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ALARM Missiles, GBU-31(V)3/B JDAM 1:72 Eduard Brassin Eduard’s range of resin weapons expands monthly, with this tranche containing three of various types. Each one arrives in the new slimline Brassin cardboard box, with the accompanying reduction in packaging, using the poly bags to protect the resin and Photo-Etch (PE) parts along with the instructions wrapped around them and the decals. The instructions contain painting guide drawings and colour callouts in Gunze colours, as is standard for them. ALARM Missiles (672266) The name ALARM stands for Air Launched Anti-Radiation Missile, which was an air-to-air missile fielded by the UK until 2013, and still in service with the Saudis at time of writing. In a change to conventional misses of its type it introduced a loiter capability. Here the missile will climb to an altitude of 13km and deploy a parachute, Once a radar then illuminates a secondary motor will fire to attack the radar. This set contains resin parts for four missiles, each of which have a main missile body with resin mid- and aft-fins, plus four PE fins near the nose. Another PE part is attached to the rear to depict the exhaust ring, then the launch rail is fitted with another small PE panel on the rear too, with an optional adapter rail fitted depending on use. A scrap diagram shows the correct distance that the tip of the missile should be from the front of the adapter rail to ensure you attach it in the right place. GBU-31(V)3/B JDAM (648562) Built around at 2,000lb Mk.84 iron bomb, the JDAM kit turns it from dumb to smart by adding a straked “girdle” around the middle and seeker head at the nose that commands the tail unit to adjust its line of flight using the umbilical between them. They are carried by many modern fighters as well as bombers, so a box of four of them should come in handy. The GBU-31(V)3/B is fitted to the BLU-109B penetrator weapon. The main body has the girdle and main section of the tail fin moulded in although you add the aft section, with a keyed join and suitably thin fins. The strakes are PE parts that fit into slots on the bomb sides, and at the nose the penetrator cap goes on, finishing off at the back by adding a PE end-cap. Review samples courtesy of

GBU-54 JDAM (MK 82) Bombs (USAF & USN) (209232 & 209132) 1:32 VideoAviation.com The GBU-54 or JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) is a guidance kit which converts various dumb bombs ito GPS Guided Munitions, in this case the Mk.82 bomb. A further development is the Laser JDAM. This retains the accuracy of the GPS weapon with the ability to engage moving targets being lased by ground unit. The laser unit (DSU-38/B) communicates with the fuse in the tail with a fixed wire harness running along the bomb body. The Bombs They arrive in videoaviation's standard clear clam-shell box with an insert showing the bombs. The bombs are split into the main body and the tail for moulding reasons. The USN weapons have the ablative coating moulding on. There are small runs of bomb lugs, and GPS antennas. There is also a small sheet of decals for each set with different marking between the USN & USAF. USAF USN Conclusion Another quality product from Videoaviation. If you're planning on bombing up your 1/32 USN/USAF modern aircraft then you need to look at these. Highly recommended. USAF USN Review samples courtesy of

GBU-54 Non-Thermally Protected (648564) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Based upon the 500lb Mk.82 iron bomb, the GBU-54 is one of the smaller Joint Direct Attack Munitions, JDAM for short. It comprises a kit including steering fins at the rear, and a seeker head at the front, with a conduit linking them together along with a series of straps that fit around the bomb’s circumference. They are available in bare and thermally protected variants to protect them against heat, with the latter type usually used on carriers. This set includes resin parts for four bombs with smooth-surfaces. As is now usual with Eduard's smaller resin sets, they arrive in the new shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. Inside the box are eight main parts and twelve smaller inserts in grey resin, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE), and a decal sheet containing stencils for four bombs. The bombs are built around the central bomb body, to which the rear guiding fins are added along with a choice of three types of insert just forward of the fins. Each body is attached to a pour block at the rear, which is then covered by a small PE circle. Just forward of the tail is a cut-out into which a choice of three inserts is applied, moving the sensor slightly forward or back, depending on which one you choose. A scrap diagram shows the correct orientation of the fins with regard to the carriage lugs that are moulded into the top of each bomb. Detailed painting of the various aspects of the bombs are called out on the instructions, while the stencils are shown on a colour diagram overleaf, with the colour codes also in a table on the opposite page. Conclusion You can’t beat Eduard weapons sets for detail, with crisp moulding throughout. My only qualm is a wish for more information about the optional aspects of their sets and kits. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

