Introduction

The 1/48th scale range of AFV's being issued by Tamiya are superb, I'm sure nobody will disagree. However, even in the bigger scale of 1/35th, there is always something that can be better represented by photo etched parts, and therefore this smaller scale is no different. Enter Eduard with this replacement set of fenders for the Tamiya King Tiger, kit #32536.

the set

The set consists of only two frets of PE, one average sized, the other a little smaller. What you get are a complete set of replacement fenders, made up of the individual plates, including the connecting strips, and the mounting plates that are attached to the side hull. Obviously the front and rear fenders are included, and for these, soldering will probably be necessary because of the way they're constructed, with strengthening ribs being attached by just their edges. I have used superglue in the past to complete this sort of assembly, but it leaves them very weak indeed, and can look messy!

The rear fenders consist of the hinged outer plate attached by two hinges, which in this set, and at this scale, are supplied as non-working representations. You will also need a tiny amount of rod or stretched sprue to complete the set which is not provided. The real strength of this set will be the fact that the modeller can now choose to leave plates off, leave damaged joining strips hanging etc. in other words impart realistic battle damage.

conclusion

A neat set from Eduard, quite difficult to install, although it does increase the modeller's choices when it comes to how to depict the final model. It is priced a little expensively for what's in the set, so with this caveat, recommended.