Subject: Re: Two Mikes' New Hawk intake set review Part 1 of 3 (due to 12 hi-res photos!)
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 5 Jul 2010 10:39:05 -0700

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: [email-masked] 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 7:12 PM
  Subject: Two Mikes' New Hawk intake set review Part 1 of 3 (due to 12 hi-res photos!)

  Two Mikes Resin Accessories
  1/48 scale BAe Hawk Full Depth Intake Combo Set
  designed for the Airfix T.Mk1 Hawk and Hawk 100 kits.

  product #48-035
  $28.00 from Two Mikes 
  Product Article by PlasticWeapons

  A little over a year ago, Two Mikes resin accessories released a corrected intake resin set (#48-018) for the 1/48 scale Airfix BAe Hawk kits (T.Mk1 and Hawk 100 series kits). Now available at Two Mikes is resin set #48-035. Two Mikes touts this new resin set as an “industry first” for the Airfix Hawk kits. At the time of this review, it is the first and only full resin intake detail set available for the Airfix kit on the market. With this set, not only will you improve the look of your Hawk kit intakes, you can now peer down the intakes and see the engine compressor face! Wow!  

  Set #48-035 consists of left and right forward intake parts, left and right fuselage parts, an engine compressor face, and a dorsal spine replacement which replaces kit part #47. The review set I received in the mail here at the Plastic Weapons factory was safely packaged and undamaged. The resin parts were all bubble free and smoothly cast in a medium gray color (think Tamiya medium gray XF-20 or Model Master light sea gray). I really admire the way this intake set was mastered! Most modelers are accustomed to having install intake tubes, in this set the intake ducting is built into the resin fuselage parts! Nice touch Two Mikes. In addition, the upper, fuselage resin parts feature the subtle metal skin wrinkling characteristic of the BAe Hawk. How’s that for attention to detail?
    
  Instructions provided by Two Mikes is clear and straight forward. Begin by removing the resin parts from their casting blocks with your favorite razor saw or scriber, but take care in cutting off the forward intake parts as they are attached very close to their casting blocks. I accidentally removed a little portion of the left forward intake part on mine while freeing it from its casting block. I’ll be needing putty later!

  To attach the resin fuselage parts to the kit, first scribe along the indicated panel lines on the plastic kit fuselage then remove that portion and replace with the resin fuselage parts.  Take your time during installation, follow the instructions as written, and everything will fit great! Remember, test fit your resin and plastic parts before attaching them together with cyanoacrylate (Super Glue) or with epoxy glue. Note: You’ll notice that in my photos, I taped the resin and plastic parts together instead of committing them to glue. All the resin parts in this Two Mikes set replace existing plastic kit parts so after the new resin is attached, you can continue to build the Airfix kit as if nothing happened! 

  However, I do hope you remember to paint the intakes and compressor face prior to closing the fuselage parts! After all, you do want to look down the intakes, right? Check your references for painting the insides of the intakes. I couldn’t find much in the way of BAe Hawk intake photos when I wrote this review. My guess is some shade of gray but probably not white as Two Mikes would have cast the intake parts in white resin!

  I experienced no fit problems at all when test fitting the resin parts. It nearly fell together along with dry fitting the Airfix kit parts. Some seam filling and clean up is necessary during installation but I did not notice any resin shrinkage like other aftermarket sets I’ve used. However my review sample’s intake ducts didn’t quite line up with the resin front intakes and resin fuselage parts. I sent a quick email to Mike Reeves at Two Mikes letting him know about possible casting problems with the intake set. At first Mike didn’t believe me but after he inspected some of the resin castings, he sent me a new review sample several weeks later to look at. Somehow there was a small glitch in the RTV molds so the initial production batch of Two Mikes Hawk intake sets may have gotten their intake ducting misaligned. Whoa, a Two Mikes recall!  Unlike Toyota’s recent slow-to-respond-to-problems recalls, Mike promptly emailed customers who had purchased the intake set notifying them of casting problems. Hopefully modelers who had purchased the initial production batch of intake sets and experienced misaligned intake ducts were able to get correctly cast parts. If not, contact Mike Reeves at Two Mikes! Happily, my second review sample set’s intake ducting now align with each other. Yay!

  I recommend this resin detail set to anyone who plans on building a better and a little more accurate 1/48 Airfix BAe Hawk kit. Two Mikes’  #48-035 BAe Hawk Full Depth Intake Combo Set is a little pricey at $28.00 (Two Mikes’ M.S.R.P. – “Mike’s Suggested Resin Price” – ha ha) so for those modelers not really wanting to see down the intakes, I suggest purchasing the less pricey $14.00 #48-018 BAe Hawk corrected intakes if only to improve the kit’s intake profile. Just to let you know, you really can’t see down the intakes to see the compressor face without a penlight but of course you’ll know it’s there! 

  If you must feed the A.M.S. in you, #48-035 is the one Hawk resin intake detail set to buy - it's still the only one on the market of its kind. Modelers can also choose to purchase #48-036 BAe Hawk Full Depth Intake Set and Fuselage Insert for $21.00 but it doesn’t include the front intakes (#48-018). Another option, modelers can just purchase set #48-037 BAe Hawk Upper Fuselage (dorsal) Insert for $7.00 to improve and replace the look and fit of kit part #47. Of course with this intake resin set, a resin cockpit set would complement the intake set too…and new gear legs…and decals…or a new tool Hawk kit…why not?

  Thanks to Mike Reeves at Two Mikes for the review sample. 

  Ryan F. - "Plastic Weapons"

  Photos and text © by Ryan F. "PlasticWeapons"