Jolly Roger Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I have a Tamiya F-15C coming to me, and I would like to try a resin cockpit for the first time. Which is the best fitting cockpit for this kit? I see two choices, Aires and Avionix. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Ron Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Good question Harold? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geedubelyer Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Hi JR, I cannot offer a recommendation but for what it's worth, most builds that I've seen that use the Aires set complain that Bay 5 is too short and leaves a gapof a couple of millimetres. What I can say is that the detail on the Aires sets is phenominal. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Roger Posted June 27, 2014 Author Share Posted June 27, 2014 Thank you geedubelyer, is bay 5 the one behind the pilot area with the avionics? Good to know the detail is good, but worry about a bad fit. Since this will be my first attempt at replacing kit parts, I wonder if I should get one that fits well. Has anyone used avionix parts before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vandy 1 VX 4 Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 JR The Aries cockpit has a fit issue as it is to wide!!!! You have to scrape the plastic and sand the resin till it fits! On the right side especially Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Youngtiger1 Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Danny, great info on the fit issues buddy, but what's with those nuts in the kit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Howie Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 No width issues with my Aires set but about 1.5mm to short which was fixed in 2 mins with some card. Great cockpits.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmel Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I've used the Aires set, too, and I can confirm it is too short. I also wasn't impressed with the accuracy of Bay 5. It was missing a few details in there that I had to add from scratch. Jake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Interesting input, Jake, as I intend to do a MOANG F-15, and would probably opt for the Aires set. How does the Avionix pit stack up, or have you had experience with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmel Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I've not personally used the Avionix cockpit, so I can't say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 OK, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Roger Posted June 28, 2014 Author Share Posted June 28, 2014 Thank you everyone for your input and assistance, sounds like the Aires set is probably my best option. One further question I have. I see Aires has both an early and a late cockpit, does anyone know the difference between them, and how would I decide which I need for a particular jet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Smitty44 Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 (edited) I used the Avionix pit in this F-15C and to my recollection went in just fine. The Bay 5 section is a tad heavy so gluing it in place is tricky but we love tricky stuff after all. In comparison I always notice the detail in Avionix pits is just slightly rough around the edges so to speak and not as crisp as Aires. This build also includes the Wolfpack MSIP update , which is important depending on what Eagle you are depicting. Edited June 28, 2014 by Smitty44 Jolly Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Williams Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 Thank you everyone for your input and assistance, sounds like the Aires set is probably my best option. One further question I have. I see Aires has both an early and a late cockpit, does anyone know the difference between them, and how would I decide which I need for a particular jet? The only difference in the sets is the instrument panel, pre-MSIP, or MSIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghatherly Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 I have used both sets and they have their good and bad points: Aires: to short front and back. You have to line up the fire wall between the pilot bay and bay 5 and that leaves you short on both ends. The front is hidden with the cowling and the canopy. The rear van be fixed by cutting the side and rear bulkhead free down the side and inserting a wedge shaped spacer forcing the top of the bulkhead back to meet to the aft deck. You can just fill it in by it looks funny and out of scale if that is a concern to you. the set is very wide and the side panels need to be wafer thin to get the front of the fuselage to come together without forcing the opening to bow out and leave the opening wider than the canopy frame. The Aires Late set only gives you the MSIP panel with the MFD fire control vs the original analog controls. You still get the early C cowling, and bay 5 electronics. Avionic. : the seat is garbage and for an F-16, throw it away. There is a lot of resin to be removed but the bay 5 is for a late MSIP electronic package. The set is more accurate but quality can vary greatly in the set. There is no cowling. If you used the Avionix set get the Wolpack MSIP set that gives you the exterior upgrades, plus the correct instrument panel and cowling, that to me is the best solution, but not cheap. Hope this helps. Gary Jolly Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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