25 May 2015

Mk.82 Snakeye Bomb - Model Kits Review

1. Introduction
The Mk.82 bomb is, beyond doubt, an archetypical weapon of the U.S. Navy and Marines strike aircraft of the 1960s and 1970s. Bullpup or Shrike missiles may have looked cooler and guided bombs may have gathered more fame and publicity, but Mk.82 slicks and Snakeyes found incommensurably wider use. Thus if you want a model of an archetypical USN or USMC aircraft of the Vietnam war era in a ground attack configuration, such model should have a load of Mk.82s. And whereas a slick Mk.82 presents no particular difficulty to modellers and is well represented in a number of kits, the Mk.82 Snakeye with its very complex and intricately shaped tail fin unit is definitely not an easy thing to either mould in plastic or to scratch-build. 

Fortunately, some resin aftermarket sets have appeared recently to help us tackle the Snakeye. A couple of such sets are reviewed here and compared against the older plastic kit parts.

Note that this review article only concerns the "classic" Snakeye retarder tail that was in use with the Mk.82 bomb during the 1960s - 1990s timeframe (and applicable to such USN / USMC aircraft as A-1, A-4, A-6, A-7, F-8 and F-4). It is not to be confused with the modern version of the high-drag tail fin unit (see [3] in the Reference section).

2. Kits
2.1. Hasegawa
For many long years the only aftermarket aircraft weapon sets available on the market have been those made by Hasegawa as part of their "Aircraft Weapons" series. There was simply nothing else if you wanted additional weapons for your aircraft model.

The "U.S. Bombs & Rocket Launchers" (cat. #  X72-011 / 35001) set was released in 1987, and back in those years it was an excellent product. But 28 years later we see that the most remarkable part of the real Snakeye – its retarder tail fins – is represented very crudely. It looks like several rectangular pieces of plastic and not like the real thing at all. There's no nicer way to state it.

I will note, however, that the set contains:
 - Decals for the Mk.82 bobms as well as an excellent instruction sheet complete with the paining guide.
 - Many other types of ordnance which are out of my review's scope.

2.2. Academy
I chose the Academy's F-8E Crusader kit (cat. # 1615) for this review because:
 a) this is a relatively modern kit (released in 2004),
 b) the Crusader itself is accurate and beautifully detailed (actually, I believe it to be one of the best 1:72 models of a USN jet),
 c) it includes Mk.82 Snakeye bombs.

However, when we take a closer look at the Academy's representation of Snakeye bombs we see that they give no advantage over the Hasegawa's set at all. Although the bombs from the Korean manufacturer are definitely not the exact copies of the Hasegawa's items (e.g. check the thickness of tail fins), they are in exactly the same league in terms of accuracy and detail. Enough said.

2.3. Kora Models
In 2014 Kora Models from Czech Republic has released a flood of resin Mk.82 Snakeye sets. As far as I can see there are more than 15 sets which differ by the number of bombs and the combination of TER and / or MER racks included.

Curiously enough, the manufacturer does not state on its packaging the exact number of bombs that are included, instead using generic terms like "light load", "medium load" or "heavy load". How difficult is it to put a clear label - "Contains X items" - on the packaging, I wonder?...

I have obtained a set designated as # DSM72009 and containing 12 bombs and 2 MER racks. All items are cast in very pale cream resin. Photographing them is not easy, therefore for the purposes of this review I have covered one bomb and one MER rack from the Kora's set in grey primer.

Looking at the Kora's representation of the Mk.82 Snakeye we see that:
 - Firstly, the quality of casting is dreadful (no, I didn't deliberately pick the worst item - all bombs in the box are exactly the same).
 - Secondly, although there are more fine details than on the 25+ year old Hasegawa's item, those details are inaccurate. Look at the photographs of the real Snakeye and see for yourself.

Instructions on painting the bombs are provided, but decals are not. You are supposed to find third party decals (as hand-painting the 0.3mm tall yellow stencilling on each bomb case is hardly feasible).

But this is not all. The set reviewed here also contains MER racks, so why not comparing them with the venerable items from Japan? Look at my pictures then. I don't know about you, but what I see is a nearly exact copy of the 25+ year old Hasegawa's item. The only thing added by Kora is the poor quality of casting.

After looking closely at this particular set I'd say that the guys at Kora Models should probably remove the red "High Quality" lettering from their product packaging: at the moment it looks like a cruel joke.

