1:72 AN/ALE39/47 US flares

Chaff and Flare Dispensers 1:72 AN/ALE-39 and AN/ALE-47

The set captures the American chaff and flare dispensers of the AN/ALE-39 and AN/ALE-47 series in 1:72 scale. It is not a model of an aircraft but an accessory glued onto a machine that is already built. The manufacturer is Brengun; the same hardware is also issued in 1:48 scale under a different code.

What the part does on the real aircraft

Dispensers are magazine devices built into the fuselage or into pods, from which flares and chaff are fired. On a model it is a small but technically characteristic feature: the regular pattern of openings on an outer panel is one of the things by which a modern combat aircraft is recognized. In plastic kits that pattern tends to be either merely suggested or left out altogether, because in 1:72 it will not go into a mold at any reasonable quality.

Fitting tips

Before gluing, find in the documentation for your particular machine exactly where the dispensers sit; the placement differs between versions and a badly glued block shows at once. Mark the position on the plastic lightly with the edge of a scalpel, not with a marker, so that you do not have to deal with removing the mark. Separate the parts with a saw or a scalpel and sand the flat left by the cut fully down, so that the block sits on the surface with no gap. It is glued with cyanoacrylate in drops. Once sprayed, a thinly diluted dark wash helps; it runs into the pattern of openings and the pattern brings itself out without your having to paint the individual holes.

Who the set is for

• Builders of modern American combat aircraft in 1:72 scale.
• Modelers who finish off the small external equipment on a completed model.
• Those who work to particular documentation for one machine.
• More experienced hands used to small parts and cyanoacrylate.

This is an accessory set, not a kit. The model, glue and paints are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.