Now here is a set about which I know something. This is a full cockpit and operators section set for the Hasegawa S-3A Viking that has been reboxed as well by Revell AG. The set includes a full cockpit and aft operators section, four ejection seats, an instrument panel, overhead panel, rudder pedals, stairway and stairwell, and the operator's INCOS trays. A fire extinguisher is also included.

So how accurate is it? Well, they got a lot of it right. The general arrangement of the instrument panel, center console and the rear seat scopes and trays are pretty well as they were in the aircraft. I don't recall the black box in the entrance well nor the fire extinguisher in there as the extinguisher was behind the pilot. There also wasn't a mass of cables in the short passageway between the cockpit and operators positions on the left side. All that was behind plastic panels that were always in place. On the right side, the circuit breaker panel was only on the bottom third or so of that side with a section above it that held operating manuals and piddle packs and other important stuff. There was a curtain that could be drawn between the cockpit and operator's positions to block out light that isn't on the set. The set shows this curtain behind the rear seats. I don't recall there ever being one there as the passageway in the back led to the storage area and main internal avionics bay. To be accurate, that curtain should be removed. I should also mention that the rear screens didn't jut out the way they are shown. It was just like a TV set with the CRT pretty well flush with the mount.

My set also had some parts broken such as one of the control sticks and the canopy smashers on two of the four seats. Easy enough to fix. A really fine set that combined with their bomb bay/wheel well set will really make for a great Viking model in this scale.

May 2007

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

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