2.4. North Star Models
North Star Models has released its Mk.82 Snakeye set in 2014, and in 2015 decal has been added to the kit. The kit (# 72082) is very sophisticated and includes the following:
 - Resin parts for building six Mk.82 Snakeye bombs.
 - For each bomb, a choice of "noses" that includes: standard (short) fuse, 36-inch fuse extender and two types of inert (fuseless) nose cones.
 - Photo-etched parts to imitate fuse arming propellers.
 - Decal with stencils and nose rings for both live and training (inert) variants.
 - Instruction sheet with paining guide.

The bomb's trademark intricately shaped folding fins are astonishingly detailed. Judging by available historical photographs, the accuracy is excellent: even the tiny holes in each of the four fin plates are faithfully represented.

A couple of further notes, though:
 - The fins are so delicate that they can be bent just by touching them with your fingertips. But the nice thing is that they bend rather than break (a good choice of resin, North Star!)
 - Bending the minuscule photo-etched parts is not an easy task.

3. Conclusion
I think that my comparison pictures suffice to declare that we have a clear winner. The Snakeyes from North Star Models are as accurate as it is possible in the 1:72 scale and the quality is absolutely flawless.

And the product from Kora Models just offers one more prove (if anyone needs it) that words like "aftermarket" or "resin detail set" do not necessarily mean "must have". I personally do not think that I will be buying anything else produced by Kora Models.

The difference between the North Star's and Kora's products is so vast that in my opinion the price does not even enter the equation.
However, for those who are interested here's the pricing:
 - North Star Models kit # 72082 (6 bombs with decals) = E 8.01 at the manufacturer's site
 - Kora Models kit # DSM72001 (6 bombs) = E 9.00 at LF Models shop, E 9.79 at Hannants shop

4. Reference Data
[1] Basic information on the Mark 82 bomb in Wikipedia: link
[2] "Classic" Snakeye retarder tail (Mk.15) in the open position: photo
[3] Modern version of the high-drag tail fin unit that is not to be confused with the 1960s - 1990s "classic" Snakeye: photophoto

11 May 2015

U.S. Navy Air-to-Air Missiles - Model Kits Review

1. Introduction
An aircraft model kit box does not always contain all the weapons that a modeller would like to equip the resulting model with. This is a well known fact, and another fact is that out of the box weapons are not always excellent in terms of detail and accuracy. For many long years the only aftermarket aircraft weapon sets available on the market have been those made by Hasegawa as part of their "Aircraft Weapons" series that was launched in 1987. There was simply nothing else if you wanted additional weapons for your aircraft model.

In 2014, the dam burst: several manufacturers have released a wealth of aftermarket missile sets. Eduard is offering AIM-9B, D and M/L Sidewinders, AIM-7E and M Sparrows, AIM-54 Phoenix, AGM-12B and C Bullpups, AGM-45 Shrike, AGM-78 Standard ARM and AGM-88 HARM. Attack Squadron has released AIM-9X Sidewinder, AGM-45 Shrike and AGM-88 HARM. And finally, North Star Models is here with their AIM-54 Phoenix and AGM-65 Maverick.

Reviewing all missile kits would be an enormous task. So in this article I focus on air-to-air missiles in service with the U.S. Navy since the early 1950s and until the late 1970s. Some relevant aftermarket items are compared against out of the box weapons and checked for accuracy.


2. AAM-N-2 Sparrow I

2.1. Application
The Sparrow I has seen a rather brief period of service with the U.S. Navy. These are the aircraft that carried this missile operationally:
 - F3D-1M & -2M Skyknight   [ ~1954 ]
 - F7U-3M Cutlass                [ ~1956 ]
 - F3H-2M Demon                 [ ~1956 ]
Year of operational capability of this missile with a particular aircraft type is given in square brackets.

2.2. Kits
As of May 2015, there are no aftermarket sets for this particular missile and only three model kits of aircraft that did carry it operationally: Fujimi's F7U-3M Cutlass (# 27012), Sword's F3D-2 Skyknight (# 72074) and Emhar's F3H-2 Demon (# 3001). Of this, only Fujimi's F7U-3M contain Sparrow I missiles. One of those is shown on my photos.

