Santa brought me a Hasegawa 1/48 F-14A, I’ve been wanting to re-build this one for quite some time. I was working on one several years ago, and it fell victim to a sweet but clumsy Great Dane. (We now have NO pets in the house.)
I’ve checked what’s available at Squardron.com as far as aftermarket accessories, and I was wanting to get some feedback from you all.
Has anyone got experience with the Aires products? I see that there is a cockpit set and wheel bays (all that I’d be interested in).
I’ve heard quite a bit about Black Box stuff, but it doesn’t seem to be available. I’ll keep my eye out on eBay for it, if it’s any good.
Eduard: I see a lot of detail sets, some in color, but they all look to be PE. What are these, and has anyone used them?
Verlinden: I’ve used their seats for several F-4 Phantoms before, and I used their seats in my previous Hasegawa F-14. I like their seats, but do they make cockpit sets? Any other comments about Verlinden?
I guess I’m looking hard at Aries because that is what’s available. Thanks for all your input.
Generally Aires products are quite good. I’ve used a few of their cockpit sets and the detail is excellent. Fit can sometimes be an issue, but that goes for most resin aftermarket sets.
I’ve heard good things about black box cockpits, but have never used them myself.
Eduard usually only make photo-etch stuff. It’s good for really fine details, but not great for a total cockpit replacement. The good thing about Aires sets is that you usually get a small sheet of PE with it. It’s great for instrument panels and levers etc.
Don’t know about verlinden, so I can’t help you there.
I found some reviews of the sets on the aircraft resource center site:
BTW, why don’t you have a look at the F-14 group build (if you haven’t atready). It starts on January 1. There are some guys over there using the black box set for the tomact.
The Aires detail sets are generally high quality & include PE for instrument panels. Fit is sometimes an issue, but usually not too bad. Black Box is available from Squadron & quality is usually pretty good, although I think Aires is superior. The F-14 may be OOP, but they seem to re-issue every now & then. Verlinden is usually high quality, but pretty expensive for waht you get. Eduard is PE & high quality, but is intended to enhance, not replace, the basic kit parts. CMK is another good AM resin supplier, but I don’t recall if they do a set for the F-14.
What is a group build? I’m not familiar with that.
I’m thinking I’ll get the Aires cockpit set and be done w/ aftermarket stuff. I’ve been reading David Aungst’s review of the Hasegawa F-14 on Hyperscale, here’s the link if you’re interested:
I have done the Black Box cockpit set and it turns out to be a real gem. David Angusts’ article on Hyperscale is a must read for tihs.
I have the Aries set, but havn’t built with it yet. Looks spectacular however.
A group build is pretty much what the tile says: A bunch of modelers building the same subject, in this case the F-14. I plan on participating in the Tomcat build myself.
Just drop over there and say that you want to join up. There’s alot of discussion and stuff, the group build actually starts on January 1 now. It’s just a group of modellers building F-14 Tomcats and sharing their progress and pictures.