Aires

1/48 F-22 Wheel Wells For the Academy F22 kit

Stock Number: 4445

Reviewed By  Dave Morrissette, IPMS# 33653

MSRP: $24.95 Website: www.aires.cz To me, the acid test for aftermarket items is twofold. First, does it improve/correct the kit parts enough to justify the money that it costs and second, does it fit reasonably? Aires' latest release for the Academy 1/48th scale F-22 is a complete set of wheel wells- both main wells and the front well also. The set comes with the main gear bays and the front bay molded as one piece and they are perfectly cast. There are six add on resin parts to enhance the detail and also new front bay doors. Last, there is one photoetch part which is a brace in the set. So far we have superb casting and detail. As for fit, the main gear bays are direct replacements where you need to remove parts of the side braces from the kit parts and remove the casting plug from the resin and test fitting shows that the fit is very good. You can see from the pictures that the details in the Aires parts are a significant improvement. The front bay shows the same improvement in detail but the molded in bay will need to be removed and smoothed.

This set meets my aftermarket criteria with flying colors- a large upgrade in detail, good fit and at a very reasonable price. Recommended! My thanks to David Lajer and Aires for the review sample.