There are two 1/72 scale versions of the Razor Crest out there- one from Revell and one from AMT. I choose the Revell one, and was pleasantly surprised when I found that Green Strawberry provides quite an extensive set of aftermarket for the model. (They have the same sets for the AMT version as well, should you go that route.)
For economic reasons I did not get the whole pack of aftermarket. I went with the ones that I thought would provide the most improvement over the kit parts: the cockpit (to be reviewed later), the cargo bay, and some additional cargo. While the Revel kit has OK detail on both fronts (just check out the manual), these sets -while pricey- elevate the model to a whole new level.
What's in the box
The age-old question that vexes both troddlers and Brad Pitt.
For the cargo bay you get a hefty amount of PE and resin, and for the cargo stuff you get a few -and welcome -details, like a couple of carbonite-preserved bounties, some storage boxes, cargo netting and Boba Fett's armor (cool!). Honestly, if you really just want to buy one thing for this model, get the cargo stuff- it dresses up the otherwise empty space inside the model.
With the cargo bay set you essentially rebuild the whole interior: the cargo compartment itself (in much nicer detail than the kit detail), you get a proper carbonite freezing chamber, a gun cabinet that can be opened, and is full of recognizable weapons from the Star Wars universe (Boba Fett's gun, Han Solo's gun and a couple of others), details for the sleeping quarter -although if you open the gun cabinet, you won't be able to see inside-, and some substantial upgrades for the toilet, because we need more detail for the space John. (This was the first ever scale toilet I have ever built, by the way.) Everything is crisp, fits together, and I found no bubbles, warped parts or anything else. Due to the "careful" handling of the postal services the PE in one of the sets was damaged, but Green Strawberry immediately replaced it, without any issue - so shoutout for their customer service, too.
The build
Fortunately you do not need extensive surgery to add all the brand new cargo comparment to the model -you just leave out the interior side and ceiling panels. There is some surgery required, though -you need to remove the locator pins from the front of the model, and fill in the holes on the front of the top (ceiling) panel, which will form the base of the cockpit. (If you only use the cargo bay, but not the cockpit, the amount of modification required is slightly different.)
The ribbing on the interior of the spaceship is made out of PE parts, and you are provided with two smart little rigs to make the assembly easier. The only issue I found was that the nicks where the PE ribs were to be placed were a tiny bit too tight, so I had to carefully widen them. The same rigs can be used for both sides of the bay, you only have to re-fold them. (I was worried that the metal would fatigue and break, but it worked splendidly.)
The fit is excellent; the sets are a joy to work with. The painting was somewhat of a headache, since the spaceship is supposed to be a beaten-up, old dame; I tried to replicate the worn, battered look I saw in the series. (It is difficult since the lightning is not very good within the ship, so you never get a very good look at the colors.) I will try to further enhance it later; I am also planning to add some LEDs to lit up the interior.
Overall I would say if you want to spend money on aftermarket, these three sets (cargo bay, cargo stuff and cockpit) are important; the cockpit especially. The rest (flaps, landing gear, turbines) are nice to have, but these three do provide a tremendous improvement. If price is an issue, Green Strawberry offers discounts fairly often, so it may be worth waiting. Overall I would absolutely recommend these for your Razor Crest. (As I said before, the cockpit review will come a bit later. Once I figure out how to do the wiring for the LEDs.)
Original detail
Some surgery needed
Rig to make ribbing