Toilet Bomb for Skyraider

Brengun, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brad Fallen

Eduard's 1/48 scale MiG-23 Wheels are available online from Squadron.com

Background

In October 1965 the Executive Officer of VA-25, Commander Clarence Stoddard, flew Douglas A-1H Skyraider NE/572 “Paper Tiger II” off USS Midway on a mission to support US troops fighting in Vietnam.  In addition to a mixed load of bombs, Stoddard’s aircraft carried an unusual and unauthorized weapon – a toilet that had been fitted with a rack, fuse and tailfins and then secretly attached to the outer starboard pylon.  While the ‘toilet bomb’ wasn’t particularly aerodynamic – on release it turned in the wind and almost hit the Skyraider – it was a humorous way to mark the six-millionth pound of ordnance dropped on North Vietnamese targets to date in the war.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 

Thumbnail panels:

Commander Stoddard died 11 months later on another mission over North Vietnam, when the Skyraider he was flying was shot down by surface-to-air missiles.

“Paper Tiger II” and its unique ordnance are not surprisingly popular modeling subjects.  Hasegawa has released 1/72 and 1/48 ‘special bomb’ A-1H kits – the latter a re-boxing of the venerable Monogram kit – which include an injected-moulded toilet and rack as well as decals for “Paper Tiger II”.

Brengun has now also released 1/48 and 1/72 mini-kits of the ‘toilet bomb’.  This approach allows modelers to use a kit of their choosing to represent Stoddard’s aircraft, with Tamiya’s excellent Skyraider series the likely choice in 1/48 scale.

Contents

Brengun’s 1/48 ‘toilet bomb for Skyraider’ set has four components – a resin toilet, a photo-etched rack for carrying the toilet, a small decal sheet, and an instruction sheet to bring it all together.

The toilet is well cast and closely matches the photographs of the real thing.  I’d have to say this is an item I never expected to see reproduced in 1/48 scale, but here it is and it’s lovely – small but perfectly formed.

The underwing rack is provided as a single photo-etched piece, which requires some complicated folding to complete.  Success here will, I think, depend on close examination of the instructions, and some experience in working with photo-etched brass.  The final result should definitely look the part, with the thin brass delivering a more realistic scale effect than injection moulded plastic.

The fuse that was fitted to the front of the toilet is also supplied in photo-etch.  However, after examining photographs of the toilet hanging from “Paper Tiger II”, it appears that the toilet may also have been fitted with a set of tailfins, which Brengun has not supplied.  The fins are not obvious in all of the photos I found, so it’s possible they were either attached to or removed from the toilet before take off.  If you want to replicate this detail on your toilet, you will need to do dip into your spares box or do some scratch building.

The decal sheet contains a complete set of identification markings for “Paper Tiger II”, and includes the VA-25 insignia used to decorate both sides of the toilet.  While the decals have been printed reasonably crisply, I did find a couple of small ink runs.  Also, the font used for the large ‘572’ carried on either side of the engine cowling does not seem to be quite right – the corners of the numbers don’t look squared off enough – so I would recommend checking your references closely at this stage of the build.

The instruction sheet is small but comprehensive, and includes four view line drawings that show correct locations for decal placement.  The sheet also includes four useful black-and-white photographs of “Paper Tiger II” ‘bombed up’ and ready to go.  Plenty of photos of the aircraft and its load – some of them in colour – can also be found on the internet.

This neat set is highly recommended for modelers interested in reproducing one of the more unusual ordnance loads carried by a military aircraft.  The little resin toilet, particularly, is a gem; carefully painted and decaled, it is one of those touches that will make your model stand out on the competition table.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Brengun for the review sample.

Review Text Copyright © 2013 by Brad Fallen
Page Created 28 May, 2013
Last updated 28 May, 2013

Back to HyperScale Main Page

Back to Reviews Page