EDUARD JANUARY 2007 RELEASES, January 7th, 2006
Welcome to 2007! Sorry for the delay in the January Newsletter. We have been inundated with the normal year-end paperwork pleasantries and associated popular chores, and our offices have been closed until Friday, January 5th. Yes, at this moment, our desks and hard-drives are full of your orders, and as such, we are about as far from bored as we can be!
2006 was very busy for us, which translated into extremely good as far as sales are concerned. We sold some 680 000 pieces of photoetched sets (677,188 to be exact), plus 6808 units of the BIG ED sets. Take into account the average fret content within the BIG Eds, and it doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that these sets alone sold well in access of 700,000 photoetchede sets! Remarkably, its not hard to still come across those who will sincerely claim that photoetched brass sets are virtually useless. If that’s so, I’d sure like to know where they are. I would certainly hope it wasn’t merely spent material. I hate to think what kind of state that would put Greenpeace in, and we would be scrambling to find more environmentally friendly materials to etch! Well, enough chit-chat. The most interesting aspect to this time of year are the new releases planned for the coming twelve months by the various manufacturers. Unfortunately, we have no real surprises today, as we have blabbed everything out pretty much out in the open, so perhaps a simple (simple??) recap is in order.
KITS FIRST, as usual.
Our kit run went very well for the year past, and 2007 should follow the same fashion. We have been very busy with new items, and our Messerschmitt Bf110 family, in our favorite 1/48th scale, looks very nice, and we expect it will exceed the sales set by the Fw190. The Bf110 is in an advanced state of process now, and I expect the first boxing to be released in August, 2007. The kit itself will be introduced in Nürnberg in early February, and it will be one of the centerpieces in our display stand. However, we have more interesting kits for 2007 up our sleeve, so you can expect much more than the single 110 to be on display.
Our plan for 2007 is to have at least one big ticket item for each quarter. Some quarters will prove to be very busy! For the first three month period, we have the Royal Class Fw 190A-8. The second quarter will see our new 1/48th scale Avia B-534, the Czech pre-war and early WW II biplane fighter. This item is realistically targeted at our domestic market, and we don't expect so great sales as with the Fw 190, of course. Nevertheless, an aesthetically pleasing machine, I'm sure this kit will be welcomed by all WW II fans, and it certainly will fill some gaps in many collections. The other thing is that this kit will also introduce new engineering methods that will be eyecatching, and as such will have influence on future projects as well.
The Bf110 will be introduced in the third quarter, with the Bf110D in the first boxing. There will be a Royal Class edition kit based on the Bf 110, and it is expected in the final quarter. Our 110 is designed in a style consistent with the Fw 190, and is a statement used often with our kits. This is an important progression, as this style seems to be very successful. But there are also some changes, because detail engineering subtleties must vary by necessity, dictated by each different airframe design. As such, the Bf 110 lacks detailed engines, the engine hatches remain closed. So, what are the Bf110 highlights? Unambiguously, the nose area. The kit design enables the opening of the nose gun hatch. The weapon installation is complete, very complete, with all four machine guns and their equipment inside. The hatch is detailed outside as well as inside. Another highlight is the cockpit interior and the canopy. The interior has more than 80 parts and looks simply great! The canopy is in open and closed version again, and all the parts fill up two plastic trees. The third strong aspect of the kit are the landing gear and the wheel wells. They are not bad, trust me. There will no doubt be those that will cry about the complexities of the kit, but we make our kits for builders first, and to strive for the level of realism and accuracy that we do, does demand a certain amount of complexity. Thankfully, we do combine this with the understanding that a kit must also go together well, regardless.
The Christmas period will see another great release, a 1/48th scale F6F Hellcat. Two main versions will be released in succession, the F6F-3 and the F6F-5, with a Royal Class boxing slated for 2008.
Compared to our more recent efforts, the Hellcat will be relatively simple. We have fielded a lot of calls for a folded wing option on this kit, and we did give it a lot of thought. The bottom line is that this would be extremely difficult to do right in plastic, and frankly, we deemed it to be prohibitive. To those that were hoping, I am sorry. We also decided against open gun bays, and this makes this kit conceptually consistent with the I-16, rather than the Fw190. Nevertheless, I'm sure you will like this kit, especially thanks to its surface detail and great fit. The cockpit detail will be second to none, and, in keeping with our current engineering philosophy, each kit will have version specific wings and fuselage.
