Aires

1/48 F-16CJ Block 50 Fighting Falcon Cockpit For the Tamiya Kit

Stock Number: 4346

Reviewed By  Charles Landrum, IPMS# 26328

MSRP: $35.00 www.aires.cz Now that Tamiya has come onto the modeling scene with its F-16CJ kit, Aires has stepped up to offer a resin cockpit for it. Well engineered and cleanly cast in durable resin, the package also includes a small fret of PE details, and film for the instruments. Again Aires has takes a minimalist approach by casting as many details into the cockpit tub as possible. There are only 11 parts in this set, 9 in resin, one fret of PE, and the film. The tub is a gem, with the back plate for the ejection seat and the canopy actuation mechanism all molded in the same piece. I still don't know how they cast so much detail into the tub and still get it out of the mold! I could not find any imperfections in the casting. The instrument panel is cast integral to the coaming, with PE making up most of the detail. It fits tightly onto the cockpit tub. The sidewalls have locating indentations in the cockpit tub to allow for better alignment, providing a seamless fit. The ejection seat is also nicely detailed, with the seat belts provided in PE. While I prefer molded seatbelts, the advantage to these is that you can add a crew figure, if desired, without having to modify the seat. The PE fret, in addition to the details for the IP and seat, provides rudder pedals and the HUD.

The detail set instructions are clear with respect identifying the parts and assembly. The only modification one has to make to the kit is to remove the molded sidewall detail and the area of the kit cockpit behind the seat. The instructions do not provide color callouts. I did a dry fit of the assembled tub into the Hasegawa kit and found it to be a near drop-in fit. The only real issue I have with this fine set is the complexity of the PE harnesses. The harnesses are etched in individual straps and buckles, so you have to be dexterous with small parts in order to thread the straps through the buckles. In all, this set is a significant improvement over the kit cockpit. The engineering and casting of the resin are first-rate and make it a good value for the money. By molding it in gray resin, you don't have to worry about cream-colored resin showing through if you scratch a painted component. Strongly recommended!

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