First developed for the US Navy by Raytheon in the early 1950s, the AIM-9 (Air Intercept Missile) has been a mainstay for the United States and our allies for nearly 60 years. The AIM-9B represented in this offering from Eduard was the first production model of the Sidewinder, entering service in 1956. There have been several updates over the years, and the current model in use is the AIM-9X. Raytheon and General Electric produced approximately 80,900 of the B variant, and the model is credited with one Navy and 26 Air Force victories during Vietnam.

Eduard’s A3D-2 Exterior Set, number 48793, address some of the shortcomings of the Trumpeter 1/48 scale A-3D kit with additions to the slats on the outer wing, the tail hook area, the crew door, and the speed brakes. There are also additions to the windshield wiper and the back of the engine pylons.

The speed brakes in the kit are nice; however, they lack surface detail, such as rivets and boxes. Eduard corrects this by adding five panels to the interior of the speed brake that have superb relief-etched rivets and lines. These panels require a couple of small bumps to be removed and then glued back into place. The speed brake housing gets a similar treatment with two parts each. One requires some bending, and the easiest way to start the bend is to use the kit’s plastic part as a form.

Many of us have had the distinct displeasure of ruining a canopy. I once dropped one on the floor and stepped on it. There is also the great possibility of getting CA fumes on the inside or some other adhesive which will either melt, craze or deform the canopy into uselessness. And then there’s the one where you open a kit you bought at a swap meet to find no clear parts inside.

You can find replacement canopies for “large scale” kits, including 1/32, 1/48 or 1/72, but there have been almost no canopies in 1/144. Brengun seems to be taking a position in this market.