For anyone building a 1/32 Eurofighter Typhoon, Aires’ latest release is a must-have. Anyone who has worked with Aires resin parts knows they are at the top of the industry for resin aftermarket parts. I recently had the opportunity with IPMS to review their resin cockpit set for the EF2000A, and the set was such a vast improvement that I jumped at the chance to see their new wheel bay set. Now, I should note, the set is recommended for the Revell EF2000 kit; however, I am comparing it to the Trumpeter kit. Now, Trumpeter kits are usually known for high detail and quality, but the Aires resin parts are far superior. The set comes in standard grey/beige resin and includes the nose and main gear bays and new door actuators. The bays are molded as one-piece, drop-in replacements for the multi-piece kit bays. The detail is amazing and, in a comparison to photos of the real thing, it seems Aires got every detail captured in resin.
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When I was a young boy, I was like many my age and played with toy soldiers. I remember the armies attacking each other and chipping the paint off a lot of them. My mother took me into Manhattan every Christmas to see all the toys at Macy’s, and the ones that fascinated me the most were the toy soldiers. I only wish I saved them all from my childhood. As I grew older and began painting military miniatures, I attended many figure shows and was totally in awe at the collections of toy armies displayed, but I had no idea of the value of them.
The Parts
Four Landing Probes (part # 5) are included in this kit but they are not to be found on the instruction sheet. One will notice a small slot on the underside of each of the landing pads. If one is going to display the LM in-flight, then the probes can be attached by using that slot. There are also two Egress Platforms, one to be used in the deployed position and I assume the other to be used for the in-flight position. The difference between the two parts is the angle between the locating pin on the undersurface of the Egress Platforms and the locating pin itself. Interestingly, if the model is to be displayed in the in-flight position, some surgery will be required on the landing gear.
First, THANKS goes to David Lajer at Aires for these review items! Aires is a long-time supporter and provider, and we at IPMS USA appreciate this working relationship (…and thanks also to Steve and Dave for allowing me to review the cool stuff!).
Master Box has done it again. This time they produce a four figure set of US Soldiers at a Checkpoint in Iraq.
The figures come in four different poses with multi parts to make up four complete figures. I would like to point out that the box art is superb and is terrific for use as a color guide. The only thing missing is the concrete barrier as shown on the box cover. The rear of the box is the layout of the parts and two figure views of each figure showing where the various parts belong.
I found the detail of the figures and accessories to be terrific, especially the weapons. The heads are separate from the helmets, too, making the well detailed faces easier. I also found the parts almost free of flash and required almost no cleanup before assembly.
After assembly, I primed the figure with Duplicolor Light Grey Automotive primer. This is my favorite as it dries very fast and does not obliterate any detail with a light coat.