The Mk. 20 Rockeye is an unguided cluster bomb weapon and has been used since 1968. With this kind of longevity and the fact it is used by Navy, Air Force and Marines, it is not unusual to find this under the wing of many types of planes including A-10’s, F-15E’s and many others.

Videoaviation continues it wonderful 1/32 scale armament releases with a set of 6 Mk. 20 Rockeyes. The Rockeyes are cast as two pieces – one for the tail fins and back, and the second the remainder of the weapon. Construction is simple. Sand the front and back free of their casting blocks and glue together. Putty the seam and prime and you are ready to paint. You have several options. First, you can place the RBF covers on the nose which entails a single cut and then adding the cover after painting. You also have a set of finely cast shackles that can be added. Most of the shackles had the fine tops broken off in transit, but that should not affect adding them to any kit. Lastly, you have decals for both USAF and UN versions.

Once primed, painting is simple in that scheme is overall white. I used Tamiya white thinned with lacquer thinner and sprayed a nice even coat. There are some black details to paint on the top of the bomb. I tried to hand paint but it looked uneven so I masked and sprayed and then touched up with a brush. I added a good gloss coat over all to seal, and we are ready for decals. The kit supplied decals come in two types: US Navy and USAF. The difference is the stripe on the front; whether it is a solid yellow stripe or two thinner yellow stripes. The Navy is two stripes, the USAF is one stripe. The decals went on well and separated from the backing paper very quickly. I then gloss-coated again to seal, added a little wash to the back end, and flat coated the entire kit. I elected to leave off the protective covers.

I have built several versions of the Mk. 20 for different kits and there are many good examples. This is the best. Assembly is easy, accuracy is top notch, and the cost is very reasonable. The decals are good. If you want even more decals, check out AOA’s set too. Highly recommended to finish off that build.

My thanks to videoaviation.com for the opportunity to review this great weapon set.