1:32 GPU-5/A 30mm gun pod (1 pcs) (A-4, LTV A-7, AV-8B, F-4, F-5A, F-16, F/A-18)

The GPU-5/A gun pod in 1:32 scale

This item is not a model of an aircraft, but an external store with which an already built kit is supplemented. The GPU-5/A is a pod with a rotary 30 mm cannon that is hung under the fuselage or the wing and gives an otherwise lightly armed machine firepower against ground targets. The name gives a list of the types the pod was in practice tied to, among them the A-4, A-7, AV-8B, F-4, F-5A, F-16 and F/A-18. In the large scale of 1:32 the weapon is clearly visible, so the work put into it pays off.

The real subject

The pod arose as a way of carrying the effectiveness of a large-caliber aircraft cannon to machines that have no heavy barrel of their own. Inside is a multi-barrel weapon derived from the cannon known from the Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, and with it a supply of rounds. Its use was always a compromise: the pod adds drag and weight, but in return it can hit armored targets from immediate proximity. It is precisely for this role that it found a place in the arsenal of several generations of American aircraft.

Recommendations for finishing

First wash the parts in lukewarm soapy water, so that the remains of the mold release disappear from the surface. Cut off the casting remnants with a saw or a cutter and carry out sanding wet and with protection of the airways. The joint is held by cyanoacrylate glue, not by solvent cement for plastic. Do not forget a primer before painting.

Suitable for

• Builders of American combat aircraft in a large scale
• Modelers adding realistic underwing armament
• More experienced hands used to working with resin