Shelf Oddity 1/144 R-73 (AA-11 Archer)

This is a new product from an equally new company called Shelf Oddity out of Poland. The company specializes in 1/144 aircraft and 1/700 ship detail sets. As many of us know, there is a limit to the sort of detail one can provide in these scales when it comes to standard injected plastic. It is here that the use of etched brass can make a big difference.

This set is a pair of brass R-73 missiles in 1/144 scale. Each missile is a bit under 20mm in length and consists of a solid brass body with etched fins, and some of these are seriously small. I am pleased to see some extras included for the small fins. You'll notice in the image that there is panel line detail in the body as well as the attachment indentations. Included with each set is a guide to assist in getting the fins properly square. A set of stencil decals is also included.

As seems to be popular, the instructions for the set are on-line and one simply downloads a .pdf file for this purpose. Reading the instructions, it is clear that the folks at SO have a sense of humor. Building these is not impossible as there are tiny tabs on each of the etched parts that fit into equally tiny .2mm holes in the missile body, though doing the foreplanes will be a bit of a challenge.