Renwall Blueprint Models Nike Ajax AA Guided Missile
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 4:45 pm
Hey, Hey!!
Time for entry numero uno into this awesome SiG...
And I present, the Nike - Ajax Anti Aircraft Guided Missile by Renwall Bluprint Models. There is no scale listed, but (as you will see later on) I compared it to other models, and I think it's around 1/32
The United States Army's Nike Ajax was the world's first operational surface to air missile (SAM),[1] entering service in 1954. Nike Ajax was designed to attack conventional bomber aircraft flying at high subsonic speeds and altitudes above 50,000 feet (15 km). Ajax was initially deployed in the US to provide defence against Soviet bomber attacks, and was later deployed overseas to protect US bases, as well as being sold to various allied forces. Some examples remained in use until the 1970s. Ajax was given the identifiers SAM-A-7 (Surface-to-air, Army, design 7),[2] and then MIM-3 (Mobile Interceptor Missile, design 3) in 1962.[3][N 1]
Technological development during the 1950s quickly rendered the Ajax obsolete. It was unable to defend against more capable bombers or multiple targets in formation, and had relatively short range. Even while Ajax was being deployed, these concerns led to the contracts for the greatly improved MIM-14 Nike Hercules, which began deployment in 1959. As Hercules developed, the threat moved from bombers to ICBMs, and the LIM-49 Nike Zeus anti-ballistic missile project started to address these. All of the Nike projects were led by Bell Labs, due to their early work in radar guidance systems during World War II.
Part of the Nike Ajax development program designed a new solid fuel rocket motor used for the missile's booster. This had originally been designed for the US Navy's missiles, and was enlarged for the Nike efforts. The rocket was so useful that it found numerous applications outside the military world as the Ajax missiles were decommissioned in the 1960s. Many sounding rockets used the booster as their first or second stage, and many of those used "Nike" in their name.
This one's a little smaller
It's pretty basic in colour... not to mention not quite 'weathered' considering it spent most of it's time in a silo, or underground, so I'll have to weather the sh*t out of the scaffolding
The parts came as a disaster and all over the place, many parts had fallen off the sprues and were lose in the bags
A little dimple on the rocket shaft
Gonna have to do something about that....
Here's the scaffolding
What a little charmer!
Detailing could be better...
So much flash, this should be rated 'R'
Sooo, here's one of the 'little green men' next to my 1/32 Airfix WWII U.S soldiers.... It's pretty damned close, but it just doesn't look right...
Here are the instructions
And now to start putting the pieces together - starting with the scaffolding
Correct me if I'm wrong, but steel beams usually don't have a seam, right?
I used both Tamiya Putty and Perfect Plastic Putty, mainly for myself to truly see the difference - I'll show some photos tonight after it's nice and dry.
Thanks for looking in, and come on back for more updates shortly!
Time for entry numero uno into this awesome SiG...
And I present, the Nike - Ajax Anti Aircraft Guided Missile by Renwall Bluprint Models. There is no scale listed, but (as you will see later on) I compared it to other models, and I think it's around 1/32
The United States Army's Nike Ajax was the world's first operational surface to air missile (SAM),[1] entering service in 1954. Nike Ajax was designed to attack conventional bomber aircraft flying at high subsonic speeds and altitudes above 50,000 feet (15 km). Ajax was initially deployed in the US to provide defence against Soviet bomber attacks, and was later deployed overseas to protect US bases, as well as being sold to various allied forces. Some examples remained in use until the 1970s. Ajax was given the identifiers SAM-A-7 (Surface-to-air, Army, design 7),[2] and then MIM-3 (Mobile Interceptor Missile, design 3) in 1962.[3][N 1]
Technological development during the 1950s quickly rendered the Ajax obsolete. It was unable to defend against more capable bombers or multiple targets in formation, and had relatively short range. Even while Ajax was being deployed, these concerns led to the contracts for the greatly improved MIM-14 Nike Hercules, which began deployment in 1959. As Hercules developed, the threat moved from bombers to ICBMs, and the LIM-49 Nike Zeus anti-ballistic missile project started to address these. All of the Nike projects were led by Bell Labs, due to their early work in radar guidance systems during World War II.
Part of the Nike Ajax development program designed a new solid fuel rocket motor used for the missile's booster. This had originally been designed for the US Navy's missiles, and was enlarged for the Nike efforts. The rocket was so useful that it found numerous applications outside the military world as the Ajax missiles were decommissioned in the 1960s. Many sounding rockets used the booster as their first or second stage, and many of those used "Nike" in their name.
This one's a little smaller
It's pretty basic in colour... not to mention not quite 'weathered' considering it spent most of it's time in a silo, or underground, so I'll have to weather the sh*t out of the scaffolding
The parts came as a disaster and all over the place, many parts had fallen off the sprues and were lose in the bags
A little dimple on the rocket shaft
Gonna have to do something about that....
Here's the scaffolding
What a little charmer!
Detailing could be better...
So much flash, this should be rated 'R'
Sooo, here's one of the 'little green men' next to my 1/32 Airfix WWII U.S soldiers.... It's pretty damned close, but it just doesn't look right...
Here are the instructions
And now to start putting the pieces together - starting with the scaffolding
Correct me if I'm wrong, but steel beams usually don't have a seam, right?
I used both Tamiya Putty and Perfect Plastic Putty, mainly for myself to truly see the difference - I'll show some photos tonight after it's nice and dry.
Thanks for looking in, and come on back for more updates shortly!