Aires always releases some fantastic resin and photo-etch accessories, adding a great deal of detail to the finished model. Much excitement surrounded Kinetic when they released a 1:48 EA-6B Prowler, newly tooled. This cockpit set adds a substantial additional level of detail to the kit.

First, let’s take a look at a little history and nomenclature so you can decide if this is the correct kit for you. The EA-6B has gone through five upgrades, six if you count the canceled ADVCAP. Each changed the internal cockpit layout, sometimes drastically, and the electronic equipment that was carried. From the exterior most of the various upgrades can be spotted by the differing antenna fits, so this makes it a little easier for the modeler wanting to replicate a particular aircraft without having to crawl through the cockpit.

Several great books have been published covering the EA-6B, so I won’t go into an exhaustive breakdown of each, but we will stick with what pertains to this review. Aires named this pit the “ICAP-2 early”, which means it is for an ICAP-2 Block 82 airframe. The ICAP –2 Block 82 was introduced in January, 1984 and débuted the ALQ-99F jamming system. Also, a new internal navigation system was installed, replacing the Doppler system and its corresponding radar hump under the tail. ICAP-2 Block 82 production consisted of 35 new airframes, starting with BuNo 161776, with all previous EXCAP and ICAP-1 being upgraded as well. First cruise with ICAP-2 was done in the Mediterranean with VAQ-137 between September, 1985, and April, 1986, on the USS Saratoga. By the summer of 1989, all squadrons had transitioned to at least ICAP-2 Block 82, with VAQ-129 already moving to the Block 86 in 1988. What this means for the modeler using this set is that you are basically limited to low-vis, late 1980’s through Desert Storm era aircraft. The differences between the ICAP-1 and ICAP-2 cockpit are many, so do not use this pit for a “high-vis” gray over white scheme. Also note that the Kinetic kit builds out of the box as a Block 89 aircraft, so some external changes with the antennas and various air scoops will be needed.

In the box:

• 18 resin parts
• 1 PE fret
• 1 clear instrument film
• printed instructions

As expected, the parts are perfectly cast in resin, with the larger parts being in a firmer dark gray and the smaller parts in a less rigid cream-colored resin. The photo-etch fret is small, but packed with small details, including portions of the instrument panel, seat belts, mirrors, and other bits. From the looks of it, a good ¾ of the fret goes to the four ejection seats.

Using a couple of references on hand, I did a detailed examination of the parts and the cockpit layout. It appears that Aires was economical in its approach, casting ICAP-2 common items in resin, while providing some of the differences in photo etch. In this way they can use the same resin tub for at least two or three versions. However, for the exacting detail fanatic, this could limit your use even further. The ECMO-1 right console (front right crew station) has the HARM control panel installed. This was started with BuNo 162225, and standardized on block 86 and beyond. I haven’t seen any photos of pre-Desert Storm EA-6B’s carrying the HARM, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t capable. I have no idea how many former EXCAP and ICAP-1 airframes were given the HARM capability with the ICAP-2 upgrade, but for me personally, I won’t be sweating it too much. Just be aware that the control panel is in there. However, this does mean that you could cheat a little and use this cockpit with a few slight modifications for an ICAP-2 Block 86 aircraft and none would be the wiser. (Note: Aires makes a “late” pit, #4487 as well)

The only other issue was that the rear CRT displays in the ECMO-2 and 3 stations seem to be slightly undersized. It may just be a bad comparison between photos and the resin, but if you have a real EA-6B cockpit handy, feel free to measure that and let me know!

Overall though, comparing the resin to the plastic parts, it is a HUGE improvement. The fact that there is that much improvement gives some commentary to the level of detail in the kit parts, which is somewhat disappointing on a kit that retails for around $80 and is a “new tool” kit. However, the resin parts completely make up for the shortcoming and are far beyond just some dressing up of the kit parts with a few bits. One can tell that those making the masters at Aires did this pit from scratch, and not just modifying the kit parts for a nominal improvement. I’ll let the photos speak further, as the difference between resin and plastic is huge.

Test fit:

A quick test fit into the Kinetic kit showed it to actually fit very well. You may be delighted to hear that there is no resin sidewall detail to install, as the kit detail is pretty adequate. This means a little removal of material on the alignment tab out of the kit and on the casting block on the underside of the resin, and this cockpit set is almost a direct replacement for the kit parts. That makes a nice change of pace for the usual adventure of installing aftermarket resin parts.

Conclusion:

This is a vast improvement over the kit parts and, with the right references, allows the modeler to backdate the Kinetic kit to a Block ICAP-2 block 82 aircraft. Many will wonder if this set is worth the cost and, at almost ½ the cost of the kit, it is a fair question. In this case, if you plan on poising the canopy in the open position then this set is a must, as the kit parts leave a lot to be desired. As one final note, I know from experience that dealing with the load of PE parts on the ejection seats can be a bear. If you find that daunting, I would suggest using Quickboost’s F-14A/B ejection seats which have the belts molded as part of the resin, or replacing the Aires seats with another full resin seat of your choosing. The GRU-7EA used in the EA-6B is similar enough to the GRU-7A that few will notice. Just install the correct pull handle. Our thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the review sample!