1:48 Rocket launcher UB-16 and UB-32

Soviet pods for unguided rockets

The UB-16 and UB-32 pods were among the most widespread armament of Eastern Bloc machines. A cylindrical casing held sixteen or thirty-two tubes respectively for 57 mm rockets of the S-5 family and was hung on the pylons of fighters and attack helicopters. You see them under MiG-21 aircraft, under Sukhoi machines and on the pylons of Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters from the 1960s to this day.

What the set offers

The castings in 1:48 scale offer a depth of tube that an injection mold cannot manage. The mouths are open and the faces of the pods match the real geometry. The accessory is fitted onto finished pylons, so it calls for a kit to hang it on.

• The material is cast resin
• 1:48 scale
• Two types of rocket pod in one package
• Intended for kits of aircraft and helicopters of Eastern manufacture

First separate the castings from the casting blocks with a saw, level the surface and wash the part in warm water with detergent, so that the remains of mold release agent from the mold are removed. Without this step paint holds badly on resin and peels off during handling. Use cyanoacrylate to join them; ordinary cement for styrene does not bite into resin and the joint would not hold.

The details that decide

The real pods carried prominent circular mouths of the individual tubes on the face and projecting reinforcing rings around the circumference. It is exactly this look that tends to be simplified on injection-molded parts into shallow dimples. Once painted in a dark tone and gently highlighted on the edges, the depth that the accessory is bought for comes into its own.