Sources like [2] and [3] do not agree in terms of dimensions of the actual missile. Below, I list data from sources [2] and [3] converted to the 1:72 scale as well as measurements of the Fujimi's item:
                 | Source [2] | Source [3] | Fujimi kit
Length       | 51.9mm     | 52.9mm    | 47.0mm
Wingspan  | 13.0mm     | 12.7mm    | 12.0mm
Diameter   | 2.8mm       | 2.8mm      | 2.4mm

Basing on this data as well as on the analysis of the available historical photographs (see source [3] for detailed photos) this is the assessment of the kit item:
 - At least 5mm shorter than it should be, with wingspan and diameter also slightly smaller than necessary.
 - Prominent fairings (most probably wiring conduits) that run along the missile body from wing leading edge to the tail end are missing.
 - Small diamond-shaped wing root fairings are missing.
 - No details in the exhaust area.


2.3. Painting & Markings
Source [3] states that operational AAM-N-2 missiles were painted black. Black is a rather peculiar colour for a missile, and one would think that Sea Blue, the Navy's standard overall colour of the time, should have been more appropriate. But so far I have only seen black & white historical photos (example) of operational Sparrow I's, therefore I cannot be sure in my suspicions.

As for those missiles used during the development stage and by non-operational units (such as VX-4), there seem to have been at least two rather elaborate paint schemes:
a) Day-glo Red body, wings and fins. Nose section and longitudinal fairings painted flat black, wide black bands aft of wing and fins. Silver (natural metal) needle point. See photo.
b) Day-glo Red wings and fins. Flat black body with silver (natural metal) needle point. Proximity fuse areas painted white. Aft of proximity fuse area, wide olive drab band with yellow borders. Black stencilling on the olive drab band and white stencilling on flat black body aft of the band. See photo.

2.4. Conclusion
Correcting the kit item would require some major surgery; I would wait for an aftermarket Sparrow I to appear.

2.5. Reference Data
[1] Basic information on the Sparrow in Wikipedia: link
[2] More details (including dimensions) on designation-systems.netlink
[3] Very useful notes on Sparrow I by Tommy H. Thomason: link


3. AIM-9B & D Sidewinder

3.1. Application
The Navy's first Sidewinder, the AIM-9B, was operationally carried by the following aircraft types:
- FJ-3M, -4 & -4B Fury  [ 1956 on FJ-3M ]
- F9F-8 Cougar             [ 1957 ]
- F3H-2N & -2 Demon    [ 1957 ]
- F4D-1 Skyray             [ 1957 ]
- F2H-3 & -4 Banshee    [ ~1959 ]
- F11F-1 Tiger               [ 1957 or 1958 ]
- F-8 Crusader              [ 1957 or 1958 ]
- A-4 Skyhawk              [ 1960 or earlier]
- F-4 Phantom II            [ 1960 ]
- A-7 Corsair II              [ 1967 ]
Year of operational capability of this missile with a particular aircraft type is given in square brackets.

Subsequent Navy Sidewinder variants included:
 - The radar-homing AIM-9C. Although it did become operational, it was a rarity. To the best of my knowledge, it is not kitted.
 - The improved AIM-9D, introduced in 1965-1966 and easily distinguished from the B variant by its pointed nose. It was used operationally by Crusaders, Phantoms, Corsairs and probably by Skyhawks still assigned to VSF fighter squadrons.
 - The slightly longer AIM-9G (1970) and improved, although externally identical, AIM-9H (1972). These variants saw service with such types as F-8, F-4, A-7 and F-14.
AIM-9L and all later Sidewinders are beyond the scope of this article.

3.2. Kits
I've picked a number of "representative" plastic Sidewinders from my collection of U.S. Navy jet model kits and compared them with the recent resin sets made by Eduard Brassin. On the picture below the samples are numbered as follows:
AIM-9B:
 1) Hasegawa F9F-8 Cougar kit # 01619
 2) Hasegawa F11F-1 Tiger kit # 00601
 3) Fujimi A-7E Corsair kit # F9
 4) Tamiya F4D-1 Skyray kit # 41
 5) Eduard AIM-9B set # 672036 (contains 4 missiles, $6.90 per set)
AIM-9D:
 6) Italeri F-14A Tomcat kit # 128
 7) Academy F-8E Crusader kit # 1615
 8) Eduard AIM-9D set # 672043 (contains 4 missiles, $6.90 per set)


As you can see, the older plastic Sidewinders are hopeless. Wing and canard planforms on exhibits # 1, 2, 3 and 4 are all incorrect (interestingly, they are all different, even the two items made by Hasegawa), so the question of wings and canards being too thick (0.7mm) does not really arise. From those out-of-the-box Sidewinders that I have in my collection, the one made by Academy (item # 7) is the most accurate, but still its wings and canards are way too thick and the raised "panel lines" are a bit too grotesque.

