Eduard Brassin HVAR Rockets, Kit #632154
While there is no shortage of HVAR's on the market in various levels of accuracy and scale fidelity these aftermarket goodies from Eduard are doubtless the best available. As is usual with the Brassin range the detail is exquisite and the parts rendering is top notch. If you need really nice 1/32 scale 5" rockets, these are the best around. Having said that, these are also not for beginners; there are some definite "gotcha's" in bringing them into your project.
It is the scale perfection itself which can be a headache for the unwary. The fins are cast almost scale thickness, and they are VERY delicate; get ham fisted with these and you're going to be in for some very gnarly repair work.
The other downside is a result of the production method itself. The pour points are on the aft end of each rocket, and once removed the body itself must be drilled out for installation of the photoetch motor outlets. This a delicate bit of work, because if you get off center it can booger the whole thing up. My own approach was to chuck the part into a Sherline lathe, center drill and then follow up with a tiny end mill. Lacking that equipment, a steady hand and better eye is your best bet.
The end results are definitely worth the effort and expense however.
Recommended.
Brengun AN M-30 General Purpose Bomb Set Kit # 32044
As mentioned in the review below on the ZM weapon set,
M-30 bombs are astonishingly hard to find in any scale even though they were very common during WWII, in the early part of the Korean War and even into Vietnam. Brengun has come to the rescue with their own rendition in all three major scales which are at present not only the only game in town but definitely well worth sourcing if you have need of these particular weapons. The bomb bodies are perfectly cast in gray resin with even the mounting lugs clearly defined. The box fins are photo etch and the very well printed decals even in this scale are perfectly legible. While I have not actually used these yet, they look very promising.
Recommended.
Zoukei-Mura 1/32 Weapon Set Number 1
First marketed as an adjunct release to their A-1H kit, this product is something of an interesting mixed bag.
Quality wise, there are no issues whatever. Everything is well molded, accurate and plentiful. Also included is a very well done decal sheet which supplies all the stenciling and/or yellow nose ring bands as applicable to each weapon; the ring decals actually fit too which is not always the case in similar products from other companies. There is also a nice instruction diagram which shows a proper load out suggestion so inappropriate weapons do not get loaded on the wrong pylons.
What makes this set something of a head scratcher is the choice of stores included; it’s kind of an odd mix, all things considered. Both ZM Skyraiders are strictly Vietnam era birds for which the included M117 750lb bombs and LAU-3 rocket pods are completely applicable.
Also included, however, in fact making up the bulk of the contents, are some very nice AN-M66 (2000lb), AN-M65 (1000lb), AN-M64 (500lb), AN-57 (250lb) box finned bombs and early model HVAR’s. These last are actually WWII era munitions which, while occasionally utilized in the very early stages of the A-1’s Vietnam deployments are much more applicable to Korean War loadouts.
Don’t get me wrong; it’s really nice to have them to hand for other projects and their subjects’ extreme paucity (or expense-a la Brassin) from other sources makes keeping a couple of these ZM boxes in the stash a good idea for the 1/32 scale builder. My only complaint, actually, is Shigeta-san didn’t include any box fin AN-M30’s (100lb) because there are exactly zero of that weapon available anywhere in any scale that I can find.
Do not read any of the above as criticism, because I mean nothing of the kind. I keep a supply of these around because they have come in handy more than once. Highly recommended. (U)
Zoukei-Mura 1/32 Weapon Set Number 2
This set is meant, I believe, to primarily supplement ZM’s A-1J USAF kit. Quality wise everything which is true about Set #1 is equally applicable here; it is done to a very high standard.
In here we have many of the basic stores, with some exceptions, for Sandy loadouts or, better, for daylight armed recce and truck hunting along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Included are M81 (250lb) slick bombs w/fuse extenders, M82 (500lb) slicks, BLU-10/B napalm, LAU-86 and LAU 61 rocket pods, SUU-11/A minigun pods and SUU-14/14A CBU dispensers; all very common SEA weapons hanging from Skyraiders.
The only problem with the contents is the SUU-14’s. Being injection molded they suffer from the same downside as every other attempt by every other manufacturer; the separately engineered tube ends. They don’t fit, and trying to blend them into the rest of the weapon once glued on is a nightmare which never has a good ending. Since Eduard has not as yet seen fit to produce their beautiful Brassin SUU-14’s in 1/32 scale, the best bet is still to scratch build as I outline here.
Past this, I am disappointed somewhat at what is not, and never is in any, box.
Sandy loadouts just about always included M47 white phosphorus bombs. These are never included or produced in any kit in any scale except the 1/48 Eduard F6F. (Oddly enough, I’m pretty sure Eduard meant them to be M-30’s but looked at the wrong drawings; they’re actually very nice M-47’s- the only ones in the industry.) Finned nape would have been nice, as it was fairly common on Air Force A-1’s. Nice to have but available nowhere would perhaps be flares, a Madden kit or two and even AN-M1A4 frag clusters often seen on Vietnam era A-1’s.
Despite my whining above (which I fully intend to memorialize in a future blog) I really like this set and, as with its counterpart Set #1, I keep a few around as some of the best Vietnam Era weapons sources available. Very highly recommended. (U)
Barracuda Studios 1/32 Skyraider Propeller
There's not much to say about one of the latest products from Barracuda Studios, as with just about everything under this label it is simply outstanding. For those building the Trumpeter kit this or the AMS version (referenced below) is something of a sine qua non, since the kit prop is a grotesque aberration at best. To be honest, I think it is even an improvement over the kit propeller from the Zoukei-Mura kit, and will be using it on my next build.
This propeller is perfectly molded, appropriately thin in airfoil cross section and exactly the right scale diameter. The hub is very finely detailed as well.
My only criticism is the packaging; it is listed as a Hamilton Standard propeller while the A-1's prop was an Aero Products unit. What the hell, that's only ink on paper. This is a great product; you should buy many. Now, if Roy will only bring out a 1/48 version...(R)
Fast Fix Wright R3350 Engine
Well, this one is a study in extremes insofar as any production version of the Skyraider is concerned.
One one hand it is an absolutely stunning example of the art insofar as 3D design and printing is concerned. It is a highly accurate and perfectly printed front cast of the big Wright engine which will require nothing from the builder except for some care in removing the print structures followed by careful painting.
The downside is unless you are building, say, a 1/32 scale B-29 this particular part will be of little use for any iteration of the Skyraider except for, perhaps, the first XBT2D-1 prototypes. The 3350 went through major redesigns immediately after WW2 resulting in significant configuration differences. Fast Fix markets this as a R-3350-23, but it more accurately represents (I believe) an early R-3350-8 which was initially fitted to the very early test models. However the original spec for the airplane stipulated the dash-24 which quickly replaced the original early powerplants.
Several dash models of the engine followed throughout the Skyraider's career which is of little importance to the scale modeler since they are not evident to view but the crankcase, oil sump and prop governor configuration of the -24 as fitted to the AD/A-1 differs significantly from this model and is easily noticed on the finished product. Most notably the magneto configuration is completely different, as all versions of the Skyraider seem to be fitted with larger size Low Tension (LT) system with the prominent mags at the 10 and 2 o'clock positions as seen here. 
This is too bad, because Fast Fix has given us a beautiful part. We'll keep and eye out, and if they come out with a Skyraider relevant version, it will definitely be prominently mentioned here.
Unfortunately, not recommended for Skyraider builders. (R)
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