1:32 AIM-2000 IRIS-T missiles (4 pcs) (3D Printed) for F-4, Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16, F/A-18, Tornado, Gripen

Reskit 1:32 - IRIS-T missiles, four pieces

A set of four IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missiles in 1:32 scale, made by 3D printing. They serve as stores for models of European and American combat aircraft that carry this weapon. Printing can manage the thin fins, the edges of the canards and the busy nose with its seeker, that is, precisely the parts that are usually thicker in injection-molded plastic than the scale would allow. The set is not a model of an aircraft or of a pylon.

The real subject

The IRIS-T is a European short-range air-to-air guided missile with infrared homing, developed as a replacement for the older Sidewinders. It came out of international cooperation under German leadership and appears in American designation as the AIM-2000. Compared with its predecessors it brought a markedly wider field of view for the seeker, the ability to hit a target off the axis of flight, and resistance to countermeasures. It is carried by a number of European types, from the Eurofighter through the Gripen to the Tornado and the F-16.

Building and painting tips

Snip the parts off their supports close to the model and level the rest with a file or a scalpel. They are glued with cyanoacrylate glue (super glue). Apply a primer before painting. Training rounds are painted markedly differently from live ones, so decide first what configuration you are building. Leave the seeker dome in a different shade from the body, so that it shows it is made of a different material.

Who the set is for

• For builders of contemporary combat aircraft in 1:32 scale.
• For modelers bothered by coarse plastic stores.
• For completing the armament of European types.

This is an accessory, not a complete model. It is supplied unassembled and unpainted.