1:72 Mark 82 bombs with BSU-86 Snakeye II fins (4pcs)

Mark 82 bombs with the BSU-86 retarding tail, 1:72, Reskit

Four Mark 82 bombs with the BSU-86 retarding tail assembly, 1:72 scale. The set is an accessory to an airplane model, not a kit. The retarding fins are so thin in this scale that a plastic kit necessarily makes them thicker, otherwise the mold would not fill them. A bomb from the box then looks ponderous exactly in the place the viewer looks at first. A resin part keeps the fins slender and with a sharp edge, so that the stores of the model match the rest of the build.

The real subject

A retarding tail assembly increases the drag of the bomb after release and thus makes deployment from low altitude possible without the aircraft getting into the area of the explosion. The designation Snakeye II refers to the follow-on form of the mechanical retarding fins. A bomb on the rack has the fins folded, so on a model it is told from the smooth version mainly by the shape and the division of the rear end.

Tips for working with resin

Small resin bombs are heavier than plastic ones and the area of the joint with the rack is really tiny in 1:72. It therefore pays to pin them with a micro drill and a piece of thin wire: a hole in the bomb, a hole in the attachment, the wire into both, and the joint holds even when the model is carried. Before you start, wash the mold release agent off the parts, cut the remains of the casting block or the print supports off with a saw and clean them up wet. Apply the cyanoacrylate glue in the smallest possible drops, otherwise it will run over onto the retarding fins.

Who the set is for

• Builders of tactical aircraft in 1:72 scale
• Modelers who are bothered by thick retarding fins in plastic
• Those who build a deployment from low altitude
• More experienced builders who can pin small parts with wire

The set is an accessory, not a kit. It is supplied unpainted. Glue, paints and the base model are not included in the package.