Eduard's item compares to this very favourably. Canards are photo-etched and main wings are very thin (0.3mm) resin. Their planforms are accurate, and even the Sidewinder's trademark rollerons are faithfully represented. Photo-etched parts add detail to the rocket motor exhaust area and separate resin parts are provided to imitate protective caps for the seeker heads. These caps are an extremely useful addition: if your model shows an aircraft that is not yet preparing for takeoff with the pilot in the cockpit, then the extremely delicate IR heads of Sidewinders must (yes, must!) be covered by protective caps.

3.3. Painting & Markings
No Sidewinder-containing aircraft model kit that I have seen comes with decals for said Sidewinders. You are supposed to paint the bands and the stencilling yourself. Instructions in older kits just tell you to paint the missiles white overall; in newer kits, instructions suggest more accurate paint schemes.

Eduard's set contains finely printed decals and a good painting and markings diagram. It aligns very well with what we see on historical photographs (example), and the only thing that I'd add is that the AIM-9B's rollerons should be natural metal, not white.


3.4. Conclusion
Now we have excellent AIM-9B and -9D far surpassing out-of-the-box items. Thank you, Eduard!

3.5. Reference Data
[1] Basic information on the Sidewinder in Wikipedia: link
[2] More details (including dimensions) on designation-systems.net: link
[3] Very good photos of a preserved AIM-9B: linklink


4. AIM-7 Sparrow III

4.1. Application
Aircraft that carried the Sparrow III operationally include:
 - F3H-2 Demon       [ 1958 ]
 - F-4 Phantom II      [ 1960 ]
 - F-14 Tomcat         [ 1974 ]
 - F/A-18 Hornet       [ 1983 ]
Year of operational capability of this missile with a particular aircraft type is given in square brackets.

The sources that I have seen do not mention the existence of any external differences between the C, E and F variants, except the statement that the E-2 variant had "clipped wings". The AIM-7M variant has entered production in 1982 and is out of scope of my article.

4.2. Kits
As with Sidewinders, I've picked a number of "representative" plastic Sparrows from my collection and compared them with the recent resin set from Eduard Brassin. On the picture below the samples are numbered as follows:
 1) Emhar F3H-2 Demon kit # 3001
 2) Hasegawa F/A-18C Hornet kit # 00438 / D8
 3) Italeri F-14A Tomcat kit # 128
 4) Fujimi F/A-18C Hornet kit # 72157 / F46
 5) Eduard AIM-7E set # 672030 (contains 4 missiles, $8.90 per set)
 

Unfortunately, each one of the older plastic Sparrows (items # 1, 2 & 3) is basically a pointed cylinder with 8 flat triangular shapes stuck to it, although Hasegawa attempted to add a hint of volume to wings and tailfins. Fujimi (item # 4) has tried to offer something more sophisticated but botched up the job by introducing "panel lines" to wings and tailfins and inaccurate box-like wing root fairings.

The shape of the real Sparrow III is more sophisticated; in particular, the following features are clearly seen:
 - 3 prominent wiring conduits running along the missile body.
 - Diamond-shaped wing root fairings as well as more box-like tailfin root fairings.
 - Lozenge cross-section of wings and tailfins.
 - Rocket motor well (usually kept closed on Sparrows held in storage).

All these features are very well represented in the Eduard's set. Rocket motor well should have been a bit deeper, but this is easily corrected.

4.3. Painting & Markings
The only decent out-of-the-box decals for Sparrow missiles that I have seen are those included into the Academy's F/A-18C kit (not covered by this review as it presumably offers newer AIM-7M or -7P Sparrows). Other Sparrow-containing boxes that I have just leave the fashioning of coloured bands and stencilling to you.

