Special Hobby have released a series of accessories for their recent Reggiane Re 2005 (see our review of the kit HERE), with releases in their CMK range of resin upgrades and a set of Special Mask die-cut painting masks.

All the sets arrive in a simple plastic bag attached to a carboard mount and come complete with a neatly illustrated sheet of instructions. The casting of the resin upgrades is flawless in each of the samples.

Item #Q48364 - Re 2005 Mainwheels
The first set features a pair of weighted mainwheels. While the kit's wheels certainly aren't bad, these resin replacements provide a noticeable improvement with better-defined hub details, plus a rib running around the sidewall of the tyre. The "weighting" is more convincing than simply filing flats on the styrene wheels, because Special Hobby have included a subtle bulge.

Item #Q48364 costs 152 Kč

Item #Q48365 - Re 2005 Tailwheel
Comparing like for like, the resin tailwheel offers quite a noticeable boost over the kit part - there's even a tiny rib around the tyre as with the mainwheels - and its leg is similarly much better detailed. The latter is cast in a hardened resin, although I doubt it will have to bear much weight in reality. Again, the tyre is properly "weighted" - but I think it might be a tad overdone in this instance for a tyre at full pressure.

As nice as it it, I have to say this is a set I think you could get away without using - simply because it'll be hard to see on the finished model - but I can't deny the improvement it offers.

Item #Q48365 costs 118 Kč

Item #Q48366 - Re 2005 Supercharger Intake
There's no danger of missing the supercharger intake, though, and the resin replacement is quite a dramatic improvement over the styrene version, being both simpler to use and boasting a deeply hollowed-out intake. Admittedly, experienced modellers will be able to achieve a similar result using the kit part - but it will take skill, time and extreme care. The walls to the resin intake are wafer thin - certainly beyond the point I'd venture to without being prepared to scratch-build a replacement.

Item #Q48366 costs 90 Kč

Item #Q48367 - Re 2005 Exhausts
The same holds true for the resin exhausts, which really are in a different league to the kit parts. They win on every count, with finer walls to the mounts, plus hollowed-out openings on the stacks. If nothing else, they save hours of work for even the most experienced modeller to get close to achieving the same look.

Item #Q48367 costs 118 Kč

Item #M48002 - Re 2005 Painting Masks
Rounding things off, Special Hobby produced a neat set of painting masks for the canopy and mainwheels.

Before seeing the sample, I took it for granted that it would be nigh-on identical to Eduard painting masks, but Special Hobby have used a different material. It's a darker yellow, but seems to be a similar washi-type paper tape. The die-cutting is precise and the items peel away easily. The masks will be a big time-save - especially where some of the panels have rounded corners (always a bit of a s*d to tackle).

Item #M48002 costs 100 Kč

Conclusion

With the most expensive of these sets costing the equivalent of a UK fiver, they are certainly affordable upgrades and well worth considering if you're building Special Hobby's Re 2005. They're not strictly essential - in as much as they don't have to correct glaring errors - but they'll definitely give a noticeable improvement over the standard kit parts. I've got the Re 2005 lined up as my next build, so I'll be using the sets. Check out the Blog to see how well they work.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.