Eduard M10 Duckbill Exterior photo-etched brass for the Academy kit in 1/35th-scale, 35673

by Frank De Sisto

Eduard M10 Duckbill Exterior photo-etched brass for the Academy kit in 1/35th-scale, 35673. Price: $22.95 USD. Contains two frets of etched brass and four pages of instructions.

This set picks up where 35661 leaves off, commencing with the hull front. For this area it provides new mud guards and their attendant hinges, headlamp brush guards, horn mount, tow cable holders and the small step sometimes seen on the cast final drive housing. There are also new racks for the system that the UK used to mount spare track blocks on the glacis, as well as the type the US used to mount spare track blocks on the hull sides. There are also details for the external telephone box sometimes seen, as well as replacement external periscope swivel plates.

Further back on the hull, there are new grouser racks, tail light brush guards, clamps and straps for the tools and tow cable and external fire extinguisher pull handles. Tiny chain is provided for the fuel tank filler cap locking pins, as well as rather useless handles (they’re flat, of course) for the engine deck access doors.

For the turret exterior there are parts to mount straps (complete with integral tie-down loops) on the side walls, as well as prop bars and hinges for the canvas foul weather cover, plus new mounts for the turret’s counterweights. The final bunch of parts goes to detail the external .30 and .50 cal. machine guns. These include (for each gun) new perforated barrel cooling jackets, ammo boxes and trays, cradles and sights. The .50 also gets new trigger grips and a barrel changing/carrying handle.

Combined with the interior set, one can have an exquisitely detailed model, both inside and out.

Recommended.

Eduard products are available at retail and mail order shops and directly from the manufacturer at: www.eduard.cz. Visit their web site for images of reviewed items.