All Era’s
R.E. 8
The Airfix kit is very basic and offers modelers simple construction. The Reconnaisance Experimental 8, nicknamed “Harry Tate,” was a widely used observation platform for the British Royal Flying Corps in WWI, and despite heavy losses remained in service throughout the war.
RF-4C Phantom II
Italeri’s RF-4C features a detailed cockpit, raised and engraved panel lines, and drop tanks. Developed in the 1960’s after the Cuban Missile Crisis, it served to restore the effectiveness of the Air Force’s low-level reconnaissance capability.
RF-8A Crusader
A hybrid kit using an aftermarket forward fuselage by Ventura, it uses the Hasegawa F-8E fuselage as a starting point to create the Navy’s premiere reconnaisance platform in the early 1960’s. Scratch building skill required.
Ryan M-1
The Ryan M-1 kit was a one-off issued by an American model company called Greenbank in 1971, and features good exterior detail and fabric-over-frame effects. Operated as an air mail plane in the mid to late 1920’s, the M-1 formed the basis for Charles Lindbergh’s highly modified Ryan NYP — the Spirit of St. Louis.
Saunders Roe SR.53
The Saunders Roe SR.53 was a prototype interceptor of the late 1950’s inspired by and intended as a modern update of the Messerschmitt Me 163 rocket fighter, to bring down Soviet jet bombers before they could reach their targets in the UK. It was the first British military aircraft to have a hybrid powerplant in the form of both a turbojet as well as a rocket engine. With a superb climb rate of 52,800 feet per minute and a maximum speed of 1,612 mph, it would have been a formidable weapon but was cancelled by the British government in 1958 in favor of advanced missile development.
S.E.5a
Revell-Germany’s British S.E.5a is a re-box of the 1956 Aurora kit, and is easy to assemble but cries out for some detailing. A roughly accurate build that is fun and relatively trouble-free.
Siemens-Schuckert D.III
The Siemens Schuckert D.III was one of the lesser known but more effective German fighters of the Great War, and entered service with the German Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Air Service) in January 1918. Due to engine overheating problems it was quickly withdrawn from service, modified with a cutaway lower cowling, and re-deployed to serve with distinction in a series of Home Defense Squadrons where it was prized for its maneuverability and exceptional rate of climb.
Spad S.A. 2
Amodel’s Spad S.A. 2 is crude, requiring scratch building skill and possibly some parts replacement to complete. The S.A.2 was a gondola fighter with an unstable center of gravity that may have killed more French pilots than German. Not widely used, it was never popular and considered highly dangerous.
Spad VII C.1
The SPAD (Société pour l’Aviation et ses Dérivés) S. VII has the distinction of being America’s first fighter aircraft, since upon entering World War I the United States had no fighter planes of its own and purchased well over 200 Spads and Nieuports from the French. Appearing in 1916, its ruggedness, speed, and ability to maintain structural integrity in a dive made it popular with all Allied nations — France, Britain, Italy, Belgium and Russia.
Sud Ouest S.O. 6000 Triton
The Sud Ouest SO 6000 Triton has the distinction of being France’s first indigenously produced jet aircraft, flying for the first time on November 11, 1946. At the time, France was struggling to jump-start its aviation industry in the wake of World War II, and was eager to produce a jet-powered aircraft. The Triton design team was led by Lucien Servanty, who would later gain fame as the key figure driving the design of the Concorde supersonic airliner.
T-38A Talon
Northrop T-38A Talon/F-5B by Hasegawa 1/72 scale Kit No. JS-018:100 Price: $8.50 Decals: Two versions - U.S. Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force Comments: Older kit, raised panel lines; detailed pilot figures but spare cockpit; includes centerline, wingtip and...
Bell UH-1 Huey
The Bell UH-1 may be the one helicopter in the world that needs no introduction. Following its debut with the U.S. Army in 1959, it would become perhaps the best known symbol of U.S. intervention in Southeast Asia, and post-war would go on to fly under the colors of no less than 70 nations around the world in both civilian and military applications. Officially called the Iroquois, it is far better known simply as the Huey, or to some, the Slick.
Westland Lynx AH.1
Introduced in 1971 and developed jointly with the French firm Aerospatiale, the Westland Lynx is a twin gas turbine powered helicopter with advanced dual control systems and a four-blade rotor. It has proven its remarkable versatility for over 40 years, becoming the backbone of the British Army and Navy helicopter forces dues to its stability and unrivaled agility. It has amazed crowds at air shows with aerobatic displays, and in military service it has served in battlefield utility, tank buster, search and rescue, anti-submarine warfare and maritime attack roles.
Bell X-5
The Bell X-5 was an experimental jet flown during the early 1950’s by the U.S. Air Force and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (precursor to NASA) with the goal of probing the flight envelope of a variable sweep wing jet aircraft. As the first functional “swing wing” aircraft, the X-5 represents a milestone in aviation history.
McDonnell XP-67 Moonbat
Anigrand’s all-resin kit has engraved panel lines, a basic cockpit, detailed landing gear and a vacuform canopy. The XP-67 was the first fighter design of the company that later produced the world renowned Phantom II.
Yakovlev Yak-9DD
The Yak-9 was a lightweight version of the Yak-7 with the same armament (initially a 20mm cannon and two 12.7mm machine guns), and arrived at the front in late 1942, seeing its first combat in the skies over Stalingrad. Technologically simple and easy to produce, it would become the most numerous Soviet fighter of World War II, and post-war would go on to equip the air arms of many Soviet satellite countries, taking part in many early air combat engagements of the Korean War.