1:48 Mk-4 GunPod 5 Outboard Cannon Mount

The Mk 4 underwing cannon pod in 1:48 scale

An accessory that refines the armament of a model. The Mk 4 pod was created for the US Navy as a way of adding firepower to machines that themselves carried only light built-in armament or none at all. Inside is a twin-barrel 20 mm cannon, and the whole pod is hung on an ordinary wing pylon. The set is in 1:48 scale.

A carrier aircraft with added firepower

This kind of pod is most often met on light attack and observation machines of American origin from the 1960s and 1970s. It was the answer for tasks where there was no need to carry heavy bombs, but the crew had to have something more effective to hand than unguided rockets alone. On a model it is a striking elongated shape that fundamentally changes the silhouette of the wing.

Working with the part

First check against photographs which pylons the pod was hung on and in what numbers, because an asymmetrical arrangement is distracting on a model. Before gluing, offer the pod up dry and align its longitudinal axis with the direction of flight, otherwise the skew will show in finished work. In color the pods usually kept to the shade of the aircraft's underside; darken the muzzles and add light traces of exhaust staining.

A suitable addition for

• light attack and observation machines of the US Navy
• modelers who assemble the armament from a particular photograph
• kits whose underwing stores are poor in shape
• an airfield scene showing preparation before takeoff