Eduard and the Bf-109G-6 brouhaha

Unless you were in Paris for the last week celebrating the marriage of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, you've probably been overwhelmed with all of the discussion around Eduard's 1/48 Bf-109G. Recently released and now given a thorough assessment by rivet counters the world over, it seems it has a number of inaccuracies. The most concise review can be found over on Hyperscale, and there's also a good WIP on Aeroscale that offers some interesting insight as well.

I've already shared my thoughts about rivet counters some time ago, and I'll let each of you decide whether the inaccuracies make the kit "unbuildable," but I feel compelled to offer my thoughts on Eduard as a whole.

Eduard has taken quite a bit of heat with this release, as they did for one of their MiG-21 variants, with one modeler going so far as to say "they wont unfortunately be trusted again." That's a bit extreme in my opinion, and I hope that's not a sentiment shared by most modelers.

Eduard is arguably the best plastic model manufacturer in the hobby. There, I've said. No other manufacturer is producing as much product at they are with the same level of finesse. Only Tamiya and Revell-Germany come close in terms of tooling and production. Based on the information Eduard regularly shares with their customers (unrivaled compared by any other company), it appears they are committed to producing the most accurate kits they can. In response to the conversation around the Bf-109G, they even published an interview with its lead designer, Stanislav Archman on their web site. By all measures, Eduard is doing everything they can to give us models that are accurate and feature the best tooling in the industry.

Has Eduard made mistakes? Yes, but everyone does. I could argue that the other manufacturers often seem to fall short in their research or take shortcuts, but I see no evidence of that from the folks at Eduard. At the end of the day I'd be more confident buying an Eduard kit sight-unseen than one from any other manufacturer.

This week someone asked if I feel sorry for Eduard. I don't. They can be proud of an expansive product line and some of the best kits on the market. I am nothing but optimistic about their future in the hobby. I can't say the same for Kanye and Kim.