1:72 Lockheed AC-130J Hercules PART I

Big Ed 1:72 - photo-etched additions for the AC-130J Hercules, part I

Lockheed AC-130J Hercules PART I in 1:72 scale is an add-on set from the Big Ed line by the Czech manufacturer Eduard. It is not an aircraft model or a kit: Big Ed is a bundle of several photo-etched sets for one type, used for completing a model you have already bought. For the same aircraft Eduard also lists a follow-on item designated PART II; they are two separate items, so check by the name which part you are ordering.

The real subject

The AC-130J is the newest form of the armed Hercules. It is based on the modern version of the transport machine with a stretched fuselage and it takes over the role of the older gunship Hercules that the US Air Force has gradually retired. It carries cannon armament firing from the side of the fuselage, completed with a large-caliber gun and with precision-guided munitions which it releases from the cargo compartment as well as from underwing pylons. Special Operations Command uses it and its domain is long endurance over the target and support of units on the ground at night.

How photo-etch is worked

Separate the parts with a sharp knife on a hard surface, not with nippers, so that they do not bend. Make the bends on an edge or in a bending tool, never in your fingers. They are bonded with super glue applied in a minimal amount, ideally with a wooden stick or a wire. Degreasing before painting is necessary, otherwise the paint does not hold on metal. It pays to go through the instructions beforehand and to plan which parts have to be on the model before the fuselage is closed.

Who the set is for

• Modelers building the AC-130J in 1:72 scale
• Builders who want to raise the detail without a conversion
• More experienced modelers with experience of photo-etch
• Collectors of add-ons for modern American hardware