High Velocity Aerial Rockets, or HVAR, were used by the US between 1944 and 1955. This six-foot long rocket was 5 inches in diameter and carried a 45lb HE warhead. Unguided, it could be fitted to almost any aircraft with hard points and was used extensively on most late war fighters, patrol, and attack aircraft, and into the Korean war on jets like the F-86 and F-84. Retired in 1955, it became the precursor to the modern Zuni and other unguided ground attack rockets.

For most modelers, we all will spend lots of time and energy detailing the aircraft to the max, yet when we get to the ordnance, we are left wanting by the kit-supplied items. HVARs tend to fall into this category, ranging from bare likeness with fins to better looking but still not up to the same standard as the rest of the model.

Eduard’s self-adhesive photoetch set for AFV Club’s F-5F Tiger II is yet another work of art in a long line of exquisite detail sets from the Czech manufacturer of model kits and accessories.

Two PE frets – one color with self-adhesive on some parts, and the other in bare metal – provide the modeler with over a hundred parts to make the already-solid AFV kit really “pop.”

As with all of Eduard’s comprehensive “S.A.” sets, the cockpit is the focal point. Instrument panel, side consoles, rudder pedal, ejection seat, and canopy rails and frames are superbly recreated in quarter scale, and fit the kit like a proverbial glove. The pre-painted instrument panels, console surfaces, and harnesses immediately draw the eye and provide a clear “wow” factor. Although the AFV kit has strong cockpit detail to begin with, the Eduard enhancement really makes it a centerpiece of the model.

Anyone who’s seen or even heard about the new Tamiya Yamato knows that this is one of the largest, most complex model kits yet to hit the hobby store shelves. So it almost goes without saying that this new super detail set from Lion Roar would be equally large and complex. Using the bulk of this set, or even a portion of it, is not for the faint of heart.