AIM-9B Sidewinder

Eduard BRASSIN, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Mark Davies

Eduard's 1/72 AIM-9B Sidewinders will be available online from Squadron.com

The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a short-range air-to-air missile developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s. Entering service in 1956, variants and upgrades remain in active service with many air forces after five decades. The United States Air Force purchased the Sidewinder after the missile was developed by the United States Navy at China Lake, California.

The majority of Sidewinder variants utilize infrared homing for guidance; the AIM-9C variant used semi-active radar homing and served as the basis of the AGM-122 Sidearm anti-radar missile. The Sidewinder is the most widely used missile in the West, with more than 110,000 missiles produced for the U.S. and 27 other nations, of which perhaps one percent have been used in combat. It has been built under license by some other nations including Sweden. The AIM-9 is one of the oldest, least expensive, and most successful air-to-air missiles, with an estimated 270 aircraft kills in its history of use.
Source: Wikepedia

If “The One True Scale” has a weakness (and I’m not admitting it does!), it is that the missiles supplied with 1/72 kits often suffer from over-scale fins due to the limitations of injection moulding, as well as sometimes having simplified detail in other areas. The usual solution for the former issue is to use PE fins, whilst better overall detail can be obtained by casting in resin. (Although, I have seen 3D-printed missiles with very fine fins, and there is the laborious option of scratch building if you have the skill and patience.)

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Predictably, Eduard Brassin uses resin and photo-etched brass to provide us with four examples of the early model AIM-9B Sidewinder. This will be most welcome to modellers of 1960’s & 70’s fighters, as early Sidewinders seem a bit rare from aftermarket sources. Not only to modellers of Western subjects will be pleased with this release, as the USSR’s early K-13 (AA-2 Atoll) was essentially a carbon copy of the AIM-9B; and as such, this release should be a boon to builders of Soviet fighters from the same period.  

The four missiles come attractively packaged in a blister pack with sponge cushioning. Very clear instructions are included, with colour call-outs cross-referenced to the Gunze Aqueous and Mr Color paint ranges. A small sheet of decals provides for the missile markings.

The quality of casting is excellent, with the pour subs attached to the tail fins. Separate protective covers for the seeker-heads are supplied in resin, but you will have to cut the seeker-heads from the missile fuselages if you plan to use these. The forward fins are made of PE; sixteen being required to complete four missiles, although twenty-one are supplied, so you have some spare. Four PE rings are included to represent the rocket motor exhausts.

Painted and decaled, these Sidewinders should be an excellent addition to any suitable model; they are sure to be a vast improvement over any injected kit items. Eduard offers a very similar 1/48 scale set of four AIM-9B’s, but with separate seeker-heads, for the same price as their smaller scale equivalent (Brassin 648028). 

Eduard Brassin’s AIM-9B Sidewinders are very nicely rendered, and represent an excellent detail refinement for many 1960’s & 70’s Western fighter subjects. They can also serve equally well as Soviet Atolls.

I definitely recommended this set.

Thanks to Eduard for the samples and images.

Review Text Copyright © 2014 by Mark Davies
Page Created 23 September, 2014
Last updated 23 September, 2014

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