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Airfix RAF/NATO Weapons |
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Review by
Al Magnus
- one72guy(at)gmail(dot)com
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I have not seen the complete kit. This review is only of a subset,
which I received from Kevin Ronayne in
For the most part the moldings are excellent and they fit quite well.
The Kormoran and Sea Skua come with
photo-etched fins.
The photo-etched fins posed some difficulties because the thin edges
did not allow the super glue enough purchase for a strong join to the missile
body. Each of the fins also has a small nub, which is supposed to fit into a
corresponding small hole in the missile body. The nubs and holes are
construction aids to help locate the fins in their proper location.
Unfortunately the holes are bit too large and the edge of the fin does not
completely cover them. I filled the holes and used the photo-etched parts as
templates to cut out replacements from sheet plastic, which I then sanded to
shape and glued them to the bodies with liquid cement.
Detail is limited to a few engraved lines on some of the missile bodies. The engraving is a bit on the heavy side but does not detract from the overall look.
|
Missile |
Qty. |
No. of Parts per Subject |
Picture from the
instruction sheet |
|
|
2 |
Not Available |
Not Available |
|
|
2 |
Not Available |
Not Available |
|
|
2 |
1 |
Not Available |
|
AIM-120 AMRAAM |
4 |
|
Not Available |
|
AIM-132 ASRAAM |
4 |
1 |
|
|
AIM-9G Sidewinder |
2 |
1 |
Not Available |
|
AIM-9L Sidewinder |
2 |
1 |
Not Available |
|
AIM-9P Sidewinder |
2 |
1 |
Not Available |
|
ALARM |
2 |
1 |
|
|
Kormoran |
4 |
10 |
|
|
Sea Eagle |
2 |
Not Available |
Not Available |
|
Sea Skua |
4 |
6 |
|
The
decals supplied with the kit are poor. They are printed on very thick carrier
film and the images were for the most part fuzzy and indistinct. They did stick
well though, and a little Microsol solution snuggled them down nice and tight.
According to Kevin,
other subjects in this kit include:
- Mk. 13 Paveway LGB (4
copies)
- BL-755 CBU (4 copies)
- AN/ALQ-101 ECM pod (1
copy)
- JP-233 munitions pod
(2 copies)
- Cerebrus pod (1 copy)
- AN/ALQ-119 ECM pod (1
copy)
- BOZ-107 pod (1 copy)
- Phimat dispenser (1
copy)
- TIALD laser designator
(1 copy)
- Linescan
reconnaissance pod (1 copy)
- AN/AVQ-23E 'Pave
Spike' pod (1 copy)
- Sky Shadow pod (1
copy)
Conclusion
It's nice to see Airfix offer some missiles not available from other manufacturers. With that said, I do have to say this set is something of a disappointment, with the poor decals and the lack of detail on the parts.
