Jump to content

AGM-62 Walleye II (648616) 1:48


Recommended Posts

AGM-62 Walleye II (648616)

1:48 Eduard Brassin

 

boxtop.jpg

 

The Walleye was an early guided bomb that was surprisingly successful given the analogue nature of the electronics and the relatively short gestation of the type.  It was initially called a missile, but as it was unpowered that was somewhat disingenuous.  It used television for guidance, requiring the pilot to designate a picture of the target on a screen in the cockpit, then after launch the aircraft could turn for home leaving the weapon to home in on the target unaided.  It was first used with great success in Vietnam in 1967, and was found to be an accurate weapon that reduced the likelihood of collateral damage, although it suffered a little from having a relatively light payload. The Mk.I Mod.3 had extended fins, and was also known as the ER/ERDL. The Mk.II went a long way to increase the destructive power, almost doubling the payload for a little more punch (and paunch), remaining in service thanks to upgrades until just after the first Gulf War, which also marked the last hurrah of the A-7 Corsair II that carried it.

 

648616.jpg

 

As is now usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in the new Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, the main bodies going as far as having bubble-wrap bags to protect the wings, and the instructions folded around acting as padding in addition to the foam sheets.  The set includes parts for two surprisingly large and chubby Walleye IIs, which are much chunkier than the predecessors, to give them the greater explosive capability of these later variants.  The main bodies have the four large wings moulded-in, with either a clear television camera in the nose, or with a 2.3mm of the tip removed, the protective FOD cover can be installed instead.  At the rear is a resin spinner with two PE blades from the tiny Photo-Etch (PE) sheet.  The decal sheet includes stencils for each bomb, which are painted overall white with a red FOD cover, and the spinner at the rear is painted steel.

 

Conclusion

Detail is excellent, even extending to a representation of the camera inside the nose, although no painting instructions are included for that area, although it’s usually a light to medium metallic colour.  Again, check your references if you are unsure.  The casting blocks should be easy to remove and clean up neatly, thanks to the tapered flow gates and sensible location of the casting blocks.

 

Highly recommended.

 

bin.jpg

 

Review sample courtesy of

logo.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...