Aires continues it release for the recent bounty of 1/32 Skyraider with a cockpit set for the Trumpeter AD-4 kit. The set consists of 7 gray resin parts, all of which are perfectly cast. One of these, the gun sight, is not used for the Trumpeter kit. The set also has a photoetch fret with 26 pieces with the instrument panel and seat belts making up the majority. Lastly, there is a film sheet with the instruments printed on it and having parts for a gun sight which is also not used.

Preparation is fairly straightforward with the main cockpit floor needing the aft pour sprue removed. In this step, you need to be careful of the knobs on the throttles and any other protruding parts of the instrument panels. They are fragile and I broke off a few and had to scratch build them. The front bulkhead with the cast in place rudder pedals could be sanded but should fit without sanding. The instrument panel and sidewalls need carefully cut free as well as the instrument coaming. The seat needs removed from its pour spout also. Lastly, the control stick and the side frames to the rudder pedals need removed. I cleaned everything up with a sanding stick and were ready to move onto the seat belts.

The photoetch seat belts are made from 19 parts and require a lot of threading through spaces and bending. Once complete, they look superb. I gave all the parts a shot of Alclad gray primer and let it dry. The cockpit, front bulkhead/rudder pedals and side walls were painted dark gull gray. A side note here- I found some pictures with the cockpits all black and some others with the dark gull gray so I elected for the gray. It is also what the Trumpeter kit calls for in colors. The instrument panels and the fuse box was picked out in black as well as the seat back. A clear coat was applied followed by an oil wash. This was let dry and a flat coat sprayed. I then picked out the red and yellow buttons and handles as well as using a colored pen to highlight all the masterfully cast buttons and dials. The front bulkhead was weathered with some silver pencil and added to the cockpit. The sidewalls also were painted with black instruments and washed and drybrushed.

The seat belts were painted and then glued into placed. The seat and belts were washed and the silver used to pick out the buckles and harnesses. This was glued into the cockpit and flat coated once again.

Lastly, the instrument panel was sprayed black and so was the photoetch cover. The film was painted white on the reverse side and then cut out and sandwiched with the resin and photoetched parts. The knobs were highlighted with a silver pencil and the instrument panel added to the cockpit.

The cockpit looks great and is an improvement to the Trumpeter kit. The set is virtually the same as the ones for the other Trumpeter version and also for the Zoukei Mura set. The main differences are the instrument panel and coaming which for this version do not have the gun sight.

The Aires set is a significant improvement. The instruments have better detail and the rudder pedals are correct in their look versus the Trumpeter kit. The seat and belts are also much improved so this set is definitely recommended.

My thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the chance to reivew this excellent set.