GBU-54 Thermally Protected Bombs (648598) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Based upon the 500lb Mk.82 iron bomb, the GBU-54 is one of the smaller Joint Direct Attack Munitions, JDAM for short. It comprises a kit that includes steering fins at the rear, and a seeker head at the front, with a conduit linking them together along with a series of straps that went around the bomb’s circumference. They are available in bare and thermally protected variants to protect them against intense heat, primarily in the event of a fire on a carrier, delaying the likelihood of “cook off” detonations hampering fire-fighting efforts. This set includes resin parts for four bombs with the rough-textured thermal protection coating applied to the surface. As is now usual with Eduard's smaller resin sets, they arrive in the new shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. Inside the box are eight main parts and twelve smaller inserts in grey resin, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE), and a decal sheet containing stencils for four bombs. The instructions give construction guidance and painting call-outs in Gunze Mr.Color paints, as usual. The bombs are built around the central bomb body, to which the rear guiding fins are added along with a choice of three types of insert just forward of the fins. Each body is attached to a pour block at the rear, which is then covered by a small PE circle. Just forward of the tail is a cut-out into which a choice of three inserts is applied, moving the sensor slightly forward or back, depending on which one you choose. A scrap diagram shows the correct orientation of the fins with regard to the carriage lugs that are moulded into the top of each bomb. Detailed painting of the various aspects of the bombs are called out on the instructions, while the stencils are shown on a colour diagram overleaf, with the colour codes on the opposite page. Conclusion You can’t beat Eduard munitions for detail, with crisp moulding throughout. My only qualm is a wish for more information about the optional aspects of their sets and kits. It can’t have escaped your attention that Eduard suffered a horribly destructive fire at their warehouses recently, so this is preventing sales of their products from their site, with it closed temporarily. We’re still linking to their site as the situation should resolve itself soon, but if you’re desperate you might still be able to avail yourself of supplies that had already left their warehouse to shops beforehand. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

GBU-32 Thermally Protected Bombs (648396) 1:48 Eduard Brassin The GBU-32 is a JDAM smart bomb built around the Mk.83 "dumb" bomb, with a seeker head and guiding vanes to the rear, and a launch weight of just over 1,000lbs. it is capable of being guided by GPS or laser, depending on which head is fitted, with the laser seeker giving the bomb a stubby rounded "nose" when compared to the pointed nose of the GPS guided variant. In Naval useage fires onboard ships are an even more grave danger to munitions due to the confined spaces and danger of sinking, so a thick lumpy coating is added to the warhead to resist heat for longer and delay cook-off, in the hope that the fire can be suppressed within that extended timeframe. As usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in the oblong Brassin box, with the resin parts safely cocooned on dark grey foam inserts, and the instructions wrapped around, providing extra protection. There are eight bomb bodies in the box, with moulded-in lugs and excellent surface detail, with a choice of four heads per unit, and eight tail-units that fit with a keyed-lug onto the rear of the body, where the casting block joins, thereby hiding any minor errors in removing them from the blocks. The seeker heads have a similar fitting, and the tail unit is attached to its block at the rear with very fine slivers of resin ensuring a good fill of the fins. The harness that marks out these bombs as a bit "special" is supplied as Photo-Etch (PE) parts, which are cut from the fret and curved to match the profile of the body, with a little annealing in a flame going a long way toward helping with this. Tensioning straps loop under the bomb, linking the three PE parts together, and this too must be rolled to fit the body shape. A set of stencils are included on the decal sheet, with a placement guide and painting instructions in a small diagram at the front of the instructions. Painting codes are given in Gunze Sangyo colours as well as the colour name if you don't have access to a conversion chart. With eight in the box there are plenty for a couple of projects, with a choice to heads as a bonus. My review sample was missing four tail units, so rather than delaying the review by getting replacements from Eduard, I did a little Photoshop doubling up the four that I had to show the correct contents. This is one of the first packing mistakes that I've ever experienced in one of their sets in around eight years, but it's still worth checking yours when they arrive, just in case. Review sample courtesy of

