Brengun 1/72 Hermes A-1
By Matt Bittner
Introduction
As is usually said, the spoils go to the victors. After the Allies won WW2 they came across a bunch of unknown technology from the Germans they started to experiment with themselves. One of these was the Wasserfall anti-aircraft missile. The contract was won by General Electric (GE) and they successfully launched missiles from both the White Sands Missile Range and GE's own Malta Test Station. While five were launched, and then GE developed the larger A-3B, none became operational but all definitely contributed to the United States' knownledge of ground-to-air missiles.
The Kit
The Brengun 1/72 Hermes A-1 is the exact same kit as their Wasserfall. The difference between the two lies in the lower fins. The kit consists of 31 pieces of gray, injected plastic and a photoetch fret of 3 pieces. In addition, there are decals with this release, unlike the Wasserfall. These decals are applied to the lower fins only, and are for three different missiles: one in "museum" markings, and then the fourth and fifth successfull test missiles. All three are finished in overall white with black stripes, alternating black-and-white fins and an orange nose.
One item worth noting. While Brengun gives you the photoetch for the Wasserfall "base", it appears the launch base for the Hermes was quite different, so you won't need the photoetch. Based on a few photos I've found it shouldn't be too difficult to create the small launch platform yourself.
This won't be a difficult model to build, as I've already shown. You'll join the two body halves together, and then add all of the fins. Note the instructions show you which fins to use for the Hermes versus the Wasserfall, so study this step closely. The build shouldn't take too long, unless you're going to create a launch base based on photos.
Conclusion
This is a great addition to the history of U.S. missiles. By studying and using the "captured" German Wasserfall system from WW2, the United States were able to have a missile flying in no time.
Many thanks to Brengun for sending the Hermes to review.