Roy Sutherland has released two highly detailed resin missile sets that will be guaranteed to delight fans of British Cold War subjects. The Firestreak and Redtop.

The de Havilland Firestreak was among the first heat-seaking missiles to enter service, with the design originating in the early 1950s. Entering service in 1957, the Firestreak boasted a speed of Mach 3 and equipped Britain’s classic jets of the ‘60s - the Lightning, Javellin and Sea Vixen - before finally being retired in 1988.

The Hawker Siddeley Redtop was a development of the Firestreak, which it was intended to replace. Offering a larger warhead, plus greater speed, range and manoeuvrability, the Redtop entered service in 1964 and also armed the Lightning and Sea Vixen, although it never totally replaced its predecessor and was retired at the same time as the Lightning was phased out.

Barracuda Studios has released both missiles as highly detailed resin kits, nominally aimed at Airfix’s new-tool Lightning, but obviously also suitable for other kits:

Set #BR72215 - D.H. Firestreak Air to Air Missiles
Set #BR72214 - H.S. Redtop Air to Air Missiles

Both sets come with full-colour step-by-step instructions illustrated with useful photos of the construction. Each set contains parts for two missiles:

14 x cream resin parts
2 x clear resin parts
A small sheet of decals for stencils or the stripes around the bodies of the weapons

The casting on the review samples is basically perfect. Beginners should be aware that the fins are cast wafer-thin for scale accuracy - and are hence very delicate.

As you can see in Magnus Fridsell’s Lightning Double-Build in the Forum, the missiles look superb once constructed and will add greatly to the finished model.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.