review North star Hobbies 1/48 resin Cockpit/Canopy Detail Set Hobbycraft Arrow NSE 48-001

It has been a long wait for an Aftermarket set like this to become available for the Hobbycraft kit. Being a big fan of this Aircraft I have had to endure a not so great kit in this scale (even the new and improved new tool kit).

In steps North Star Editions www.northstarhobbies.com with their first leap into the aftermarket world and I will say that it is quite impressive for my first look at this Multi-Media kit.

This is a multi-media set which includes; 4 page Very Clearly Drawn B&W Instruction sheet, Resin, Photo-etch, Brass tubing and Laser cut Acetate.

The resin is well done, but there will need to be work. Well what do I mean by work you ask?

The resin has been cast so that the parts are in a thin layer of flash. This is a different approach than the usual parts being attached to the pour stubs. While the small parts are attached to pour stubs the larger parts are suspended in the flash. The intention here I suppose is that clean-up of the part is minimal and the loss of detail to sanding is also kept to a minimum. This method looks good on the majority of my kit except on the forward clamshell canopy doors. It looks as though the part in my kit has a bit of a build up of flash as you can see in the picture.

The laser cut acetate is a very nice addition and the attention to detail is very apparent in this kit. The photo etch is near perfect with the addition of a plate that you can mount on a base if you want to make a diorama. The brass tubing for the canopy mechanism is a good feature also.

The one thing about this kit is that it can be a kit in itself, meaning that it was designed to be a great addition to an already built Arrow with the cockpit being a cut out. The addition of the cockpit frame is included if you so choose to go this route.

The 4 pages of instructions are pretty clear and coherent (in French and English) with FS paint references at the beginning. I would suggest a read through prior to starting the build.

Now this is not a kit for the modeler on a strict budget at $75 CAD this is quite an investment for a $30 CAD kit. So do I recommend it? Certainly if you are a big enough fan of the Aircraft and you do not want to scratch build the details. This kit is surely well thought out and is suitable for more novice modelers. I don't think a 14 year old would be able to afford to purchase this kit. (Which is the recommended age that would begin to understand this kit on the instructions).

Click on images below to see larger images

Click on images below to see larger images