Thanks everyone!
I started to get a game plan together this evening. I've removed most of the interior surface features from the fuselage halves to accept the resin cockpit, and then of course I had to dig that out of the box to admire if nothing else.
Curiosity got the better of me and I also got out the Aires cockpit for the A-7D, since I've got both kits, just to see how different they are from each other. For purposes of the comparison I'm looking at the casting and resin, not the differences between the D and E. Both are extremely well cast. The BB cockpit is in traditional yellow resin whereas the Aires is in a gray resin that really looks more like plastic. Having read some reviews of both I fear that the BB version is a tougher fit requiring a good deal of shaping, sanding, cursing and test fitting. We'll see.
The Black Box cockpit:
And the Aires:
Both side-by-side:
One really big difference is that the side-walls are molded into the tub on the Aires. This is probably helpful when it comes to installation, but sure seems like a nightmare to try to paint!
Both are chock full of details, and both quite crisply molded, but the Aires probably edges ahead in crispness as well. There are in fact so many details in these cockpits I immediately start to envision the painting process. It should be great fun, just hope I'm up to doing it justice!
Truth is I've had SLUF-on-the-brain for some time now which may have dampened my enthusiasm for other projects I'd been trying to get done. Who knows what sparks builder's slump? 
