GBU-12 Bomb

Eduard BRASSIN, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Mick Drover

Eduard's 1/48 scale MiG-21R Interior is available online from Squadron.com

The GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb is an American aerial bomb, based on the Mk 82 500-pound general-purpose bomb, but with the addition of a nose-mounted laser seeker and fins for guidance. A member of the Paveway series of weapons, Paveway II entered into service c. 1976. It is currently in service with U.S. Air Force, US Navy, US Marine Corps, Royal Canadian Air Force, Colombian Air Force, and various NATO air forces.*

The set contains parts to build four GBU-12 Paveway II laser guided bombs.

The bomb construction is broken down into the single piece seeker head, bomb body, single piece rear guidance fins and individual forward guidance fins. This method of construction will certainly aid during the painting stage as Navy and Air Force variants have  different protective coatings applied to the bodies in different textures and different colours. It will allow the bomb body to be painted first with the forward guidance fins attached at a later time. Alternative seeker heads are also provided with the seeker head cover in place. These are a nice touch should you chose to build a parked aircraft prior to flight. Decals are supplied for the data stencils.

All parts are cast in the familiar Eduard grey resin with surface detail and fidelity exceeding what can be found in contemporary kit supplied items. The only issue I can see with construction is the cleanup and separation from the casting block or the rear tail unit. The fins of the rear unit key with the body of the bomb. Due to the size and position of the casting block some care will be needed as the fins could quite easily be damaged when removing the casting plug.

Kit ordnance options can sometime be a sore point for modellers. Eduard breaks the trend and continues to deliver a great selection of ordnance options across both era and scale. Due to its ease of construction, this bomb set will satisfy those looking to add some visual interest to their latest contemporary 1/48 scale aircraft.

Recommended.

Thanks to Eduard for the samples and images.

Review Text Copyright © 2014 by Mick Drover
Page Created 7 October, 2014
Last updated 7 October, 2014

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