The M117 is a general purpose 750 lb. (unguided) bomb used by the United States military starting in the 1950s and continuing up through Operation Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan. It was used extensively in the Vietnam War being carried by everything from F-100s, to F-111s, to B-52s. The bomb consists of a bomb body containing the explosives, one of several different tail assemblies and fuses.

Eduard has issued three different M117 sets. This set represents the M117 with the later version of the low-drag tail assembly primarily for use in medium to high altitude deliveries. This version of the M117 was used in Operation Desert Storm when USAF B-52s dropped over 40,000 M117s.

Yefim Gordon was born in 1950 in Vilnius, Lithuania (then part of the Soviet Union) and graduated from the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute in 1972. He has been researching Soviet and Russian aviation history for more than 40 years. A professional photographer, Yefim Gordon has published hundreds of features and photographs in Russian and foreign aviation magazines. He has authored and co-authored more than 120 books on Soviet and Russian aviation.

Dmitriy Komissarov was born in 1968 in Moscow and graduated from the Moscow State Linguistics University in 1992. He has worked as a translator ever since, with the most of his work associated with his interest in aviation. Dmitriy Komissarov has authored two books and translated or co-authored more than 50 others. He has also written numerous magazine features in two languages on Soviet and Russian aviation.

Thank you Furball Aero-Design for sending these excellent decals for review, and thank you to the IPMS Reviewer Corps for letting me review them! I am very appreciative of the chance to contribute back to the scale-modeling community.

This is the second installment, “Full Build,” of Trumpeter’s Douglas ERA-3B 1/48^th scale variant to be released by Trumpeter in 2016. This plane represents the US Navy, VAQ-33 ‘Firebirds’, ERA-3B, 104/GD BuNo. 146447. The ERA-3B variant was converted from the RA-3B variant as an electronic aggressor aircraft serving with the VAQ-33 and VAQ-34. This variant follows Trumpeter’s release of the A-3D-2 Skywarrior Strategic Bomber 02868 in 2013 and its EKA-3B Skywarrior 02872 in 2015. The model will be based upon the US Navy, VAQ-33 ‘Firebirds’ plane as seen on page 49 in the “A-3 Skywarrior in action book, Jim Sullivan, Aircraft Number 148, Squadron/Signal Publications”. Jim Sullivan’s depiction of the picture states that this plane is sitting on the flight line at NAS Oceana Virginia on 12 May 1977.

The M117 is a general purpose 750 lb. (unguided) bomb used by the United States military starting in the 1950s and continuing up through Operation Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan. It was used extensively in the Vietnam War being carried by everything from F-100s, to F-111s, to B-52s. The bomb consists of a bomb body containing the explosives, one of several different tail assemblies and fuses.

Eduard has issued three different M117 sets. This set represents the M117 with the high-drag tail assembly primarily for use in low altitude deliveries. The tail assembly has four large plates that open up when the bomb is dropped, greatly increasing the drag on the bomb, slowing its descent so as to allow the delivery aircraft an opportunity to get clear before the bomb impacts and explodes.