all
Eduard Upcoming 1/48 Stuka Family
Eduard are one of the most prolific companies on the scale modeling scene. Especially last decade or so. They are producing highly detailed, pleasant-to-be-built kits, with superb add-ons presented as additional lines from the same company. Their MiG-21 in 48th scale was arguably the pinnacle in their work, but things extend far beyond it, including various propeller and jet aircraft both in 72nd and 48th scale.
For 2024, Eduard announced plenty of surprising and intriguing news. We already mentioned MiG-21F13 which we expect to be the jet of the year if Zoukei-Mura or Tamiya doesn’t hit back with something. But Eduard announced even more than the Fishbed on the quarter scale arena. They announced several props too. That looks like a lot of work, but seemingly the team behind that company is very serious and devoted. Sincerely, we are in awe from their speed abilities!
First, P-40 in completely new tooling is expected soon. But you probably already heard about that. Then, there is P-51 Mustang, B & C variants in new tooling again. The latter though, will bring no significant surprises, just satisfaction, since it is a logical continuation of their P-51 line. It was somewhat expected and is going to be more of a stealth-like release, considering the abundance of Mustangs on the market.
Things don’t stop there and flow smoothly with newly tooled S-199, which is also continuation of another of their fabulous series – Bf109. That too will be no shocking release, since we all know that for years Eduard have produced exquisite Messers in 72nd, 48th and even in 32nd scale. But then, the next announcement was more of a flash surprise and caught us unprepared:
Junkers Ju87 is about to appear, as a newly tooled family in quarter scale. And that dear friends, is really something!
For years the king’s scale was missing serious Stuka release and finally, one of the very best model makers is about to fill the void. This is promising because it will be much more than just another single new kit. From Eduard, we can expect series of ProfiPacks and Weekend Editions, as well as potentially a Royal Class set. There will certainly be Limited Edition packs and many, many interesting Brassin features and goodies. Probably Photo-Etch too. And we can assure you, this will be no 48th scale Airfix kit either. You are about to see engines, wheels, cockpits, armament sections and what not. Just wait! Eduard know what to do to please us.
During WWII, Junkers Stuka was not the edge-of-the-sword aircraft. It wasn’t fast, it wasn’t sleek, the gear wasn’t even retractable. But its distinctive looks, fabulous military history and its own Aces made it legendary. The Stuka diving sound, made from whistles embedded in the plane’s design, is to this day used in the cinema to make you think of bombs. If this cannot be considered a historical mark, we don’t know what would be.
Anyhow, a newly tooled Stuka dive bomber in 48th scale is brewing. And coming from Eduard it is 100% guaranteed, that it will mean much, much more than Italeri or Airfix for the modeling World. That promises a lot of things and in the same time leaves almost zero chances for serious competition in the near future. The probability of Tamiya jumping that train is not high too, therefore we expect a new T-rex of a Stuka from the Czechs. As far as we know, they will start it sometime in 2024 and will most likely release more than one option of the Ju87 within the year. We on the other hand, expect this to be just the beginning. And then, we would bet that Eduard’s Ju87 will stay on top at least ’till the end of the decade if not further.
Pictures courtesy of Eduard
