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Naxos Radar & Radar Operator Sets (for Hasegawa) 1:48 Taurus Models Hasegawa's Arado 234 has been around for a number of years, and is a jolly good kit. I have three or four of them, and they're just lovely. They have been reboxed under the Revell brand, so if you have a Revell or Hasegawa 234B-2/N these sets will fit. The N was the night-fighter, and had FuG Naxos Z radar blister high on the airframe (usually the canopy top), which detected the H2S emanations from incoming bombers, allowing night-fighters to home in on them. The radar operator in the 234 was cooped up in the fuselage aft of the wings, with only a roof light to give him any indication of what's going on. The sets arrive in a small ziplok bag with a header card stapled to the top, and backed by a piece of blue card with instructions printed on the rear. The staples are strong and the bags only just large enough to remove some of the parts, so watch your fingers when you open them. FuG 350 Naxos Radar with Cover This set is is very handsome indeed, and consists of a small vacformed blister that sits over a circular tray into which the radar parts are fitted. The tray is moulded separately and is doughnut shaped, with the five other resin parts all moulded onto the same casting block, with an additional two "tubes" moulded in a clear orange resin. The backing plate receives the tubes and a further two brackets hold the tubes stable at about half way, all of which slot into grooves in the tray, which in turn sits atop the base. The header card shows a painted assembly in metallic and black shades, and the tubes left clear, after which you can add them to the panel where the wing roots meet the fuselage, then glue the aerodynamic blister over the top with a non-aggressive adhesive such as GS-Hypo cement. Radar Operator's Station Cover This is a replacement cover for the kit, which contains a clear vacformed cover, an optional resin cover and a part referred to as a "gasket" that is glued inside the vacformed cover and gives the lip extra depth. The first method of construction is to use the complete clear vacformed part, which must be cut out from the backing by scoring and snapping, or sanding if you would prefer. Once prepared, simply glue the gasket in place and mask off the window before painting. The gasket will show as a lip around the window, so make sure you centre it and paint it. The gasket must be flat sanded to remove it from the casting block, so remember to use a mask and wet sand wherever possible to reduce the dust. If you opt for the resin part, you must cut the window out of the vacform part, trim it to size and drop it into the aperture on the top. Detail of the inset panel is ever-so-slightly crisper on the resin part, so I'd be tempted by this option for my model. Conclusion Casting and vacforming of these parts is first class, with no mould defects present in my review samples. Preparation of the small parts, particularly on the Naxos set, should be done carefully and with patience, or parts might ping off or become damaged. The radar Op's cover is less critical, but plenty of test-fitting and adjustment will be needed to ensure a good fit. Both of these sets will add detail to your finished models, and the Naxos blister especially is a little gem. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of David at