The Tamiya F-35 kits are some of the best in any scale so it is not unusual to see aftermarket companies produce parts to try and improve them. In this case, Aires has created a replacement set for the F-35A exhaust nozzle.

The Tamiya kit parts are really nice, so what does Aires offer to make you spend a bit more modeling money? Let’s take a look.

The set includes 3 resin parts, which are almost a direct drop-in replacement for the 4 parts Tamiya molded. The instructions indicate where you need to cut to remove the parts from the supports. You do have to trim a small bit off of kit part A5, but that is easily accomplished.

The resin parts are easily removed from the resin supports with a razor saw. I did this outside while wearing a respirator due to the resin dust created. I sprayed the inside of the exhaust pipe with white and did the detail painting following Tamiya’s instructions, since no painting instructions are included with the resin parts.

Background and Historical Notes

From The Kit Manufacturer’s Notes:

Bronco NOGS US Attack Aircraft

In 1970, two OV-10A Bronco aircraft were modified to evaluate their nighttime combat capabilities. The modification was designated NOGS—Night Observation Gunship System. The aircraft received an extended nose section with a turret housing a forward-looking infrared system and laser rangefinder (FLIR) in its lower half. Under the mid-fuselage, engineers mounted a turret with a 20mm General Electric M197 three-barrel cannon, which was aimed using FLIR.

In late 1970, both aircraft were sent to China Lake Air Base for testing, and by April 1971, they were deployed to Vietnam for combat trials. Operating as part of the light attack squadron VAL-4 “Black Ponies,” the aircraft conducted evening and night missions. The YOV-10D aircraft flew in various configurations: either in pairs, paired with an OV-10A, or with an escort of two OV-10A aircraft.

I enjoy taking older kits and finding ways to spruce them up – sand off the raised lines and engrave them, add rivets, make corrections or add missing parts, etc. When I saw these Yahu Models instrument panels, I had to give them a try!

I secured instrument panels for three different subjects – an F4F-4, a P-51 B/C, and a P-40 (N-20/N-40 Late). The F4F and P-51 panels were designed for Arma Hobby kits, and the P-40 for the Special Hobby kit. My experience with Arma Hobby kits led me to believe they probably wouldn’t be needed, especially if you are going to build with a closed canopy, and Special Hobby kits often include upgrades for items like this. My habit is to find items like these to spruce up older, less detailed kits. So, I pulled two Hasegawa kits (P-51 B and P-40 N) out of my stash, along with an Academy F4F. Both of the Hasegawa kits had a basic blank clump of styrene to lay a decal on, and the Academy kit had nothing.

Syhart Decals has released a decal sheet for a commemorative scheme flown by an RF-4E of the Hellenic Air Force when the aircraft was retired from service and the squadron was disbanded. The aircraft was repainted in a combination of black and dark blue and wore a complex scheme including the silhouettes of previous aircraft flown by the 348^th Squadron, the Greek flag, and “Spook”, the green-caped mascot associated with the “Phantom II”.

For the Greek flag, there is the option of using masks for the medium blue background and then another decal for the white stripes, or just two sets of decals (blue decals and then the decal with the white stripes on top of the blue decal). There is also a correction sheet with Spook, but honestly, I cannot find the difference between the original Spook and the corrected Spook.

From the Kovozávody Prostějov instructions,

Morane-Saulnier MS.A.1 (also Type A1) was a French parasol-wing fighter aircraft produced by Morane-Saulnier during World War I. A number of escadrilles were created to operate the AI, but by mid-May 1918, most of the aircraft were replaced by the SPAD XIII. After structural problems had been resolved, the aircraft were then relegated to use as advanced trainers, with new purpose built examples being designated MoS 30. Many were used post-war after having been surplussed off, as aerobatic aircraft, including one which was flown by Charles Nungesser.