We meet Eduard's Alamo - not the fort in Texas - The Brassin R-27ER / AA-10 Alamo-C 1/48 missile reviewed in detail...

Gary Whickham does some pretty good reviews for us here at TMN - today's little treat will let you know all you need to know about Eduard's new set of Brassin accessories - this review features the Eduard Brassin R-27ER / AA-10 Alamo-C 1/48 missile..
Eduard Brassin R-27ER / AA-10 Alamo-C 1/48
Kit No: 648094
1/48 scale
Resin parts: 52
Photo Etch parts: 1 fret
Stencil Decal sheet
Available from: Eduard directly & most model shops

The Vympel R-27 missile (with the NATO reporting name AA-10 Alamo) is a medium-to-long-range air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union. It remains in service with the Russian Air Force and air forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The R-27 is manufactured in infrared-homing (R-27T), semi-active-radar-homing (R-27R), and active-radar-homing (R-27AE) versions, in both Russia and Ukraine. The R-27 missile is carried by the Mikoyan MiG-29 and Sukhoi Su-27 fighters, and some of the later-model MiG-23MLD fighters have also been adapted to carry it. The R-27 missile is also license-produced in the PRC, though the production license was bought from Ukraine instead of Russia. The Chinese versions have a different active radar seeker taken from the Vympel R-77 missile, which was sold to the PRC by Russia.

The R-27ER AA-10 Alamo-C is the semi-active-radar homing extended-range version. It is 70 cm longer and slightly wider than the standard R-27R variant. Range is increased up to 130 km under optimal conditions and it entered service in 1990. (source Wikipedia)

Eduard have provided modellers with Brassin sets for the four most common variants of the R-27 in the following packages:
· 648043 R-27R/ R1 / AA-10 Alamo-A 1/48
· 648048 R-27T/ T1 / AA-10 Alamo-B 1/48
· 648094 R-27ER / AA-10 Alamo-C 1/48 (the set in this review)
· 684101 R-27ET / AA-10 Alamo-D 1/48

The R-27 is a big missile and when fitted en-mass to an aircraft like the Su-27 looks incredibly formidable. To give you an idea of the size, compare the 1/48 pilot figure standing next to the Brassin R-27 body.

I also thought it would be interesting to modellers to see the R-27R (non ER) part provided by GWH in their recent MiG-29 kits compared to the Eduard Brassin item.

To show the level of detail of the Eduard missile body I have taken three close up photos along the length so as to allow readers to better appreciate the finish of the resin. As observed by other reviewers and modellers alike the resin is slick to the touch because of the amount of mould release agent used. This can be removed fairly simply by gentle washing in warm soapy water prior to assembly and painting

To once again show the difference between the Brassin resin parts and the GWH plastic parts, I have provided a side by side comparison. No doubt the GWH parts are some of the nicest plastic missiles I have ever seen, but the detail if the Brassin items are just that little bit finer.

Of course more work is involved in cutting out and assembling with super glue the resin parts compared to the single piece plastic item, so modellers will have to decide which path to tread here.

A nice touch by Eduard is the inclusion of an alternate head for each of the four missiles. The replacement head is actually a protective cover fitted to the R-27 on the ground (and normally painted red) as seen in the photo below

The four main steering fins are provided as separate parts which must also be cut carefully from the casting block. The surface detail on these is very nice and as they are normally left natural metal will look excellent under a coat of Alclad.

Eduard provides a choice of the two pylon types used (primarily on Su-27s) to carry the R-27. The APU-470 is used to carry the missile on the wings whilst the AKU-470 is used when the missile is carried on a fuselage station

A direct comparison of the GWH plastic part and the Eduard Brassin part highlights that again the resin has a slight edge in detail.

The remaining items in the box are a small PE fret containing miscellaneous details to be added to the pylon and missile bodies. These PE parts are pre-painted colour and will add even more realism to the finished missiles.

To round out the package Eduard provides an extensive sheet of stenciling decals. These seem to be accurately printed to represent the assorted safety and maintenance marking seen on Soviet aircraft and weapons. As usual check your references or just trust Eduard (its easier).

The one page instruction sheet contains everything you need to assemble both the resin and PE parts of the missiles.
In conclusion if you are building any one of the available 1/48 kits of the MiG-29/33, the Su-27/30/33/34/35/37/39 or Yak-141 then these excellent resin weapons will add that extra zing to your model. Highly recommended.

Gary Wickham

Thanks to Eduard for sending us this kit to review..