Su-27 Flanker B
Wheel Bays
 

1/32 scale for Trumpeter

Aires
 

Deserving closer examination

At a first very casual glance there doesn't appear to be a great deal of improvement over the kit parts but a close look immediately makes one realise just how good these are. Armed with all of the reference photos I have available to me, I closely compared the kit parts and their Aires counterparts with the real thing. The Aires sets are as close to the real thing as it gets. Real close. In fact with the quality of all of the Aires sets for the Flanker I may seem like a unabashed promoter of all things Aires, and I take no shame in openly admitting it.

Aires part (left) with Trumpeter kit part

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

I am a firm fan of the products they have released for the Su-27 and from now on I will not consider another resin detailing set until I have seen the Aires version if they are doing one.

All of the plumbing in the wells has been painstakingly reproduced and the accurate depiction of the different textures of the conduit insulation is a marvel. The larger parts are direct replacements for the kit parts and look like they will fit with very little effort.

I was very impressed wit the fact that the wells themselves have the walls already attached and will basically only need to be stuck into place on the kit. The same is the case for the nose wheel well, which will only need to be cut from it’s casting block and fixed into position.

Short but Sweet

As is the case with the Nozzles set I recently reviewed, this will be a photographic intense review with not a great deal of text, as it isn't really necessary. Those who are familiar with the Flanker can see easily from the photographs how accurate this detailing set is and if you are unfamiliar with Flankers you wouldn't know the difference any ways.

It’s like Deja-vu all over again, but this set comes highly recommended by me. For £12.50 they aren't the cheapest resin set you will find, although I think the honeymoon with cheap Czech kits is over with their recent inflation in order to raise the standard of living and salaries to keep in line with the rest of the EU...er,.. well,.. there not so cheap anymore. However, the price is very reasonable compared to other manufacturers prices, and the quality is obvious.

Highly Recommended.
 

This set is available from most reputable stockists.
Mine came courtesy of David Hannant, to whom I am grateful - very grateful indeed!