GBU-38 & GBU-38 Thermally Protected Bombs (648385 & 648386) 1:48 Eduard Brassin The GBU-38 is a 500lb iron bomb with JDAM kit installed that is considered "light" compared to others, and as such is used where dangers of collateral damage exist, to reduce the blast radius whilst still destroying the target. The core of the bomb is a Mk.82 casing, filled with tritonal explosive. The JDAM element is a bolt-on package that allows precision guidance once dropped, with a seeker head at the nose, and guidance vanes at the rear. It is currently in-use with a number of Allied countries. On-board a carrier they are usually coated with a thermal protection layer to prevent or delay cook-off in the event of fire. This gives the outer skin of the body a rough, stippled finish that is often grey in colour. As usual with Eduard's resin sets, they arrive in the familiar Brassin clamshell box, with the resin parts safely cocooned on dark grey foam inserts, and the instructions sandwiched between the two halves, doubling as the header card. The two sets build in exactly the same way, with just the thermal coating differentiating them. There are four bomb bodies, four tail units and four of four types of seeker head, plus an additional four of three inserts for the tail unit. There is also a set of masking for the complex seeker-head attachment, which will save you endless hand-painting, and a small PE sheet with four tail-cap ends that cover the mounting point of the casting block. Scrap diagrams show the positioning of the masks, and the alignment of the tail fins with the transport lugs, with colours being called out in Gunze codes as usual for Eduard. Finally, there is a small sheet of decals that includes the stencils applied to the bombs, which are shown in a final diagram on the instructions. From the sets you can make four bombs of either the USAF, USN, or B-2A Spirit specific units that use the pointed nose cones, and have their tail fins aligned differently, presumably due to the constraints of the Spirit's bomb bays. GBU-38 Non-Thermally Protected (648385) GBU-38 Thermally Protected (648386) The texture of the thermal protection is in-scale, so is quite hard to capture in photos, but it is definitely present, as you can see from the additional picture. Review sample courtesy of

US Navy and Air Force GBU-38 Bombs Videoaviation 1:32 A very welcome pair of releases from Videoaviation arrived at BM Londons offices the other day. Two sets of GBU-38 JDAM bombs in 1:32 scale, one of US Navy style and one US Air Force style. Each set is very well protected, being contained in a clear plastic box, within a zip lock bag wrapped in bubblewrap. Although the bomb lugs need a bit more as a couple in the review sample were broken. Each box contains eight complete bombs, and come in these separate parts. Bomb Casing Tail Lugs GPS Antenna Protective caps Decals Whilst the tails, lugs, caps are the same for each type, the USN bomb casing is a much rougher casting allowing for the ablative coating used on Navy bombs. It is details like this that make Videoavition products to be some of the best in the business. Naturally, the USAF bomb casing is nice and smooth. The extreme nose sections are also slightly different between versions, with the USAF version being a more pointed affair than the USN type. The builds are pretty straightforward, as once the parts have been carefully cut away from the moulding blocks they will only need a swipe with a sanding sponge before the tail is attached to the casing, followed by the lugs and the tail mounted GPS aerial. If the protective caps are to be used, then the nose of each bomb needs to be used before the cap can be fitted. Each type comes with its own distinct style of markings contained on a nicely printed decal sheet. Conclusion These two sets make very nice additions to the Videoaviation product range and will add something special to a completed model. With the well moulded, flawless resin, it should go together fairly easily. Once built and painted they will look great, although it would have been nice if some remove before flight flags had been provided too. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

US Navy MHU-191/M Munitions Transporter 1:32 VideoAviation The MHU-191/M is a bomb trolley used by the US Navy to transport two GBU-38 JDAMs from arsenal to the aircraft that are intending to use them. This kit is available in 1:32 at present, but I'm hopeful it will find its way to 1:48 in due course. Included in the white card box are three bags of resin and another containing a small decal sheet (not pictured). The bomb truck is built up from flesh coloured resin and should include two sets of wheels. My review sample however has a pair missing, so please check your package before stashing it. The lower bomb is cradled on a curved bracket, with a similar one completing the oval and permitting another to sit on top. Each part has rollers placed in recesses that support the bombs and stop them from rolling sideways, which would be no fun for anyone. The two cradles attach to the ladder chassis, and an L-shaped pull handle is attached to the front of the chassis. A bumper sits at the end of the handle, and two grab-handles and a brake lever form a T with the upright portion. A pair of figures are included with the set, and it's surprising how large they look compared to the more familiar (to me) 1:35. They are very well sculpted and have separate arms, all of which is in the same creamy flesh coloured resin. One is pulling, while the other pushes the trolley, and the instructions show them painted red, presumably for danger! Happily you also get a pair of bombs to fill your trolley, which some producers might not have included. They are nicely detailed and the dangerous part is covered with the rough ablative coating used on carriers that slows down the cook-off rate of the warheads in the event of a fire. The bombs have separate tail sections, GPS Antennae, and if you elect to use them, a DSU-33 Radar proximity sensor, which requires you to slice off the very tip of the nose. A separate diagram covers the painting of the bombs, and shows where the rings that show live (Yellow) or training (blue) round should go. The small decal sheet is designed for the trolley, and adds a large number of yellow markings that are dotted around the frame, as well as the serial number and some data plates on the handle. The trolley is painted gloss white with black handles, with orange or yellow rollers, but would undoubtedly become quite worn very quickly. Plenty of scope for weathering there! Conclusion A cool addition to any deck-side diorama, or just to have next to your 1:32 USN aircraft in the cabinet. You get a lot for your money, and hopefully yours will have all four wheels! Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of