Cobus Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 Ok, so I am building the Hasegawa F-22A Raptor in 1/48 scale, and I added some aftermarket goodies such as Brassin Wheels, and Aires Cockpit, Wheel Wells and Exhaust Nozzles. Problem is that the fit of the Wheel Wells and Exhaust Nozzles are atrocious (or I am missing something). Nozzle kit part: Aires part: Nice fat gap, and no, the supplied photo etch doesn't nearly fill the gap. Aires wheel wells, doesn't matter how I move them around, there remains quite a gap. If I move it to close the gaps on the left: and closing the gaps on the right: Matchups between kit and resin parts: Now I know resin aftermarket fits aren't that great, but surely this is not acceptable? Or am I missing some trick? And these are definitely for the Hasegawa kit: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fight's On Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 I have faced the same problems with almost any Aires set I purchased. Totally disappointed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 Aires is Czech for "Doesn't fit". Would never buy their stuff again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
markiii Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 The Aires nozzle in your pic is missing a smaller resin piece that covers that gap. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 I won't buy any more Aires stuff. Every single piece I've ever had has been like that. I've ruined two Hasegawa Phantoms trying to get their wheel wells to fit, and they simply don't. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobus Posted February 27, 2016 Author Share Posted February 27, 2016 The Aires nozzle in your pic is missing a smaller resin piece that covers that gap. I was referring to the gap on the sides, not the bottom ;) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foxmulder_ms Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 Yep, I learnt it hard way too.. total waste of money. I used the photo etched parts though... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MoFo Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 Shrinkage. I'd send those pics to AiRes and request replacements. There's a big difference between "difficult to use because you have to reduce the plastic to scale thickness" and "pyhsically too small to be usable", and these are the latter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
markiii Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 I was referring to the gap on the sides, not the bottom ;)/> Oh, my mistake. I don't remember having that issue on my set. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
swimmer25k Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 I ditched the Aires wheel bays for the same reason and pseudo-scratch built my own. The PE for the exhaust trunks is also a huge PITA. The only Aires parts worth a damn were in the cockpit set. Even there I had fit problems. Below is a link to my WIP over on Zone Five. http://zone-five.net/showthread.php?t=14052 Chris Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jinxter13 Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 (edited) I can't speak for all Aires stuff, but their seats and cockpits for the 1/48 Vipers requires overtime. Good luck with your Raptor; once you get the Aires stuff sorted ;) . Edited February 28, 2016 by #1 Greywolf Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JeffreyK Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Get in touch with Aires by email, supported by your pictures and measurement figures. I have done so in the past regarding a very similar problem and received replacement parts that were considerably larger and DID fit. Jeffrey Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fly-n-hi Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 (edited) Does the nozzle set come with the PE "sidewall" parts for the exhaust? If yes, then the nozzle pieces do need to be a bit narrower. Although, yours look really narrow. I also bought the wheel well set and ended up using the nose wheel bay only. I think it was the only part I used out of the entire set. Total waste of money! I used the Aires cockpit and after some really minimal trimming it went in very well. If I remember correctly the only part that didn't fit was the part that inserts up into the canopy...so I just used the kit part. I also used the kit HUD because the PE HUD looked way too big to my eyes. I ended up being happy with this set and I'd recommend it. The Brassin wheels were fantastic and I think you're gonna be very pleased with them! Here are a a few pics of the Aires cockpit: Be aware that the Aires cockpit does need the bottom sanded down to make it fit. It bumps against the wheel well part. That can be sanded down as well. Here's a pic of the gap in the fuselage before sanding: Edited February 28, 2016 by Fly-n-hi Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thegoodsgt Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 This is why I've mostly decided to avoid buying any resin aftermarket. I'd rather stretch my skills and embellish what's provided in the kit than struggle with gaps and ill-fitting parts. Steven Brown Scale Model Soup Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlanM Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Aires has sets for both the Hasegawa and Academy F-22s. You don't suppose they got mixed up somehow? I have both, I'll have to check. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vodnik Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Aires has sets for both the Hasegawa and Academy F-22s. You don't suppose they got mixed up somehow? I have both, I'll have to check. More likely they just relabeled the older sets designed for Academy kit and now sell them as sets for Hasegawa. It is their SOP... I have seen it with a few seta before (eg. Cockpits for Hasegawa F-16 sold as sets for Tamiya kit :( ). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
skyhawk174 Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 More likely they just relabeled the older sets designed for Academy kit and now sell them as sets for Hasegawa. It is their SOP... I have seen it with a few seta before (eg. Cockpits for Hasegawa F-16 sold as sets for Tamiya kit :(/> ). Wow, thanks for that idea Vodnik. I did not even think of that. I have both kits but no aftermarket yet except decals. Good to know that this swapping may be the problem. Reminds me of another manufacturer who simply renamed his update set originally made for the Italeri kit when the Tamiya version came out. Of course in the case of this model, the Tamiya kit was more accurate and the pieces did not fit as advertised. I guess you have to be aware of these things but to be honest why should we. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scooby Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 More likely they just relabeled the older sets designed for Academy kit and now sell them as sets for Hasegawa. It is their SOP... I have seen it with a few seta before (eg. Cockpits for Hasegawa F-16 sold as sets for Tamiya kit :(/> ). Yup, I discovered they did that with the Hasegawa F-16 sets, they re-labeled them as Tamiya, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlanM Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 (edited) I have both nozzle sets and the wheel well set for Hasegawa. Couldn't find the well set for Academy but I'm sure I have it. Any way the nozzle sets are different. Everything between the 2 sets are different although the exhaust petals are almost identical except for the interior surface and the scribing on the outside. Academy on the left, Hasegawa on the right. Edited March 1, 2016 by AlanM Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vodnik Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 I have both nozzle sets and the wheel well set for Hasegawa. Couldn't find the well set for Academy but I'm sure I have it. Any way the nozzle sets are different. Everything between the 2 sets are different That's even worse - so they make a dedicated set and it STILL doesn't fit... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
swimmer25k Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 I won't buy any more Aires stuff. Every single piece I've ever had has been like that. I've ruined two Hasegawa Phantoms trying to get their wheel wells to fit, and they simply don't. They do. Sort of. Just lots of grinding and sanding, but you'll get them in there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 (edited) I'm done with them... It's just not worth the effort, and frankly, it's not unreasonable to expect a much higher quality product in this day and age. You shouldn't have to spend a lot of money on something, then have to fight with it to make it even come close to working, which in the case of Aires stuff (in my experience) it simply doesn't. Edited March 3, 2016 by Jennings Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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