1:48 AIM-7E/E2 Sparrow (4 pcs)

The AIM-7E and E-2 Sparrow in 1:48 scale

Four scale replicas of the American medium-range Sparrow missile in the E and E-2 forms, as they were carried by the fighter aircraft of the nineteen-sixties. They serve to complete the external stores of models in 1:48 scale. The number of pieces matches the name of the item.

The Sparrow over Vietnam

The Sparrow is guided semi-actively: the target has to be illuminated by the radar of the launching machine throughout the flight, which forces the pilot to hold his heading and does not let him turn away. The E form was the main weapon of the Phantoms of the day and its combat effectiveness stayed far behind expectations: the fuses, the motors and the guidance all failed. The requirement for visual identification of the target also forced crews to fire from a range the weapon was not built for. The answer was the E-2 form, nicknamed the dogfight Sparrow: shortened surfaces, faster arming of the fuse and a lower minimum range adapted it to close combat.

How to improve them

• Check the symmetry of the surfaces, as on a slender cylinder a deviation shows at once.
• Spray the white finish onto a light base, or the undercoat will show through.
• You recognize training rounds by blue bands, live ones by yellow and brown.
• Polish the surface before applying the markings, so that the decal does not go rough.

Who it is for

For builders of Phantoms and other machines from the first half of the Cold War. Tools, paints and glues have to be bought separately.

Missiles of this type were carried in pairs and in fours according to the mission, so the number of pieces in the package covers the ordinary external load of one machine.