Aside from these items, we have several smaller projects planned, such as WWI, 1/48th scale SPAD XIII, Fokker E.III and Fokker Dr.I, as well as many LIMITED EDITION and WEEKEND kits. The SPAD XIII and Fokker E.III are momentarily delayed , for various reasons, but I expect the SPAD XIII to be released late this year at the very least. The Fokker E.III is looking like a 2008 release. My apologies for any inconvenience, but bare in mind, the wait will be well worth it!
Concerning the Fokker Dr.I, it is, sincerely, one of the most important projects that we have on the go. It is the cream of our WWI release plan, and incorporates all the engineering and production subtleties that we have developed over the years. It is also the reason why this one has priority over all other WW I projects, and I expect it will be finished immediately after the 1/48th scale Hellcat.
The WEEKEND line will continue with some fine releases immediately after the new year. Most interesting ones should be the Mirage IIICJ and Mirage IIIC boxings, which will be released in March and April. These boxes will bring our classic Mirages to an excellent price level. Other WEEKEND releases are planned for the Roland C.II, Nieuport 16, Fokker D.VII and Albatros D.V.
UPCOMING PROJECTS FOR 2008
As you know, we don’t churn out new kits at some ridiculous rate, and there is much preparation that goes into what we do. Having said that, we have some five projects in the design stage. You already know some of them, such as the 1/72nd scale MiG-15. This project is delayed thanks to our unwitting use of flawed drawings, and this was most prominent in the tail section. To change something like that is a terrible job, and we fell into such work with the MiG-15. We resuscitated this project and it is back on the front burner, if you will, but much has yet to be done. So, all in all, it won’t be done before the end of the year, and is looking like a mid-2008 release.
What is running much faster now are two new projects initiated in late 2006. The first one is a Bf 109E in 1/32nd scale. The design phase of this project will close in April. This kit fully follows the Fw 190 style, with complete engine and fuselage weapons under open hatches and access panels. The engine will be very well detailed in this case, as we suspect that a model like this has to be displayed with exposed engine. The cockpit interior is nicely detailed with a high level of all details, with many details provided as only it can be with photoetching used. We have the entire Bf 109E family in the works, with the E-1, E-3, E-4 and E-7 versions, including all tropical and bomber subvariants. The surface details will be also in the Fw 190 style, with fine rivets and other small gems. The 1/48th scale MiG-21 family is a project running parallel with the Bf 109E. This is the most ambitious Eduard project still in the planning stage, and I expect the design phase will be completed in late summer, this year. Concerning the engineering of the kit, we are taking this one much further than the Mirage IIIC. For example, look at the jets themselves. There will be much more detailing, many more weapons, and, of course, many more versions of the kit. We plan to do the second and third generation aircraft, which means that you will get the MiG-21PF and PFM with their sub-variants from the second generation, and the MiG-21MF, bis, SMT and R, and their subvariants from the third generation. It is also possible, that we will finally decide to do the MiG-21F of the first generation of this famous jet.
The F6F Hellcat in 1/72nd scale isn't simply a scaled down version of its big brother. The opposite is true, we scaled up the smaller kit, and incorporated design changes and improvements to get a detail level sufficient for a 1/48th scale kit. It doesn't mean the 1/72nd scale kit is less of a kitSS absolutely not! This small Hellcat is very well detailed too and I'm looking forward to seeing the end result. At this moment though, we have to wait, as we decided to give priority to the 1/48th scale kit to build up the Eduard 1/48th scale line as fast as possible. It means the small Hellcat will be released in 2008 as well.
The Caproni Ca-3 1/48th scale is to be something really crazy. This is a project for WW I fans, who want to have something exceptional in their collection. It is possible that the Caproni will be released in the ROYAL CLASS line only, but at this stage of the game we have enough time to decide. This monster needs a lot of time to finish, let alone plan properly!
Well, these are the long term projects. So, let’s turn our attention to the more short-term items in the works.
KITS IN JANUARY 2007
The first, under this category ,is the second edition of 8173, the Fw 190A-8. There is no change from the first edition, and I expect the good sales will continue. The suggested retail price remains US $ 39.95.
