Brengun 1/144 Eduard Avia B.534 (all variant) Photoetch
By Matt Bittner
A few months ago Eduard released the first of the boxings of their 1/144 Avia B.534s. That was for the "early series" of the aircraft and recently Eduard has released the "late series" boxing of those kits. At the time they released the "early series" they also released their own set of photoetch for that model.
Now Brengun has released a set of photoetch for the kit and this one is a little more comprehensive than the Eduard set.
There are some pieces that both photoetch sets contain, mainly for the cockpit (seat belts, side "consoles", different instrument panels based on the type, control column, etc.) but there are pieces on both sets the other doesn't have. For example with the Eduard photoetch you receive rigging; not so on the Brengun set. Brengun offers more accurate bomb racks (the kit just consists of a "peg" you glue the bomb to) as well as the head rest for the later "4 Series" aircraft. They also include rudder control-cable photoetch, which will look better than the kit-supplied plastic.
While I think the Eduard side "consoles" will be easier to install, the fact Brengun has you build theirs up will actually look more realistic. All of the internal structure is "molded with" the "tubular" structure on the Eduard set, making this appear quite 2-D. With the separate parts in the Brengun set I think it will look better.
But in all honesty I can't recommend one over the other. Since the Eduard kit provides rigging, that fact itself makes that set worth tracking down. The fact Brengun provides a more 3-D appearing side "consoles" and bomb racks makes me recommend that set for those reasons, amongst others. So if you truly want to build a better-looking 1/144 Avia B.534 you'll just need to pick up both sets of photoetch.
My thanks to Brengun for sending the set to review.