I am probably one of three people on the planet that has not bought the Airfix 1/48 TSR-2. According to those who have, it is not at all a bad kit, but lacks in detail. OK, sounds fine to me. That is undoubtedly the reason that Pavla has put considerable effort into producing a replacement resin cockpit set for it.

The big change for Pavla is a move to this dark grey resin. Apparently, this is the latest trend and I have to assume that this is better resin than the older tan stuff. It certainly looks nice. The set is a complete replacement for the kit parts with new tub, sidewall detailing, rudder pedals, instrument panel control stick and seats. Thanks to the heavy tub being in the same bag as the more fragile parts, my control stick was broken from the base and one of the pull handles was broken from one seat. These were in the bag for the builder to glue back in place. All of this was in a zip bag inside a somewhat large cardboard box.

The set includes full instructions and a painting guide, though in some cases it is not very helpful. For instance, the instrument panel has for its guide to paint it with yellow, light grey, red and white, with no indication of just which is what. The only modification needed to the kit is to remove some small bulkheads behind the pilot and back seater.

It is all very nicely molded with minimal flash and a lot of small details molded into the parts. One that will very much add a lot to your TSR-2 kit.

May 2009

Review copy courtesy of the fine folks atPavla Models. Visit them at theirwebsite.

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