The Eduard's set contains accurate decals and adequate painting & markings instructions

These instructions could benefit if the following facts are listed there:
 - Two blue bands on the missile body mark an inert round. Yellow and red bands indicate a fully live round – live warhead and live rocket motor.
 - White missile body with light grey nosecone is a paint scheme that was applied to Sparrows up to approximately mid-1980s (examples: link, link). In later years Sparrows were painted light grey with white nose cones and dark grey wings and tailfins (examples: linklink).
 - Markings suggested by Eduard are only applicable for the 1970s and early 1980s: throughout the 1960s Sparrows sported serial numbers painted in very large block letters close to the nosecone (see example), and later Sparrows painted in light gray seem to have much more of small letter stencilling on their bodies (see example) than available on the Eduard's decal sheet.

4.4. Conclusion
Just as their Sidewinders, Eduard's Sparrow set surpasses all out-of-the-box items in accuracy and details. Modellers, however, are advised to do their own research in regards to painting and markings, and to base this research on historical photographs (and not on those taken in museums).

4.5. Reference Data
[1] Basic information on the Sparrow in Wikipedia: link
[2] More details (including dimensions) - link and link


5. AIM-54 Phoenix

5.1. Application
Only one type of aircraft has carried the Phoenix operationally, and that is of course the F-14 Tomcat. Two production versions of the Phoenix, AIM-54A and C, have no external differences and therefore can be considered identical from a modeller's point of view.

5.2. Kits
The best Tomcat kit, the one from Hasegawa, comes weaponless (as is Hasegawa's practice with some of their aircraft kits), so the only plastic Phoenixes that I have are the ones from an elderly Italeri's kit. They are generally accurate shapewise but do not offer anything in the way of detail.

The new resin set manufactured by NorthStar Models (# 72032) replicates the surface detail of the real Phoenix missile very well. The issue is with the wings and tailfins: they are too thick (0.8mm for wing leading edge and trailing edge, 0.7mm for tailfins), as thick as the Italeri's plastic. For more realistic appearance tailfins should have been photo-etched metal while resin wing parts should have been made thinner: looking at the Eduard's Sidewinder we know that it is technically feasible.


5.3. Painting & Markings
NSM's set includes finely printed and accurate decals, but provides no advice on painting the missiles. So here it comes:
 - Four blue bands on the missile body mark an inert round. Two yellow and two red bands indicate a fully live round – live warhead and live rocket motor.
 - Up to the early 1990s AIM-54's were painted Insignia White (FS37875) with Light Ghost Grey (FS36375) nosecones. In later years the paint scheme was reversed and Phoenixes became grey with white nosecones. Regardless of the time period, rocket motor well was dull red with a flat black ring around it.

5.4. Conclusion
NorthStar Models has produced a very good item for your Tomcat model. However, the competing set from Eduard Brassin (# 672029) may prove to be even better while being less expensive ($8.90 vs. the NSM's $12.75).

5.5. Reference Data
[1] Basic information on the Phoenix in Wikipedia: link
[2] More details (including dimensions): link
[3] Some excellent collections of F-14 Tomcat photos in Wikipedia that show you the painting and markings of operational Phoenixes: linklinklink

3 May 2015

Chevrolet Step-Van Model

1. Introduction
Chevrolet Step-Van vehicle was in service on USAF air bases as well as on some Naval Air Stations throughout the 1970s and until the 1990s. Its purpose was to bring air crews from their waiting areas to aircraft being prepared for sorties.

2. Kit
The model of this van is produced by Hasegawa. It is a part of their "U.S. Pilot / Ground Crew Set" set (cat. # X72-7) which also includes some very nice figures. Hasegawa's model represents the version of Step-Van which, according to a General Motors product brochure, was first introduced in 1969.
All parts are well and very crisply molded. However the kit could really benefit from some additional fine detailing, and the wheels in particular are too toy-like.


3. Construction
I have scratch-built a flat chassis plate for my van because I didn't like the empty spaces that are left in the wheel arches and under the hood if you build the kit according to Hasegawa's instruction. Correctly shaped resin wheels, dashboard, photoetched radiator grille and windshield frame, rear view mirrors, windshield wipers, door handles and badges all come from the dedicated detail set produced by F4Models (cat. # 7030). I have added clear head lights using tiny lenses from a set produced by Elf.



4. Painting & Markings
In accordance with historical photographs of Step-Vans in U.S. Navy service, my model is painted Orange Yellow (FS33538) with Insignia White (FS37875) front and rear bumpers, radiator grille frames and headlight frames.

5. Reference Data
[1] An article on multi-stop / walk-in delivery trucks in Wikipedia: link
[2] A nice selection of historical photos: link
[3] GM's 1969 brochure: link