This review covers the 1/72 AN/AAQ-33 Sniper XR targeting pod available from Modern Hobbies. The AN/AAQ-33 Sniper pod is a newly developed laser/FLIR/ CCD-TV targeting pod that is currently used on the F-16/F-15/A-10 the B-1B as well as various NATO aircraft

What you get: One Sniper XR targeting pod, one F-15E pylon and one F-16 pylon. I will begin by discussing the pod.

The pod itself looks amazing. The first thing I noticed was the pods intake. It looks very realistic and the shape is correct. The intakes duct is actually fairly deep. The head of the pod, which contains the laser designator, FLIR and the CCD-TV camera, looks even better. It has recessed glass panels and correct shape which is very important considering the head is not round, but specially designed to incorporate low observable characteristics.  The overall body of the pod is sleek and contains many small screw holes which are also visible on the actual Sniper pod.

Next, I will review the pylons. The pylons that are included, for the F-16 and F-15, are one of a kind in a sense. The actual Sniper XR does not mount directly to any pylon. There is a small adapter rack that attaches the Sniper to the pylon. This is so on the F-16, F-15, A-10, and the B-1B. Greg has done a great job of depicting this rail. The rail is mounted on both pylons that come with the pod and look great. Make sure you do not trim this small pylon off. If you look closely, you can see this rail in the pictures of the  finalized pod.

          Construction was very simple and easy to do. The pod and pylons are very east to cut from the block and clean up nicely. I would suggest a light sanding and cleaning before gluing the pylons to the pod to ensure a solid hold. Also, I used super glue and the bond is more than enough. As for painting, I used the Testors FS 36118 for both the pod and pylons. If you are going to use the F-16 pylon or mount your pod to a NATO aircraft make sure you check your pylon colors as they may use light grey pylons. I would suggest playing with painting options for the pods glass face. I have painted mine in a sea blue/silver mix followed with a gloss coat. It became apparent that it is hard to mimic the sniper pods glass faces. I am satisfied with the paint I used although it is hard to catch on camera.
        
         Lastly, I would like to thank Greg from Modern Hobbies for the review samples, his hard work on all the products thus far and the upcoming releases!

Max

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