Lindberg 1/48 SM-62 Snark
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History
 The
Northrop Snark (the name combines the words snake and shark) was the largest
of the U.S. Air Force's winged jet-powered missiles. It had a range of
5000 miles and a top speed of slightly under Mach 1. The Snark was launched
from either a mobile or fixed platform with two solid fuel rocket boosters.
The Pratt and Whitney J-57 jet engine then took over for the duration
of the flight. In the terminal phase of the Snark's flight, the entire
fuselage forward of the wing (which contained a nuclear warhead) separated
and continued on a ballistic trajectory.
 According
to my reference (Airpower May 2004), the Snark was operational only for
one year--from March 1960 to March 1961 with one USAF squadron. More sophisticated
intercontinental ballistic missiles like the Atlas and Titan were by that
time available to replace the Snark.
The Kit
 Lindberg's
Snark is to my knowledge the only kit of this subject in a standard scale.
There were odd-scale Snark kits produced by Revell (1/81) and Monogram
(1/90) in the late 1950s. The Lindberg kit is also an old kit belonging
to this same generation. According to the box top, this kit is made in
the USA.
 The
plastic parts are molded in white and packaged in two bags, one for the
missile and the other for the launcher, check stand, tow tractor, and
ground crew. The black vinyl tires and tracks, along with 6 of the 9 the
crew figures, are on other trees outside the bags. The parts are generally
well-molded with good surface detail, but there are a few small sink marks
and ejector pin marks to deal with on the launcher. Flash is present on
some of the figure and missile parts. There are raised panel lines and
rivits on the missile.
 The
missile itself features a detachable rear section that can be removed
to show the jet engine. External fuel tanks and separate, positionable
rudder and elevons are also provided. The launch platform can be raised
or lowered.
Instructions
 The
easy-to-follow instructions contain sub-assemblies with the typical exploded
diagrams. Interestingly, supplemental instructions ( text only) are in
French. There is no painting or decal placement guide. The builder is
supposed to use the color photos of the completed model on the box top,
bottom, and sides for reference. This model is to be painted in the test
markings of red with elaborate white stripes. (The operational Snarks
were overall light gray.)
Decals
 The
decal sheet has the white stripes mentioned above, along with full national
insignia. Unfortunately, the star & bar insignia are out of register
and the stars are too small for the blue disc. The SAC badge and band
are too dark. Some small stencils are also included on this decal sheet,
but there is no indication of their placement.
The builder will need to research the various Snark markings. Many of
the red and white machines had no national insignia, while the gray ones
did have them.
Conclusion
This is a kit that will need a bit of extra work (and perhaps some replacement
decals), but an attractive model can definitely be made. I have not dry-fitted
any parts together, so I cannot comment on the fit. I am pleased to see
old kits of unusual subjects like the Snark being produced again.
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