Here's a review of the first 1/32
product in Shawn Hull's line of resin aftermarket accessories. This item
is the ALE-50 Towed Decoy Pylon for the LAU-129 missile launcher rail, and is
designed for the Tamiya 1/32 F-16. The ALE-50 is an electronics
countermeasure pylon which launches a decoy that is towed behind the host
aircraft. The towed decoy emits a radar signature that acts as a
preferential target for radar guided missiles, and has been in use for some time
now. The host aircraft deploys the towed decoy when necessary, and
then cuts it loose prior to landing. The ALE-50 is in service with the
F-16 and B-1, and the Navy has plans to integrate the ALE-50 with the F/A-18E/F
Super Hornet.
WHAT YOU GET:
A pair of ALE-50
pylons for use with the LAU-129 launch rail. The set is designed
specifically for the Tamiya kit, although I would imagine that it could be
adapted to the Academy kit as well. The parts are well detailed, and
cleanly cast, with no imperfections, bubbles, or voids. I should add that
Shawn exercises strict quality control over his products, as I have yet to
review a product in his line that contains even a minor casting defect.
They're also cast in a fairly ingenious manner. However Shawn did it, he
set up the parts in such a way that the only way the parts are attached to the
pour stubs is by way of thin pieces of flash. This dramatically reduces
the time necessary to remove the parts and clean them up. I decided to
take one off the sprue, and the total prep time for each part is literally less
than one minute each. Simply scribe around the part where it meets the
flash, swipe it once or twice with a sanding stick, and you're in business.
Fans of the Tamiya F-16 will be glad to have this new set, and in addition to
adding detail to your model, the parts are extremely easy to work with.
I'd like to thank Shawn Hull for
providing me with this review sample.
Steve
Additional
detail shots can be seen below.
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