Eduard 1/48 GBU-16 First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

Eduard from the Czech Republic is easily the most prolific producer of aftermarket details. Period. Their series of photo-etched detail sets have brought additional fidelity to otherwise bland subjects, and have taken even the best-produced models and kicked them up a notch or two with details that cannot be produced with injection-molded plastic. Many AMS modelers will collect the relevant Eduard photo-etch sets for a given project, but they'll also go out and gather specific resin enhancements as well. Eduard has stepped up with a new product line to complement their photo-etched detail series - Brassin. Brassin is a play on words with Brass and Resin, and in many sets in this series, the resin details also include a set of color photo-etch as well.

In this release, Eduard has produced four GBU-16 Paveway II laser-guided bombs (LGB). The Paveway II system followed the original Paveway series of LGBs featuring improved guidance and stability using folding fins in the tail that extend upon release. The GBU-16 refers to the kit that adds the guidance nose and fin kit to a standard Mk.83 1000 pound bomb. GBU-16s are used on all modern tactical aircraft since the mid-1970s.

This set includes four nicely cast resin bombs, four sets of four guidance fins, two sets of four seeker heads, a set of photo-etched tail caps, and a set of weapons stencils. This set is accurate for USAF and NATO/allied aircraft as the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps used the same GBU-16 kits on their Mk.83s, but their bombs have a textured fire-protective coating where these bombs are smooth.

Grab up a set or two to bomb up your next USAF tactical project!

My sincere thanks to Eduard for this review sample!