48483 is the first of three new resin accessory sets for the General Dynamics F-16 'Fighting Falcon' 

For the uninitiated, the 'parapack' tail was initially developed as a braking aid for use on F-16Cs purchased by members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) whose machines used short runways.  Other NATO F-16A users have been known to utilise the space designed for the parachute as a space for mounting avionic 'black boxes' and Cutting Edge have provided both a parachute and 'black box' with the set. 

The set provides six resin parts in all, five of them in the mid-grey resin that we are used to seeing from Cutting Edge, with the final part in clear resin.  The parts are: 

·        The parabrake housing tail (cast as a one-piece base and vertical stabiliser).

·        Parachute pack (to fit inside the housing).

·        ECM 'black box'.

·        Tail mounted floodlight.

·        Strobe light lens (cast in clear resin). 

The casting is well up to Cutting Edge's very high standards with no mis-casts, pinholes or warps.  The parts exhibit fine engraved panel line detail, the leading and trailing edges of the vertical stabiliser are straight and sharp, and the vents on the base of the vertical stabiliser have been cast with open. 

Cutting Edge is obviously targeting the hardcore F-16 fan with this set as there are no instructions provided at all. 

The smaller parts have been cast together and share the same pour plug.  The plug incorporates extra resin as a means of protecting the smaller parts in transit.  The parts are contained in a clear plastic zip-loc bag which is stapled to Cutting Edge's familiar black and yellow header card. 

Nice stuff from Cutting Edge.

Recommended.