1:72 Kh-29L (AS-14A Kedge) missiles with AKU-58 (2 pcs)

The Kedge against bridges and shelters

The Kh-29 missile, designated AS-14 Kedge in the West, was meant from the start for targets an ordinary bomb cannot deal with: reinforced-concrete shelters, bridge piers, vessels at a quay. That is where its robust construction and its exceptionally heavy warhead come from, unusual over such a short distance. The version with the letter L has a semi-active laser seeker, so it needs someone to illuminate the target – either the launch aircraft or an observer on the ground. It is carried by a number of combat aircraft of Eastern design, from the Su-25 attack aircraft through the Su-24 to the later Flankers.

The missile and the ejector rack

The set brings two missiles and the AKU-58 racks to go with them, that is the device that pushes the load away from the fuselage on launch so that it does not get into the airflow behind the aircraft. A pair matches the usual combat load, the one most often seen in photographs.

Fins with no gate

In 1:72 a single fin measures a couple of millimeters, and this is where the difference against plastic shows most. In a kit a fin like that tends to be molded onto the sprue with the gate falling exactly on its edge, so once it is cut off a tooth remains that only great patience will true up. A casting arrives with the edge already finished. In return you have to reckon with work on the casting block: separate it with a saw, true the surface up and glue the part to the model with cyanoacrylate glue. Lay the small pieces out in advance on a tray with a rim – whatever falls on a carpet is looked for in vain. It also pays to glue both racks on before the missiles, because seating them under a finished load is no longer possible.