Eduard 1/48 AGM-65 Maverick Set First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | July 2014 | Manufacturer | Eduard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | AGM-65 Maverick Set | Scale | 1/48 |
| Kit Number | 648151 | Media | Resin |
| Pros | Nicest AGM-65s in this scale | Cons | Nothing noted |
| Skill Level | Intermediate | MSRP (USD) | $13.00 |
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 the nicest pair of AGM-65 Maverick missiles I've seen in this scale. The Maverick is an optically guided missile using either normal light, infrared, or laser designation to acquire and home on target. The missile carries the equivalent of a 500 pound bomb as a warhead and with a speed of nearly Mach 1, the sheer kinetic energy of the missile will kill most targets. The detonation of the warhead is almost redundant though it provides visual feedback to the pilot. When first introduced, it was common to see the Maverick mounted on triple rail LAU-88/A launchers but most aircraft employ the LAU-117/A single-rail launcher since the late 1980s.
As you can see in the image above, this set is molded in gray resin and has some great details. Eduard provides a pair of missile bodies, a pair of rocket motor-equipped rear sections, two types of seekers for inside the noses, two clear domes for lenses, and a pair of LAU-177A missile rails. The instructions indicate that there are another pair of resin (opaque) seeker domes for the laser-guided versions but none were included in the set so I think you'll have to paint the clear parts if you're doing CCD or laser-guided versions.
This set provides a nice sheet of decals for the missiles to render live Mavericks and painting instructions to render the following versions:
- AGM-65B (TV)
- AGM-65D (IR imaging)
- AGM-65E (Laser)
- AGM-65H (CCD)
You'll want to stock up on these beauties for any number of future projects!
My sincere thanks to Eduard for this review sample!