Amodel 1/72 X-55 & X-55M Cruise Missiles By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

With the release of the Trumpeter Tu-160, much attention went to their inaccurate missiles. Amodel is poised to capitalize on this by releasing the missiles from their Blackjack kit separately. The question is, do the Amodel missiles fix all the problems of the Trumpeter ones? The answer is sort of. For more information on the Trumpeter missile issue, and a set of scale drawings, read the in-box review of the Trumpeter kit.

The Kit

Amodel’s Kh-55 missile set (note: the box labels the missiles as ‘X-55,’ which is actually the Cyrillic form. The Cyrillic ‘X’ transliterates as ‘Kh’) provides two missiles: one Kh-55 and one Kh-55SM. This is where replacing the Trumpeter missiles could get expensive: at $11 (from Roll Models), to fit the Blackjack with a complete complement of twelve Kh-55SM missiles would cost almost the same as the Tu-160 kit itself! However, picking up a couple of these sets and using these missiles on the bottom, exposed portion of the rotary launcher, and modify the Trumpeter kit missiles for the mostly hidden upper launcher locations, you could end up with the best of both worlds.

The missile construction is very simple and straightforward, with the bodies split into halves and the fins separate. Also separate are detail pieces, such as an extended tailcone and engine pod. Also, speaking of the fins, there are two styles provided: extended and folded. The wings are accurately portrayed in a staggered layout. For displaying the missile in flight, a clear plastic stand is provided. Another nice feature is a loading cart, which is probably the neatest way to display one of these missiles.

In terms of accuracy, these missiles are much better than the Trumpeter counterparts. The dimensions for the Kh-55 appears to be spot on, and could be used as a master to cut down the Trumpeter ones to the right length. For the extended range Kh-55SM missile, though, while the length is correct, the shape and size of the conformal fuel tank is not quite right. In looking at photos, it would appear that the tank needs to extend further up the fuselage side on the forward section, and should have a more rounded cross section on the rear section. For a missile mounted to the launcher, though, these will probably be just fine.

One very nice feature in this kit is the decal sheet. The missiles in the Trumpeter kit have no stenciling provided in decals. This kit provides a complete package of stenciling, which will make these missiles look much more accurate. They have all kinds of warnings, instructions, and serial numbers on them, and the decals in this kit provides all of that.

Conclusion

If you have the Trumpeter Tu-160 and want to have a loaded aircraft, you need to buy at least one of these sets, if for no other reason than to have a solid template to convert the other missiles. As a stand-alone kit, these missiles make for an interesting counterpoint to the US AGM-86, and would make for a nice weekend project, even without the Tu-160 to carry them (or Tu-95, if you want to go that route).

My thanks to Roll Models for the review sample.