According to our friends at Wikipedia, the Vympel R-40 (NATO reporting name AA-6 'Acrid') was a long-range air-to-air missile developed in the 1960s by the Soviet Union specifically for the MiG-25 interceptor, but can also be carried by the later MiG-31. It is the largest air-to-air missile in the world to ever go into production with a length of over 20 feet and a speed approaching Mach 5.

Advanced Modeling now lets you add this unique missile to your planes with this aftermarket kit. The set includes two of the missiles which are comprised of eight parts. Seven of the parts are beautifully cast in gray resin and the kicker, a perfectly cast, shiny clear seeker head. This is art! Assembly is simple. Trim the nose casting plug to the correct length and slide into the socket and spin until it lock into place. This makes sure of the right alignment. Next, Trim the exhaust flat and prepare the main body by carefully trimming near the fins and then the center section. Glue the aft section and main body together and you’re done with most of the construction. There is the seeker head and four front fins but I left these off for ease of painting.

I primed the part with Alclad gray primer. The missile is multi-colored and the best choice of base coats is gloss white which I used Tamiya acrylics thinned with lacquer thinner. Once dry, I masked the missile so that I could use Alclad on the fins and front section as bare metal which I duplicated with Alclad Aluminum. I masked again and painted the section just ahead of the fins steel. Lastly, I painted the back sections brownish as indicated on the instructions (which are very good). I added the decals which sat nicely and really add to the look. I added a watercolor wash and after wiping off, I painted and added the front fins. Finally, the seeker head was added with white glue.

This is a wonderful addition to any kit. It is large, well detailed and can add some color to a kit. Highly recommended. My thanks to Advanced Modeling for the review sample. I would also like to add a special thanks for the beautiful pictures of the missiles attached to a Mig-31 from Mikail- beautiful shots that show the real item in use.