Aires

1/32 F-8J Crusader Cockpit set For the Trumpeter kit

Stock Number: 2106

Reviewed By  Rod Lees, IPMS# 10821

MSRP: $52.95 Website: www.aires.cz OK, I finally decided that IF I received this cockpit, I would buy a Trumpeter Crusader and either (1) do the ZOTZ sundowner, or (2) do a RF-8G. It's still in the air! Also, in order to do this right, I need an upgrade from Paul Fisher to modify the kit front end in either case… next month's budget cycle. There are 8 resin parts to the Aires upgrade; the cockpit tub, sidewalls, instrument panel, ejection seat, pull handles for seat ejection (kind of hard to miss this detail!), two rudder pedals, two vertical posts under the instrument panel, and one dual control stick (One stick controlled the radar for missile system, one was for flying the jet… you get the point). One finely detailed fret of photoetch is included as well. As you gaze upon my painted "parts", you may notice some missing items. (1) I am waiting for the Eduard upgrade to the instrument panel because, well, I am a ham-fisted cretin and willing to wait for the extra bits to make a difference. As they are, the AIRES instrument panel is ok, when painted, with the now-standard "Paint the back of the film, cut it out, and glue to the back of the instrument panel" item. It's ok, but not a favorite of mine. Have to say it: NOBODY does resin like AIRES… NOBODY. They have jumped to the front of the pack for resin details. That said, new color etch panels from EDUARD in my past builds tend to fit perfectly in AIRES parts, and is far beyond what I can do with a paint brush and patience. And the seat harness? Same thing. I can paint the Aires bits, or wait for Eduard. Either way, I can have a vastly improved cockpit. I shot a picture of the back of the ejection seat to highlight the detail on the catapult and rails. This seat, like all current AIRES seats, can be removed from the rails after assembly, because the rollers fit into the rails like the real thing. SO, for those who like "action" models, you could show an ejection sequence right before the jet hits the water. Or you can just admire the details… I shall not delve into cost; either you pay for someone else's time or you don't. In this case, it is worth it. Overall rating 9 of 10, because of standard unpainted photoetch, but the resin is 10/10. Well done AIRES!