Essential accessories from Bandit Resin Factory.
I don't know about you? But one of the most frustrating things for me is when you've splashed out on a kit only to find it's lacking the "Things under wings" you need to accurately depict your subject, if you're lucky your spares box might have something suitable but other times it's scratch build or bust! This is often the case with Red Air subjects which usually carry an ACMI pod, so you try your best to make one from stretched sprue or by trimming down a Sidewinder! Luckily Bandit Resin Factory have spotted a gap in the market and come to our rescue with their extensive range of ACMI pods and more!
Fights On!
ACMI Stands for Air Combat Manoeuvring instrumentation, also sometimes referred to as a TACT pod. Essentially it's a data recorder that can also in some cases transmit information back to give live updates; this aid's training and makes for more realistic scenarios. Think the scene in Topgun where Charlie criticises Mavs choice of manoeuvre "Gutsiest move I ever saw Mav"
Bandit Resin Factories ever expanding range now covers most of the commonly used pods in both 1/48 and 1/32 along with other related items like baggage pods and practice bombs.
Here we have two of best sellers in 1/32, the older Type B seen on F-5, A-4 and F/A-18 etc in the 90's and the more recent Type C often used on F-16s. Both come cast in a slightly soft grey resin which is free of any blemishes or flash, the definition of the detail is excellent no doubt a result of the 3D printing design process, that said some very faint lines are detectable but will be easily dealt with by a good coat of primer.
A flat side with mounting lugs is cast onto one side to assist you in attaching the pod to the LAU rail, or as they suggest you can cut these off and mount it your own way depending on the aircraft.
The Antennas are beautifully machined out of brass by the masters of that medium, erm Master. They also helpfully include a scale plan on the instructions to assist you in aligning them at the correct angle.
On the subject of the instructions, despite these pods being simple to construct they do give plenty of information and colour call outs are handily given as FS numbers. A small decal sheet is provided, although for the pedants among us the numbers are really just representative and probably won't match the specific aircraft you're modelling.
so there you have it, a simple but essential bit of aftermarket for anyone wanting to accurately build an Aggressor or Adversary aircraft, or even fleet jets that often carry these pods, especially during RED FLAG or similar exercises.
Both pods were £8 each which I feel is excellent value considering the quality of the parts and also the brass included.
I recently met the Bandit Resin Factory guys at the modelling Nirvana known as Scale Model world (aka the Nationals still for some) and had a good chat at their stall. Suffice to say their knowledge and passion for the subject is considerable and more Pods and related hardware is planned for the near future. If you're unsure which pod you need for your build i I've no doubt they can answer your questions.
Drop them a line or check out their Facebook page, you won't be disappointed!