The big new item is the 1/48th scale Ilyushin Il-2M Shturmovik. The kit is based on Accurate Miniatures plastic with the Eduard color photoetched details. Available marking options are five, all very colorful. It is evident that this kit follows the same logic as the Yak-1 / Yak-1b boxing, which was also extremely successful. The last Yak-1b kit went out the door inside of three days, which is unprecedented! The Il-2M is being released within the ORANGE range, with 3 000 boxings available. The suggested retail price is US $ 49.95, and is great value for the money, which will help push sales in line with the Yak.
As the third January release, the all-new 1/144th scale Me262B was planned. This kit is delayed for technical reasons and, and will actually be released in February. Me 262B comes in a DUAL COMBO packing, with two kits inside. The marking options are four, with two night fighters and two fighter-trainers. The kit contains a small sheet of PE details, with nose radar aerials. This Me 262B is a two seater, the classic single seat fighter will come in March, 2007, also in a DUAL COMBO packing. The suggested retail price is US $9.95.
KITS IN THE REST OF THE FIRST QUARTER
There is the 1/72nd scale SPAD XIII early version in the LIMITED EDITION for February. This kit will be in the DUAL COMBO packing, with four marking options, and a sheet of PE details along the lines of the former Profi PACK idea. The February listing will be finished off with two WEEKEND kits, the 1/48th scale Roland C.II and Nieuport 16.
March will bring the great Fw 190A-8 ROYAL CLASS kit. Please book this release as soon as possible, the edition is limited to 2000 units only. The retail cost will be US $165.00.
The second March release will be the Messerschmitt Me 262A in 1/144th scale, in the DUAL COMBO boxing. The 1/72nd scale Nieuport 17, originally expected in February, is bumped up to April, when it will be released together with the 1/48th scale I-16 type 10 in Spanish service. Both kits will be in DUAL COMBO boxings as well.
PHOTOETCHED SETS IN 2007
We expect to make some changes to our photo-etch production during this year. Some of these are the result of improving the technology of the color photoetched line. The new technology has already been acquired, and it is now in the testing stages. Normal production is expected within two months. It will bring better quality of the print and, mainly, more production capacity. It is important, because the color PE line is our current bestseller. Immediately following that, we will initiate the production of the self-adhesive color photoetched line, and this should prove very interesting.
PHOTOETCHED SETS IN JANUARY
The January photo-etch collection is very exciting, especially With respect to aircraft sets. There are two sets of color placards for the Bf 109G-6 and P-40B in 1/24 scale, which is a premiere. Our previous 1/24th scale sets were the seatbelts sets only. Two sets are in 1/32nd scale, both are designed for the Hasegawa Bf 109G-14. These sets are redesigned to incorporate the color feature, and replace the classic unpainted items. There is a single 1/32nd ZOOM release too, representing the Bf 109K instrument panel.
Very interesting is the 1/48h scale collection, and I suggest that you check this list well, there are some good pieces, with a lot of potential. See the three sets for Trumpeter's Wellington, 48550 Wellington Mk.I Bomb Bay, 48552 Wellington Mk.I Bomb Tails and 49045 Wellington Seatbelts. The bomb bay set especially is huge, with great details. Yes, the price is high, but it is not expected to be prohibitive with respect to content. Our experience is the opposite, these big sets are usually bestselling. These are the first wave of Wellington sets, and the second with two interior sets, exterior set and landing flap set will come in February.
Another nice collection is the block of three sets for Trumpeter's Westland Wyvern S.4, covering 48538 Wyvern S.4 Exterior, 48541 Wyvern S.4 Wheel Wells and 49373 Wyvern S.4 Interior. And as the January sets seem to come in groupings, please note the third group, consisting of MiG-23 Flogger sets: 48540 MiG-23 Flogger Exterior and 49357 MiG-23 Flogger Interior. Both these sets fit the two already released MiG-23 kits. Another two sets include 48560, Fw 190A/F Wooden Landing Flaps , and 49035, He 177 Greif Seatbelts. While other Fw 190A sets were already relased, more He 177 sets will follow in February and perhaps even in March. The He 177 is a huge kit, and to produce a whole collection needs time.
Two sets in the color line bring fresh new items to this listing and this scale - 49038 German Insignia and Medals WWII, and 49039 US Insignia and Medals WWII. Similar sets have been released in 1/35th scale. They provide various insignia and medals, and they are designed for use with figures.
