AS.34 Kormoran

Eduard BRASSIN, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Mark Davies

Eduard Brassin’s 1/72 scale As.34 Kormorans are available online from Squadron.com

The AS.34 Kormoran is a German-produced anti-ship missile. The Kormoran (cormorant) uses an inertial guidance system for the midcourse phase, switching to active radar homing during the terminal attack phase. It carries a 165 kg delay-fused warhead, designed for 90mm of penetration prior to detonation. The maximum range is 23 km.
Development of the Kormoran started in 1962, being taken over by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (now a part of EADS) in 1967. The missile was originally designed for anti-shipping roles in coastal waters, although it retains a secondary land-attack capability as well. It is currently deployed on the Panavia Tornado. 350 Kormoran 1’s were produced.

The AS.34 Kormoran 2 is an improved version of the AS.34 Kormoran 1. Development was started in 1983, with first flight and firing trials taking place in early 1986. The missile features an improved warhead, all-digital electronics, improved active radar seeker, increased ECM-resistance, a stronger booster rocket, a longer range, improved automated target selection, multiple launch capability, and an increased resistance to countermeasures.

While still using the same basic airframe as Kormoran 1, the Kormoran 2 has a greater range of 35 km and a heavier 220 kg warhead.

Testing ended in 1987, and the missile entered service with the German Navy in 1991. Approximately 140 missiles were produced for Germany. The missile is now in service with the German Luftwaffe and Italian Air Force.

Source: Wikepedia

Missiles that come with kits in the “The One True Scale” often have over-scale fins and simplified detail in other areas. There is the laborious fix of scratch building if you have the skill and patience, but buying aftermarket missiles is far easier. Aftermarket missiles usually use PE and resin parts for better scale finesse and overall detail, although 3D-printed missiles with very fine integral fins is another solution to the problem.

Predictably, Eduard Brassin uses resin and PE to provide us with a pair of missiles, one example each of the Kormoran 1 and 2. This missile set will be most welcome to modellers of modern German and Italian strike aircraft.  

The Missiles

The two 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 PDF copy of the instructions is downloadable from Eduard’s website.

A small sheet of decals provides for the missile markings.

The quality of casting is excellent, with easily removed casing blocks. Despite their very similar appearance, the two fuselages are different, as are the front wings and PE rocket exhausts. Fortunately, Eduard has numbered the casting blocks to aid in distinguishing the various pieces.

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Painted and decaled, these Kormorans should be an excellent addition to any suitable model; they are sure to be a vast improvement over any injected kit items.

Eduard offer a very similar pair of 1/48 scale Kormorans for about 50% more than the 1/72 scale ones reviewed here.

Eduard’s Kormoran 1 & 2 missiles are very nicely rendered. They offer an excellent detail refinement opportunity for models of modern German and Italian strike aircraft. I definitely recommended them.

Thanks to Eduard for the samples and images.

Review Text & Black Background Images Copyright © 2015 by Mark Davies
Page Created 26 October, 2015
Last updated 26 October, 2015

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