Manufacturer: Nimix, Apartado De Correos 45.117, 28080 Madrid, Spain
Kit: No. 3536
Scale: 1/35
Price: $43.95
Comments: Cast resin, 96 parts
Pros:Accurate shapes, neat subject
Cons: Small parts need cleanup, instructions are sketchy, no color information, no decals
Developed in the late 1950s for the United States, the Hawk missile system is still the main medium-range antiaircraft missile system for more than 15 countries. Developed by Raytheon, the basic system has undergone major upgrades to keep up with modern technology. Although Hawk missile batteries were deployed in Vietnam and the Gulf War, U.S. forces have never fired the Hawk system in combat. The Israelis were first to use Hawks, during the 1967 Arab Israeli War. Kuwaiti defense forces claimed 23 Iraqi aircraft during the invasion of Kuwait in 1990 using Hawks. Continuing development of the system will ensure its use well into the 21st century.
Up until now when modelers wanted a kit of a Hawk missile launcher their only choice was the ancient Renwal/Revell kit. Nimix’s Hawk launcher is molded in standard ochre resin, and provides the basic launch platform and three Hawk missiles. The launcher can be built in either the tow or launch configuration.
The parts are well molded, with only a few air bubbles that need to be filled. Several parts have large pour stubs that must be removed carefully with a razor saw. Only basic instructions are provided, but most of the parts are easy to recognize. However, decals and painting guidance are not provided.
I started with the launcher base and filled air bubbles at the pour-stub cutoff with super glue. The resin axles for the wheels looked a little flimsy, so I replaced them with sturdier plastic rod.
The instructions show a piece of wire being added to one side of the platform, but its position is unclear, and I couldn’t find any photos of it – I left it off. The taillight moldings were poor so I left them off, too. I took my time removing excess resin from the outrigger pieces – they are fragile. I attached them to the base in the launch position. Make sure you use the proper hydraulic cylinders; one set is for the launching position, while the other is for the traveling mode.
The launch rails go together easily; just take time to align the main support arms. The missiles’ rear supports have some air bubbles when the pour stubs are removed, but the missiles hide them.
The most difficult assemblies are the missiles. The bodies are cast in three parts, and only the nose cones have alignment pins. Gaps are prominent and difficult to fill. The fins are molded in thin resin and show some minor irregularities. Take care to attach the fins at right angles to each other.
I painted my launcher with Tamiya olive drab. Photos show the missiles in several color schemes, including white body with olive drab fins, overall olive drab, and several variations in between. I finally settled on olive drab missiles with flat black nose cones. I used Polly Scale olive drab for the missile bodies so they would be a different shade than the launcher.
Despite finding some good reference photos on the Internet (www.redstone.army.mil/history/archives/hawk/hawk.html and www.fas.org/spp/starwars/program/hawk.htm), I couldn’t find any dimensional data for the launch platform itself. However, the finished model looks much like launchers in the photos. It took me only 17 hours to build. Despite the lack of good instructions, this kit would make an excellent first resin kit for a modeler with some experience.