Still filing and sanding. Fit is getting a little better, but still experiencing wheel well collision. I suppose if I keep at it ti will fit eventually. RESIN COCKPITS BETTER BE WORTH THIS EFFORT!!! OK. End rant.
Not all resin is created equal. Aires is kinda well known for some marginal fits.
Regards, Rick
You win some, you lose some. Some resin cockpits are a tremendous improvement over stock, others are not. I am generally not real crazy about them unless the parts from the kit are real bad. Hang in there, it’s bound to get better. [alien]
Tankmaster,
I have used several sets of Aires wheel wells, eg Mustang, Skyhawk, Phantom, F-84, etc. I’m still working on the skyhawk. The Mustang took a long time to get the clearance for the top half of the wing to fit. I sanded the wheel well part until it was thin enough to see through, then had to sand off some of the inner surface of the top half of the wing to get the final clearance. Be patient and it will all be worth while.
The resin wheel wells look much better and more realistic rhan the kit wheel wells. So far every one of them have had a large mass of casting block that has to be sanded off in order to get the parts to fit. On the plus side the cockpit kits have taken very little extra work to get them to fit in the fuselage. The cockpit kits are also a great improvement.
I find that the resin is much easier to work with than the photo etched parts, but the photo etched stuff also adds realism and if the parts were resin they would be to delicate to work with, eg canopy mirrors.
So, keep at it. Sand a little and test fit until it fits just right. I got to a point to where I would run the emory board over the part just one time and then test the fit. This applies to the model part as well as the resin part. Both have to be perfect.
Remember you can easily sand more away, but putting some back takes a whole lot more work. I learned the hard way and had to fill gaps with .005 and .010 plastic sheet stock to fix my aggressive sanding. So again, be patient. In the end the results make it worth while. rangerj
Do’nt give up. There is light somewhere at the end of the tunnel, if you find the end. That’s why I do’nt look forward to building the multimedia kits in my stash. But one day I know I too must face the “RESIN MONSTER”.
You’re not alone - I’ve done the Mustang wheelwell sandpaper shuffle, and both the resin part & the kit part have been sanded so they’re wafer thin. I sanded both the upper & lower wing on mine to get it in there, which was quite a scary experience!
The worst Aires has got to be the for the cockpit/bomb-bay & gun bay for the Tamiya 1/48 Mosquito. Fitting all three of those items in requires MASSIVE patience, and shares in a sand paper company. I’ve still not closed the fuse on mine, having become VERY despondent… I’ll get it done one day!
Sometimes you will find that the light at the other end of the tunnel is a train! Remember this is a hobby. We are having fun and relaxing. Right? Are we having fun yet? Now I can go back to looking for that little PE part I dropped last night. Cheers, rangerj
well. I’ll get ona good history channel show and then sand sand sand. I think Verlinden or CAM for me next time. On the bright side, the resin parts are BEAUTIFUL. And I mean AMAZING. The detail is truly outstanding.
I think I can see the reflection of a light on a series of mirrors posiytioned around the bend in the tunnel!!! Just a couple mroe hours of sanding and I think it should fit!!! not time for rejoicing yet though. uhoh, that light is moving towards me!! LOL.