Aires

1/48 J35 Draken Wheels and Paint Masks For the Hasegawa kit

Stock Number: 4405

Reviewed By  Michael Novosad, IPMS# 36721

MSRP: $10.75 Website: www.aires.cz The Replacement Parts The parts are packaged in a clear plastic envelope, with the instruction sheet inside, and a fold-over heavy paper stock backing. The front of the instruction sheet has images of the resin wheels, and the "photo-etch" masks. These replacement parts are intended to replace the Hasegawa 1/48th kit’s main gear only.

The instructions show a five-step process for painting the wheels using the masks. The masking material is not photo-etch as noted in the packaging, but rather self-adhesive vinyl rings and discs. The masks are very similar to Eduard’s canopy masks. Although the instructions show only the masking rings being used, it struck me that, if a modeler wished to paint and weather the wheel hubs first and paint the tires later, the discs could be used to mask the hubs. Going this route would avoid the use of a liquid masking agent as noted in the instructions. Comparing the Kit Parts to the Resin Replacement Parts

The Hasegawa kit main gear wheels are comprised of two parts per main wheel. The detail is a bit soft, but acceptable. Once the halves are glued together, some cleanup of the seam would be required. The main gear are glued into a small, rectangular opening on the inboard side of each wheel.

The resin wheels are cast on a common resin block, with thin webbing connecting the wheels to the casting block. The detail on the resin wheels is crisp, with more detail than included on the kit wheels. A fine razor saw is required to remove the wheels from the casting block. A fine-to-medium buffing pad should remove any rough surfaces. Once again, the main gear are glued into a small, rectangular opening on the inboard side of each wheel. This is a nice touch by the manufacturer. Conclusion Although I stated the kit wheels are adequate, the Aires resin wheels are, by far, superior in detail to the kit parts. These wheels are highly-recommended for the ultimate Draken build. In checking through my reference image collection, I found the image at right of a Draken main wheel and landing gear. [ed.note: here’s the online link] This just reinforces the positive recommendation for these aftermarket parts. Thanks to the wonderful folks and great craftsmen at Aires for this opportunity to review these parts.