Tamiya caused quite a stir with their 1:48 Gustav. Beautifully engineered and moulded, as you'd expect from Tamiya, it also introduced novel features like its use of small magnets to allow interchangeable parts for an exposed engine and nose guns.

But it wasn't all roses - the cockpit was a bit of a let down with its decal seat harness and, more seriously, an instrument panel sporting distinctly non-typical plain circular bezels.

So, it's very welcome to see Eduard release a set of 3D decals and etched parts to not only correct the mistakes but also spruce up the Tamiya office overall.

The parts arrive in a simple resealable bag and accompanied by a sheet of clear instructions.

Eduard's Gustav set includes a new 5-part instrument panel, plus fascias for the floor boxes and the sidewall circuit-breakers and oxygen regulator. My efforts to photograph 3D decals for reviews never quite do them justice, because they can't get across the crisply raised details and neat touches like the glazed bezels. 

The small etched fret adds controls for the instrument panel plus, of course, a new seat harness which will be much more convincing than the kit's decal.

The instructions are printed in colour and clearly laid out, highlighting where modifications are required to the kit parts. No paint matches are given because all the items are pre-coloured. It'll be worth checking whatever brand RLM 66 model paint you use to ensure it's close to Eduard's interpretation - note: some variation wouldn't be unusual in real life, reflecting the different paint batches from various sources used on subassemblies in dispersed production facilities.  

Conclusion

Eduard's upgrade set is a very worthwhile addition to Tamiya's Gustav, addressing the few weak points in an otherwise highly impressive model. The surgery needed to fit it is quite minor, so this would be a suitable set for modellers wanting try their hand at using 3D decals for the first time.

Item 3DL48100 is available now from Eduard - Price: £8.06

Many thanks to Eduard for the review sample.

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