Wingman Models 1/48 IMI VER-2 Set First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

Wingman Models is producing a new series of aftermarket detail sets and this time they've produced a nice enhancement for the F-16. If the F-16 carries external tanks on the inboard pylons, that only leaves the middle pylons (stations 3 and 7) for air-to-ground weapons. You'll sometimes see two weapons on these stations using a triple ejector rack (TER) with the inboard mount not being used and no pylons installed on stations 2 and 8. This configuration allows the center bomb to eject downward as usual and the outboard bomb to eject down and outboard without hitting anything on the way out.

EDO found a better solution - the BRU-57 Vertical Ejector Rack (VER). The VER allows for two weapons on stations 3 and 7 while retaining missle rails and weapons on stations 2 and 8 because both bombs on the VER eject downward, clear of any other external stores on the aircraft. The US Navy has a variant for the F/A-18 Hornet which almost doubles the number of weapons stations on the aircraft. IMI in Israel produces the system for the IAF's F-16s.

Here is Wingman Models' VER set patterned after the IMI-produced system but shouldn't be hard to modify into the BRU-57. This set is molded in gray resin and two complete VERs are provided in the set. Photo-etched parts are provided to represent the anti-sway arms and feet.

If you want to double the bombload of your next Viper project, here in a set you'll want to acquire!

My sincere thanks to  Wingman Models for this review sample!