Armory 1/48 R-60 (AA-8) Aphid Missiles
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Overview
The development of air-to-air missiles has resulted in some impressive weapons over the years, and on the Russian side one of the most effective designs was the R-60. Given the name 'Aphid' by NATO, the R-60 is one of the smallest air-to-air missiles out there, and due to its small size remains a very agile missile. Another advantage of the R-60 is its very short minimum range of only 300 meters, allowing for very close engagements. The missile's popularity has resulted in the R-60 being sold to a great number of nations, from Abkhazia to Vietnam.
The Sets
Armory has released two different sets of the R-60 missile in 1/48 scale, differing in the number of missiles included and the style of rack provided. Set ACA4807a comes with two missiles and the APU-60-I rail, while set ACA4807b comes with four missiles and the APU-60-II rail. Check your references to see which one would be appropriate for your specific aircraft.
Both sets are a combination of resin and photoetch. The main missile body is resin, and has excellent detailing. The fins are made up from photoetch, which does a great job of capturing the fine detail found on the fins while also maintaining a strength that resin could not provide. The challenge will be in the folding and gluing, as each rear fin needs to be folded in half. The forward vanes and fins are also separate, but won't need to be folded. Finally, the railings are in resin and should provide good mounts for the finished missiles.
Conclusion
These are great representations of the R-60 missile, and with a bit of work should make for a dramatic improvement over any kit example. My thanks to Armory for the review samples.