Despite its very affordable price, Revell's recent largescale early Gustav has a nicely rendered "office", with a good level of overall detail and correctly styled instrument bezels. The only real let-downs are the poorly executed moulded-on seatbelts which would have been far better left off entirely.

But, as good as the kit's cockpit is, there's always room for improvement and Eduard have released a new SPACE upgrade set which combines 3D decals and photoetched parts to take things to the next level.

The set arrives in a resealable bag with a cardboard backer and comprises:

24 x 3D decals 

10 x photoetched parts (most pre-coloured)

The 3D decals are beautifully produced and entirely replace detail on the instrument panel, along with adding new fascias and placards for various items in the cockpit. There are also pads for the pilot's lap belts. The printing is superb, with pin-sharp detail in the instrument bezels, which are further enhanced by "glazing" for a realistic look.

The etched parts supply a new seat harness, plus levers for the instrument panel, plus backing panels for the lower instrument console and the sidewall-mounted oxygen gauges.

Installing the upgrade requires a bit of surgery. While preparing the instrument panel should be straightforward enough even for newcomers to using aftermarket upgrades, removing the kit's moulded-on seat harness will be much trickier to do without leaving visible scars. Extra care and patience will be the order of the day. It'll be worth the effort, though, because the pre-coloured etched straps will be a massive improvement.

The upgrade comes complete with a clearly illustrated set of instructions that highlight where surgery's needed.

Conclusion

Eduard's new SPACE set will make a very worthwhile improvement to the cockpit of Revell's big Bf109G-2/4 and the resulting "office" should look superb. While the set itself is straightforward enough for all modellers with a bit of experience, beginners should be wary of damaging the kit removing the pesky moulded-on seatbelts. 

Item #3DL32010 is available now from Eduard - Price: £10.67

Many thanks to Eduard for the review sample.

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