Let's touch on the AFV sets. In the 1/48th scale line, we have three new sets - 28047 Krupp Protze 6x4 , 28050 Type 82E Beetle, and 28053 T-34/76 Model 1943. There are only five sets in the 1/35th scale line, however, all of them should prove to be highly valuable ones: 35930 Sd.Kfz.234/, where the Puma is one of the most welcome of Dragon’s new releases, as well as their Pz.I Ausf.A. There are two sets designed for the pretty nice Tristar kit, 35933 Pz.38(t) Ausf.G exterior, and 35944 Pz.IV Ausf.D Tauch. The last January 1/35th scale new release fits the Revell M-3A1 Scout Car (35 936).
The list of January release is rounded out by five BIG ED sets, please check the listing.
That's all. We will be in Nürnberg in early February, 2007. Hope to meet you there! Our booth has the same location in Hall 7 as usual.
Vladimir Sulc
JANUARY 2007 RELEASES / AVAILABLE JANUARY 7th, 2007
PLASTIC KITS
8165 Il-2 Stormovik 1/48 EDUARD $49,95
8173 Fw 190A-8 1/48 REEDITION-EDUARD $39,95
PHOTOETCHED SETS
1/48th scale AFV sets
28047 Krupp Protze 6x4 1/48 Tamiya 32534 $22,95
28050 Type 82E Beetle 1/48 Tamiya 32531 $19,95
28053 T-34/76 Model 1943 1/48 Hobby Boss $22,95
1/35th scale AFV sets
35930 Sd.Kfz.234/1 Dragon 6298 $22,95
35933 Pz.38(t) Ausf.G exterior Tristar $19,95
35934 Pz.I Ausf.A Dragon 6289 $19,95
35936 M-3A1 Scout Car Revell $24,95
35944 Pz.IV Ausf.D Tauch Tristar 023 $19,95
1/24th scale color aircraft sets
23007 Bf 109G-6 placards 1/24 Trumpeter $9,95
23008 P-40B Tomahawk placards 1/24 Vintage $9,95
1/32nd scale aircraft sets
32165 Bf 109G-14 exterior Hasegawa $22,95
1/32nd scale color aircraft sets
32571 Bf 109G-14 interior Hasegawa $22,95
1/48th scale aircraft sets
48538 Wyvern S.4 exterior Trumpeter $22,95
48540 MiG-23 Flogger exterior Italeri $24,95
48541 Wyvern S.4 wheel wells Trumpeter $22,95
48550 Wellington Mk.I bomb bay Trumpeter $54,95
48552 Wellington Mk.I bomb tail Trumpeter $19,95
48560 Fw 190A/F wooden landing flaps Eduard $19,95
1/48th scale color aircraft sets
49035 He 177 Greif seatbelts MPM $7,95
49038 German Insignia and Medals WWII $7,95
49039 US Insignia and Medals WWII $7,95
49045 Wellington seatbelts Trumpeter $7,95
49357 MiG-23 Flogger interior Italeri $22,95
49373 Wyvern S.4 interior Trumpeter $22,95
ZOOM SETS
1/32nd scale (color)
33015 Bf 109K dashboard 1/32 Hasegawa $9,95
1/48th scale (color)
FE357 MiG-23 Flogger interior Italeri $7,95
FE373 Wyvern S.4 interior Trumpeter $7,95
MASK SETS
1/72nd scale aircraft
CX176 MiG-29 Fulcrum 1/72 ICM $4,95
CX180 Ki-94 II 1/72 RS Models $4,95
1/48th scale aircraft
EX204 Kittyhawk Mk.III 1/48 Hasegawa $5,95
1/48th scale AFV
FX015 Type 82 Beetle 1/48 Tamiya 32531 $4,95
1/35th scale AFV
XT138 M-4A2 Sherman wheel masks 1/35 Dragon 6062 $6,95
XT139 M-51 Isherman wheel masks 1/35 Dragon 3529 $6,95
XT140 Flak 38 30mm wheel masks 1/35 Dragon 6353 $3,95
BIG-ED sets /various scales
BIG7227 WWII SEATBELTS SET - ALLIES $34,95
BIG3244 F4U-1 CORSAIR color set TRUMPETER $56,95
BIG3245 UH-60A BLACK HAWK 1/35 ACADEMY $56,95
BIG3246 SBD-1/2 DAUNTLESS TRUMPETER $99,95
BIG3539 GERMAN WWII ACCESSORIES SET $69,95
