Aires

1/48 Saab Draken Super Detail Set For the Hasegawa J35F Draken

Stock Number: 4396

Reviewed By  Michael Novosad, IPMS# 36721

MSRP: $76.95 Website: www.aires.cz The Aftermarket Parts: The parts are supplied in a small, zip-lock bag. A fret of photo-etched parts and an instrument panel transparency are also provided in a separate bag. All are packaged in a small, sturdy cardboard box, with an image of the contents on the face of the box. The buyer will know what they are getting without opening the box. Nice idea. The resin parts are furnished with three pages of instructions. The first page is a breakdown of the replacement parts, with the casting blocks shown shaded, indicating the limits of removal. Each resin part is identified with a number, the photo etch parts are numbered on the fret, and the film parts all have letters to identify those parts. None of the PE parts are pre-painted. The second page addresses the instrument panel, the ejection seat, the canopy mirrors, cockpit assembly, and the four speed brakes located at the aft end of the fuselage. The last page covers the afterburner can, the wheel wells, the wings’ flight surfaces and the right wing weapons compartment The instructions do not offer painting information, nor do they identify any of the parts by name. Now, using the steps noted in the instructions as a guide, we will look at the aftermarket parts and compare them to the kit parts, where appropriate. Each step is displayed in an exploded view, with the aftermarket parts and kit parts identified. When portions of the kit part must be removed that information and the limits of the removal are clearly shown. Several of my review comments are speculative, as I was not building the Draken model and installing the aftermarket parts as part of the build. The required work to use the individual parts will certainly be better determined during an actual build. So if some of my interpretation is later found to be misleading, that is not my intent. The proof is always in the build. The modeler’s level of experience and skills will determine how many of the aftermarket parts would be used. Instrument Panel. The instrument panel and front coaming are one resin part. There will be some careful removal of surplus casting material from the underside of the part. There is a vertical, notched panel below the coaming that will fit onto a mounting tab on the fuselage underside. The instrument panel is comprised of three films and three PE parts. One additional film and PE part are mounted on the top of the coaming. This is a vast improvement over the kit parts. Ejection Seat. The ejection seat is a single part with a casting plug on the bottom side. A fine-toothed razor saw should remove this plug without too much difficulty. The seat is finely detailed on all surfaces, including wrinkles in the surfaces of the cushions. Several (about 12 or 13!!) small PE parts make up the seat belts and hardware. This will be a very busy little sub-assembly, but worth adding to the model.

Canopy. The PE mirrors are attached to the canopy front frame. This detail always helps add some realism to a model. A good move on Aires part to supply these bits. Cockpit Assembly. The cockpit tub is a single casting with the control stick and throttle cast as integral parts. Nicely done, and with fine, distinct detail. A spare control column is also included, just in the event the in-place column is broken during painting. The instrument panel is fixed to the cockpit tube, along with PE rudder pedal and bar. The left sidewall panel is also shown being installed, but my initial review raises some question on how this part (RP-3) is actually attached to the tub. A caution flag on this step may be in order. The top portion of the cockpit’s rear bulkhead must be removed from the top half of the fuselage to accommodate the rear portion of the resin tub. This is a big improvement over the kit parts. Speed Brakes. Installing the open speed brakes on the top and bottom fuselage halves will require some careful surgery of the kits parts. A resin part is provided for the interior area of each of the four speed brakes, with the brakes themselves are made up of a combination of a resin and PE part. The PE part more closely resembles the scale thickness of the aircraft skin. Nice, but may be challenging for many modelers. Afterburner Can. The afterburner can is a single, well-detailed part. A good-size casting lug must be removed from the base of this part. There are mounting notches on the outside of the can, similar to that on the kit part. The nozzle also has a casting plug that requires removal. The kit flame holder part is used along with the two resin parts. Note that no modifications to the kit is required to use these replacement parts. They are worth using. Wheels Wells. The wing wheel wells and nose well are highly detailed. Installation of these three parts will require careful removal of the wheel wells molded as part of the fuselage bottom half. The resin parts are not lacking for detail and, once again, are a vast improvement over the kit parts. Some excess casting material must be removed from each part here. Test-fitting of these parts is recommended before fixing in place. Check the fit of the top and bottom fuselage halves with the wing wells in place. This could be a tight fit. Replacement doors for the nose wheel well are also provided. A dry fit of one of the doors while it is still fixed to the casting block reveal a solid connection. Installing these doors should be done after the model has been painted and decaled. Aft Fuselage Flight Surfaces and Armament. Two resin flaperons are provided to replace the molded-in-place parts. Again, surgery is required to incorporate these parts into the build. The parts are cast with the trailing edges fixed to the casting block. Removal should not be difficult, although the trailing edges appear overly thick. Two PE fillers, with realistic lightening holes, are provided to fill the gap where the kit’s flaperons are removed. Again, another nice touch by Aires. Wing Flight Surfaces. Same comments as with the flaperons, but no PE parts are offered. The Kit Parts Pre-painting of the various aftermarket parts makes sense on a selected basis. Review each step and decide what must be painted before assembly. Where the resin parts instructions offer no painting instructions, the model’s instruction sheet fills the gap. Instrument Panel. The instrument panel is a separate part that is installed on the kit’s cockpit tub as shown in the first step of the kit’s instructions. This part included ample raised details representing dial faces and switches. The combing is an integral part of the fuselage top half and must be carefully removed to use the aftermarket parts. The aftermarket parts are a vast improvement over the less well-detailed kit parts. Installing this part should be worth the effort. Ejection Seat. The kit’s ejection seat is made up from four parts, with no photo-etch being offered. Again, the resin part is a vast improvement over the less-detailed kit seat. Replacement is recommended. Canopy. The kit canopy is comprised of a single clear part. There are no provisions for mirrors in the kit. Here, the aftermarket PE mirrors will certainly improve the looks of the canopy, especially when left open. Cockpit Assembly. The cockpit tub consists of six parts, including separate parts for the control column and throttle. The right wall panel is fixed to the tub, and there apparently is no left wall. Speed Brakes. The speed brakes on the model are represented by an engraved line. Utilizing the aftermarket parts will require the removal of the plastic within these four engraved areas. Some modelers may be inclined to skip this work, although if done well, the effort will create some interest to the aft portion of this aircraft. Afterburner Can. The afterburner can and nozzle are made from four parts: two halves of the can, the flame holder and the nozzle. The seam lines inside the afterburner will be difficult to remove, which make replacement with resin parts a must. The replacement parts are lightyears ahead of the detail provide in the kit parts. This is a go for replacement. Wheels Wells. The wheel wells are molded integral with the fuselage bottom half. Detail is adequate, but side wall detail is missing. Looks okay, but not realistic. It’s worthy of replacement with the resin parts. Aft Fuselage Flight Surfaces and Armament and Wing Flight Surfaces. The kit parts are molded in a neutral position, and for the modelers who wish to add some interest to their build removing these parts are replacing them with the resin parts will be worth the effort. Conclusion Although the kit parts are certainly adequate and will build a great model, the Aires resin parts are light years ahead of the kit parts. Not all modelers will want to use all the parts included (i.e. the speed brakes for example) and experience and skill will determine how far the modeler will go. Some careful surgery is required to remove kit parts to utilize the resin parts. Very highly recommended whether all or just some of the details are used. Thanks to Aires for this sample.