Chances are, if you model aircraft in any of the major scales you are well familiar with Eduard. Their product range varies from simple photo-etched enhancement frets to multi-media kits, conversion sets, and accessories which are amongst the finest in the hobby. Their products may be purchased online through www.eduard.com. I have built a few of their kits, and have used many of their accessories over the years. I am even a card-carrying member of the Bunny Fighter Club, which provided me a carrot-themed 1/48 Mig-21 and allows me a modest discount when buying direct. Check the website, and it will make sense.

Eduard has produced a resin AN/ALQ-131 (deep) ECM pod in 1/48 scale as a part of their “Brassin” line. The resin pod is a beautifully cast representations of the stores needed to accurately portray many modern military aircraft for missions that might expect retaliatory SAM activity. The pod comes packed in a sturdy plastic “blister” pack, in which it is sandwiched between foam pads for protection, along with Eduard’s effective pictorial instructions.

Not much to consider in the way of assembly for these parts, though. I removed the parts from the casting block with sprue nippers and made a couple of quick swipes with a sanding stick to remove a slight bit of flash from the underside. I mounted everything on a toothpick, and got ready for painting. The pictorial Eduard instructions indicate the pod should be painted either white, or olive drab with gunship gray sensor covers. I opted for Vallejo Air White and after a shot of Tamiya White Primer, laid down the glossy white acrylic. The minimal number of decals went on easily over the slick white finish. When dry, I picked out the attachment points with steel, and the pod was complete.

The ECM Pod is certainly an affordable upgrade for your modern era subjects decked out for missions requiring enemy radar countermeasures activity. If your research warrants them, this is an excellent accessory that will greatly enhance the realism of your applicable 1/48 modern USN and USAF aircraft subjects. Very highly recommended for those wanting some additional detailing in 1/48 scale.

Thanks to the IPMS Reviewer Corps and Eduard for the opportunity to review this item.