is another which holds the clear sprue for the instrument lenses. Two colour photo etch frets and a single self-adhesive vinyl colour sheet are also included. More on those in a while.

Firstly, the instrument panel. This is moulded in a very dark grey styrene which is a perfect base for the RLM66 paint coat that you’ll need to apply. A few injection lugs exist around the edge of the panel, and removing these is the only preparation that this part will need. Being a part with a large surface area (203mm x 124mm), I’m pleased to say that there are no sink marks with this moulding, nor is there any flash to remove. Instrument locations are defined by circular insets where the colour vinyl instrument faces will be applied.  The vinyl faces hide the feint ejector pin marks. Holes for bezel locations and screws are clear and switch locations are also slightly indented as per the instrument faces.

Two black sprues contain the remainder of the hardware needed for this build. This includes the multitude of bezels, switch housings and push-buttons. The detail on these parts is both superb and well-defined, right down to the integral screw heads on the bezel faces. No flash exists anywhere, and again, pin marks on the obverse of the bezels and won’t be seen when assembled.

One small gripe is that the multitude of individual screws are moulded with their sprue gate connected to the side of the screw head. This will need some careful removal so that you still have a round and domed head. I would have liked to have seen the connection points on the insertion peg, but hey, we can’t have it all.

Two clear sprues contain the instrument glasses. No moulding defects can be seen anywhere, but to improve what is otherwise a very good level of clarity, I would give these a little micromeshing before finishing with a dip in Klear/Future to give them an excellent glass appearance. A total of 120 plastic parts are supplied for this kit.

All the switch plates, technical plates, button faces and identification plates etc are supplied on two colour photo etch frets containing 61 individual parts. Colour printing is exceptional, with no grainy finish as some people have experienced on some Eduard kits. The colour is both perfectly solid with text that has amazing clarity. Some printing does seem to be a little 'off-centre', however.

Finally, a single sheet of colour vinyl parts for instrument faces is supplied. Printing is crisp and well-defined, with a further 20 parts being given here.

Eduards instructions are printed in black & white, and all eleven constructional stages are well illustrated and non-ambiguous. Sprue plans are supplied so you can find the part you need fairly quickly, and each constructional stage is linked to a drawing of a constructed panel so you may easily see exactly what you are working on.

So what do we think?
This is both a very unusual and well researched/produced kit which will look great either as a standalone piece, or perhaps added to the plinth of a finished Bf 110 model. There is quite a lot of work to finish this model, and you will need to apply some well thought out weathering to part edges, and where most handling would have been. Well done Eduard, but how about some other panels of WW2 aircraft to follow this one?

Overall: 9/10

Our sincere thanks to Eduard for supplying the review sample used here. To purchase this and other Eduard products, click THIS link, or the banner below.

JH