Sikorsky JRS
I am always impressed when see some plastic kit which is everything but mainstream product or product with not so much data available. Impression no.2- Eduard provide with this plastic kit free booklet! Yes, many see pain to release any kind of printed publications and Eduard did it in high quality and you get it free inside kit… lets see what we have in this kit of JRS-1.
First what captures my sight is so nice art on cover box. Maybe the fact that that period we look somehow romantic and this is reason why this catch eyes. Nice art and content is even better. So there is three fret with grey plastic and one with transparent. Nice etched sheet is inside, with painted parts and small plastic bag full of the excellent designed resin parts. Decals are first class print and there is sheet of mask for protecting of transparencies as well wheels. This is not all, there is full color instruction manual and small booklet of this plane, with nice history and many archive images inside. And all of this in 1/72 Eduard Limited Edition, under stock code 2118.
Impossible to say what capture more attention in work but anyway it start with interior. You have option to leave door in rear side open or closed and you have there pilot cockpit, passenger cockpit and rear crew cockpit. As you guess, so many seats there and for the passenger cockpit, Eduard provides decals for seat belts. Etched parts goes mostly in cockpit where details are given in top possible level. I say top possible as well it is impossible to replicate all details inside, otherwise you will have full container of Brassin and etched material and this would cost so much. So interior is just fine and if you need upgrade (and you have archive data to support idea), do it.
Matching fuselage parts as well other main parts are not problem but you should note painting before that. It is far better to completely paint wings and tail if you decide some of pre war version of this plane as well they have are more easy to paint before assembly. Work on external elements is more complex as well it have landing gear (you can make it closed if you wish) and supporting floats on wings. They are not complicated to do but note that they do feature supporting riggings inside its struts as well for attach to the wings. What also need to take attention, if you do pre war version, is to paint completely hull before attach landing gear as well bottom black paint goes inside part of wheel bay.
Impossible to say it is perfect kit. More or less it fit overall dimensions but some problems are in details. I decide to make kit ‘as is’ to show real product but if you add some extra time, you can add more additional details, which is important for authentic look of the kit.
It is not easy to build kit so if you are novice or less experienced, better skip it. If you have experience and love period which this kit present, this is great product for you. But definitely need attention to make it. Final result is so lovely looking kit and no doubt it will have prominent place in glass case. My big thanks goes to Eduard for sample kit they provided!
Srecko Bradic
