This
review covers the 1/72 AN/AAQ-33 Sniper XR targeting pod available from Modern
Hobbies. The AN/AAQ-33 Sniper pod is a newly developed laser/FLIR/ CCD-TV
targeting pod that is currently used on the F-16/F-15/A-10 the B-1B as well as
various NATO aircraft
What
you get: One Sniper XR targeting pod, one F-15E pylon and one F-16 pylon. I will
begin by discussing the pod.
The
pod itself looks amazing. The first thing I noticed was the pods intake. It
looks very realistic and the shape is correct. The intakes duct is actually
fairly deep. The head of the pod, which contains the laser designator, FLIR and
the CCD-TV camera, looks even better. It has recessed glass panels and correct
shape which is very important considering the head is not round, but specially
designed to incorporate low observable characteristics. The
overall body of the pod is sleek and contains many small screw holes which are
also visible on the actual Sniper pod.
Next,
I will review the pylons. The pylons that are included, for the F-16 and F-15,
are one of a kind in a sense. The actual Sniper XR does not mount directly to
any pylon. There is a small adapter rack that attaches the Sniper to the pylon.
This is so on the F-16, F-15, A-10, and the B-1B. Greg has done a great job of
depicting this rail. The rail is mounted on both pylons that come with the pod
and look great. Make sure you do not trim this small pylon off. If you look
closely, you can see this rail in the pictures of the finalized pod.
Construction was very simple and easy to do. The pod and pylons are very east to
cut from the block and clean up nicely. I would suggest a light sanding and
cleaning before gluing the pylons to the pod to ensure a solid hold. Also, I
used super glue and the bond is more than enough. As for painting, I used the
Testors FS 36118 for both the pod and pylons. If you are going to use the F-16
pylon or mount your pod to a NATO aircraft make sure you check your pylon colors
as they may use light grey pylons. I would suggest playing with painting options
for the pods glass face. I have
painted mine in a sea blue/silver mix followed with a gloss coat. It became
apparent that it is hard to mimic the sniper pods glass faces. I am satisfied
with the paint I used although it is hard to catch on camera.
Lastly, I would like to thank
Greg from Modern
Hobbies
for the review samples, his hard work on all the products thus far and the
upcoming releases!
Max
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images below to see larger images
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