Eduard GBU-32 Thermally Protected Bombs (648396) 1:48

[Mike]

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