Aires

1/48 - Spitfire Mk.V Cockpit Set For the Hasegawa kit

Stock Number: 4418

Reviewed By  Jack Wade, IPMS# 45604

MSRP: $23.50 Website: www.aires.cz In my opinion, Aires makes some of the nicest cockpit sets with just the right use of resin and photoetch to get the best out of each medium. This new set for the Spitfire Mk.V is no exception being beautifully cast and exquisitely detailed. Do be aware, this set is for the Hasegawa kit and not the Tamiya kit as I had mistakenly assumed. The resin parts are crisp and sharp with very good detail. They are easily removed from the casting materials and took paint nicely without the need for washing with soap and water as sometimes recommended. There are no color instructions given so you will have to use references for painting, but there is certainly no shortage of those on the web. All the resin parts fit nicely when glued together, as do the photoetch parts such as the instrument panel. There is an acetate instrument panel insert as well as glass for the gun sight included in the set. The mix of the three media yields a convincing result. The level of detail is second to none. It should be noted that the set does not offer the headrest cushion, but I understand that this is accurate for Spitfires manufactured from mid-1942 onward. The only real criticism I would offer on this set is that it does not provide an option for having the folding door posed open on the finished model. It would not be all that difficult to cut it out, but I think it would have been nice for Aires to offer an open door option to help better show off the detail in the cockpit. The seatbelts do not extend beyond the armor plate and I think this may be less than accurate. Also be aware that the instructions indicate that the two cylindrical bits behind the headrest should go in vertically, but references indicate the cylinders should be oriented horizontally; this is not difficult at all to address so long as you are aware of the discrepancy. Fitting the finished cockpit to the Hasegawa kit is a bit of a chore. It is your standard exercise in sand/fit/sand/fit and so on. I removed a great deal of material from the inside of the kit fuselage halves to thin them down enough to accept the replacement. I used a Dremel tool and, of course, there were some overshots that will require some work with filler and sand paper. Overall, the detail is as a wonderful sight to behold and well worth the effort. Fit is troubling as is typical for cockpit replacements, but nothing that can't be tackled with some careful, persistent work. I would recommend this set to someone interested in building the Hasegawa kit with the canopy open.