North American AJ-1 Savage by Roden
1/72 scale
Kit No. 063
Retail: $63.00
Decals: Three versions – all U.S. Navy
Comments: Engraved panel lines; detailed cockpit; one-piece greenhouse canopy; optional position crew access door and bomb bay doors; individually mounted propeller blades; includes parts for a Mark IV nuclear bomb
History
In the years immediately following World War II, as the Cold War took shape and the U.S. Air Force began to emerge as the go-to service for the delivery of nuclear weapons in the event of war, the U.S. Navy became concerned that the Air Force would gobble up the lion’s share of the money when it came to military appropriations. It became clear that there would be a direct link between funding and nuclear weapons — specifically, possessing them and having responsibility for unleashing them on a potential enemy of the United States.
As early as the Summer of 1945, the U.S. Navy began to think about specifications for a carrier-borne aircraft capable of delivering atomic weapons. On August 13th of that year, just one week after the first atomic bomb was dropped on Japan, a design competition was announced for a carrier-based aircraft capable of carrying a 4,536 kg (10,000 lb.) bomb. That weight class was not selected at random: it was roughly the weight of the atomic bombs that had been manufactured up to that point and dropped on Japan (the “Little Boy” atomic bomb used to attack Hiroshima weighed 9,700 lbs., and the “Fat Man” atomic bomb unleashed upon Nagasaki weighed 10,800 lbs.). Foresighted Navy planners realized that what was then still the U.S. Army Air Force was emerging as the pre-eminent military service, and that unless the Navy took action it would be left behind.
North American Aviation won the contract for the Navy bomber on June 24, 1946, and what became the AJ-1 Savage was built at their Inglewood, California facility. The AJ-1 was built specifically to carry nuclear weapons and was fitted with two piston engines and a J33 turbojet mounted in the rear fuselage, the latter engine used only for take-off assistance during carrier launches, or for additional speed near a target. Powered primarily by two Pratt & Whitney R2800 engines driving four-bladed propellers, the prototype flew for the first time on July 3, 1948 — less than two weeks after the Soviet Union’s closing of the Autobahn in Germany prompted the beginning of the Berlin Airlift. The Savage’s first carrier take off occurred on April 21, 1950 – just weeks before the outbreak of the Korean War.
This period of heightened tension between East and West underscored the driving force behind the development of what the Navy knew would be an interim solution. Entering service in 1950, the AJ-1 was a stop-gap measure, in many cases lacking the range to be launched from a carrier at sea, strike targets in the Soviet Union, and return safely back aboard ship or to a friendly Western base. From inception, the Savage was in effect a one-way strike platform, and was retired by 1960. During their service they were also used for reconnaissance and aerial refueling. Three extra fuel tanks could be mounted in the bomb bay for either of these two additional mission profiles. For recon duties, a forward-looking camera and a series of oblique and vertical cameras could be fitted in the bomb bay, and photo flash bombs were carried for night missions.
When the AJ-1 first entered service it was too large and heavy for most U.S. carriers (having a gross weight of over 50,000 lbs.) except the Midway class, but it was subsequently able to operate from Essex and Forrestal class carriers. It was not popular as initial operations at sea resulted in a number of accidents. In addition, its wings had to be folded between flights and this could only be done manually, and it had a propensity to leak hydraulic fluid profusely. Its bulk and the difficulty of operations on board, combined with the fact that it suffered teething problems, having been rushed into service, did not endear it to Navy air crews or maintenance personnel. Nonetheless, it performed a vital function during a critical period of the Cold War, and demonstrated its capabilities during exercises at sea in both the Atlantic and the Pacific, on one occasion staging a simulated 1,400 mile strike from the aircraft carrier Midway (CVB 41). Units equipped with the type included VC-6, VC-7, VC-8 and VC-9 — each of these were designated heavy attack squadrons in November 1955.
Operational History
Photographic Squadrons VJ-61 and VJ-62, later VAP-61 and VAP-62, operated the AJ-2P from the mid-1950s, the former with the Pacific Fleet and the latter with the Atlantic Fleet. VJ-61 during the Korean War flew reconnaissance missions over the People’s Republic of China and North Korea, and both units frequently provided photographic mapping for agencies other than the U.S. Navy, including the Army Map Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, the US Coast and Geodetic Survey, and the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Agriculture. Three were loaned to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). After the type was retired three were used by AJ Air Tankers as water bombers. A total of 143 aircraft were built, including three prototypes.
The Kit
Roden’s AJ-1 Savage is injection molded in grey plastic and consists of 205 parts, including three clear parts for the greenhouse canopy and two navigation lights. The kit bears engraved panel lines, and features interior sidewall detail for the cockpit and bomb bay. There is a detailed cockpit with separately mounted seats, one central and two side consoles, and individually mounted main instrument panels with separate hoods for the pilot and co-pilot. All instrument panels feature raised detail, and the pilot and co-pilots seats each represent a four-part assembly. There is a third seat against the rear bulkhead of the cockpit, consisting of six parts.
The instructions begin not with the cockpit but with the wing and tail plane assemblies. The engine nacelles are crisply molded and highly detailed, with apertures for intakes, exhausts, five-part engine assemblies and a detailed, complete wheel well assembly for each. The detailed bomb bay includes parts for six (6) 1,000 lb. bombs — although a Mark IV nuclear bomb is included, the instructions do not call for it to be mounted in the bomb bay but rather located on a separate cart outside the aircraft. The bomb bay door is a single piece that will seat up and hide the interior, but with minor modification and a little skill with an Xacto blade, can be cemented on in the open position. If open, an access ladder is also provided.
There is a detailed crew access hatch just aft of the nose on the starboard side that can be positioned open or closed. Finally there is a detailed part in the rear fuselage representing the exhaust for the single jet engine mounted in the rear of the fuselage, which has a crisply detailed exhaust fan to be cemented at the interior end of the nozzle.
Markings
The kit includes decals for three versions of the AJ-1 serving during the Korean War period, all U.S. Navy and all bearing the overall Sea Blue paint scheme used during the late 1940’s through the early 1950’s. The first is for a Savage serving with VC-8 aboard the U.S.S. Coral Sea, circa August 1952. The second is for a machine serving with VC-6 aboard the U.S.S. Kearsarge as of July 1952. The final version is for an AJ-1 serving with VC-5, also aboard the U.S.S. Coral Sea, circa April 1950.
Conclusion
This is an excellent kit of a long-overlooked aircraft that served a terrible yet vital function during the Korean War period, providing a credible naval component to America’s nuclear deterrent force. Highly recommended.
References
- www.scienceabc.com
- aeropedia.com.au
- www.history.navy.mil
- secure.boeingimages.com