Aires is known as the producer of excellent after-market and detail items, and this product lives up to that standard. Designed for use on the Hasegawa P-40M/N this product provides for both of the horizontal stabilizers and control surfaces. There are four parts in all, cast in a durable resin material.

Looking at the accompanying images, note that the image labeled, ” 2 Parts 1” shows the parts after having been removed from the package. One will notice some “flash” between the parts and the part carrier. Not to worry, that flash is easily removed with a sharp blade or a pair of cutters. All four parts were removed and cleaned up in under 5 minutes without the use of sandpaper. Study the image labeled, “3 Aires Parts Removed from carrier” to see one set of parts after having been cleaned up.

The image labeled, “4 Aires Parts Press-Fitted” shows one of the key features that makes these parts valuable. Note that there is a “square” attached to the control surface that fits into a square opening in the trailing edge of the horizontal stabilizer. While an expert modeler could do some surgery on the kit part, which comes as one piece rather than with a separate control surface, Aires makes that difficult and demanding surgery unnecessary.

The Aires parts compare perfectly with the kit parts. Look at the image labeled, “5 Aires Parts Top- Kit Part Bottom” and you will see that the Aires part (top) matches precisely to the Hasegawa kit part (bottom) in size and dimension.

The true measure of the quality of the Aires part is the fit into the fuselage of the Hasegawa kit. The image labeled, “6 Aires-Left and Kit Part-Right” shows the Aires parts on the left side and the kit part on the right side. The panel line detail is an exact match!

While the original Hasegawa parts are of excellent quality, if one wishes to “go all out” on this kit by articulating the control surfaces, the Aires Control Surface package makes that job much easier and without the loss of the slightest detail.

This product is highly recommended for the quality of detail molded on the parts, the near-perfect fit of the parts onto the Hasegawa fuselage, the fact that the modeler can easily set the angle of the control surfaces since the parts are molded separately, and the reasonable cost of the product.

Thanks to Aires for this review sample.