The AN/ALQ-184 electronic countermeasures pod is used by the US Air Force and the Air National Guard on tactical aircraft including the F-16 and the A-10. The pod is a self-protection jammer and is available in either two or three band versions.

This set depicts the shorter version of the ALQ-184, so presumably it is the two band version and it is often seen on the centerline pylon of USAF F-16s or an outer wing pylon of the A-10. The set is very straightforward consisting of simply of resin cast pod. The casting is outstanding and includes several small antennas on the nose of the pod. I used a sharp razor saw to remove the pod itself from the pour stub as well and then cleaned up the stub attachment points with a fine sanding stick.

Eduard includes markings for just one scheme, overall FS 36375 with semi-gloss black antenna fairings. I first painted the circular nose and tail antenna fairings Tamiya black, taped them off and then painted the main body Model Master Light Ghost Grey (FS 36375). Once this color had dried, I used Tamiya tape to mask off the other antennas and sprayed them Tamiya black. After everything had dried, a good coat of Future prepared the pod for decals.

Eduard’s decal sheet is comprehensive with 14 different decals (some of which are also multiples) to be applied pretty much to the entire pod. The decals settled right down over both the recessed and raised details when applied with Micro Set and Micro Sol. A really nice touch was the inclusion of the silver bands around the pod as decals (#’s 1 and 2) which really simplified adding this detail color. I noted that decals 8 and 14 are actually applied on both sides of the pod, and are shown on the instructions but not labeled on the right side of the pod. A coat of clear flat finished everything off.

This is a very nice set from Eduard and really looks the part. Other than requiring some careful masking for painting the antennas, this is a simple accessory to complete. Hopefully Eduard will follow this set up with the long version of the pod. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Eduard for the sample and to IPMS/USA for letting me review it.