Attack Squadron 1/72 KC-130J Harvest Hawk Conversion First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | October 2017 | Manufacturer | Attack Squadron |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | KC-130J Harvest Hawk Conversion | Scale | 1/72 |
| Kit Number | 72065 | Media | Resin, Photo-Etch |
| Pros | Nice conversion for the Italeri/Testors kits | Cons | Nothing noted |
| Skill Level | Intermediate | MSRP (USD) | $16.95 |
First Look
Attack Squadron from Poland produces some impressive resin kits, details, and conversions. One of their focus areas has been the C-130 Hercules in 1/48 and 1/72 scales with previous releases providing much-needed engine nacelle corrections, wheel well sponson correction for the APU version, and KC-130 refueling pods. These are available in 1/48 and 1/72 scale, and all tooled for the Italeri and Testors C-130 kits.
Ten or more years ago, if you'd put two words 'armed' and 'tanker' together in a sentence, you'd have been laughed out of any number of military organizations. Nevertheless, the Marines had been operating their KC-130 tankers over the sandboxes for years providing much-needed fuel to fixed and rotary-winged aircraft operating in those theaters. When the call for help could be heard from the troops in contact, the tanker crews could do nothing more than relay those calls and hope for the best. That would change in 2010 when the Marine Corps first deployed the Harvest Hawk modification for their tankers. The Harvest HAWK (Hercules Armed Weapons Kit) update adds a FLIR turret to the rear of the port inboard external fuel tank and replaces the port outboard refueling pod with launchers that can accomodate Hellfire, Griffin or Viper Strike weapons.
Attack Squadron has renderd this unique system with this release that provides the starboard outboard refueling pod, port outboard pylon with Hellfire launcher and four missiles, a replacement plug for the port inboard external fuel tank with FLIR, and inserts to the rear of the wheel well sponsons that house sensors. This set is molded in gray resin and includes one set of photo-etched parts and a set of decals for the AGM-114 stencils.
If you want to put a KC-130J kit on your shelf or contest table that will turn some heads, the Harvest Hawk armed tanker will do that for you. This set works with the Italeri and Testors kits and Attack Squadron also produces this conversion in 1/48 scale for the Testors and Italeri C-130J kit as set 48052.
This set is available from HobbyZone USA (look here).