1:72 AN/APS-4 Radar Pod (1 pc)

CMK 1:72 AN/APS-4 – radar pod

This is an accessory set for an aircraft kit in 1:72 scale, not an aircraft model. Its subject is an external pod carrying the AN/APS-4 radar, and the name gives one piece. It suits modelers who build American naval aircraft fitted with this equipment and want a more accurate shape than the simplified part from the kit. CMK has specialized in detailed aircraft sets for a long time.

The real subject

The AN/APS-4 was an American airborne radar carried not inside the airframe but in an aerodynamic pod hung under the wing. That made it possible to fit radar even to single-seat machines with no room for an operator inside the fuselage, and so to widen what they could do when looking for targets in poor visibility. The pod appeared on several types in American naval service at the end of the Second World War and in the years just after it, so it has a use on more than one model.

Building and painting tips

The part may be resin or plastic, so match the procedure to the material of the part you find in the package. Wash a resin casting in lukewarm soapy water, cut the casting block off with a fine saw and level the surface with a file; sand wet and with respiratory protection. Resin is glued with cyanoacrylate glue (super glue), plastic with ordinary modeling cement. We recommend reinforcing the underwing pylon with a short wire pin, otherwise the pod holds on the glued area alone and snaps off easily. Spray the pod in the same shade as the underside of the aircraft so that it reads as part of the machine, and keep the weathering discreet.

Who the set is for

• For modelers building American naval aircraft in 1:72 scale
• For those who want a more accurate shape for external equipment
• For building a particular machine from a period photograph
• For collectors of naval aviation subjects

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