Czech manufacturer Eduard continues expanding its “Brassin” line of detail parts for aircraft. This time they are offering the UB-16 and UB-32 rocket launcher which has seen widespread use in Soviet designed aircraft, like L-39, MiG-21/23/27, Su-7/17/20/22, and Yak-28/38.

The detail kit includes 10 resin parts (casted in two different resin colors) and a small PE fret with another 6 parts. Resin parts are nicely detailed with great surface detail and very cleanly casted, with small pour stabs. Photoetch parts are exquisitely thin and very easy to work with.

It took me a total of 30 minutes to get all four rocket launcher assembled. The assembly is simple and straightforward but releasing the parts R3 and R4 (rocket launcher back cones) from their pour stabs requires some dexterity and a very thin razor or saw. Those parts are most fragile parts of the whole detail set.

Quickboost once again has come up with an unexpected resin aftermarket part that will add detail to a kit that most of us have in our stash. QB 48 357 provides three ready to install F4U-1 Corsair pitot tubes cast in a flexible resin that likely will survive the occasional bumps sometime experienced when a finished model is handled. The pitot tubes are molded on a casting block with extended bars that protect the parts from damage in the package. They exhibit a much better pointed tip than the kit part. A sharp #11 x-Acto blade is the only tool needed to remove each pitot tube from the casting block and to shave off a thin casting gate that is molded on the side of the part to protect the tip detail.

This part is a direct replacement for the kit part and, because it is resin, should be attached with super glue or epoxy cement.

I was somewhat familiar with the two opponents in this duel, having built the 1/72 Monogram F-105G a while back, and I’ve got the Gran kit of the SA-2 in the “to build some day” stash. I also have a copy of a video produced by the Air Force which features the development of the F-100 Wild Weasel mission, with interviews with the participants.

The Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) is a cat-and-mouse game. The aircraft tries to get the ground radars to come up so they can fire anti-radiation missiles. The ground systems try to get the aircraft to come in range of the missiles and anti-aircraft guns which surround the SAM site.

As I read this book, the question raised was, “exactly which player is the cat and which the mouse?” And what’s that ferret doing in there?

The book is divided into eight main sections, each covering the F-105 and then the SA-2.

The Story

The product is well packaged, protected and includes the instrument decal sheet measuring 2 ¾ inches x 2 ¾ inches and a 1 ¾ x 1 ¾ thin clear plastic sheet for lenses. Explanations for the 33 World War One instruments are indexed on the instruction sheet which is very simple. The decals are very high quality with superb registrations and vivid sharpness even under magnification. This product works well with Microscale and Tamiya decal solutions. Care should be taken when using Solvaset, too much can almost melt the smaller ones.

Sadly, I could not apply these to a 1/32 scale WW1 aircraft, because I don’t own any. But this would be a dandy excuse to start into them. I did use some of them on another project I’m involved with. A scratch built 1/9 scale science fiction fighting suit. These worked great and gave the interior a nice retro industrial look.