Kit Previews P – Z
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. II LR
Spitfire Mk. IIa LR by AZ Models 1/72 scale Kit No. AZ 7290 Cost: $28.00 Decals: Two versions - both RAF Comments: Engraved panel lines, detailed cockpit, single-piece canopy, resin slipper tank History The Supermarine Spitfire, the first all-metal monoplane in the...
Supermarine Spitfire Mk IIa
The Mk II Spitfire arrived at the height of the Battle of Britain, equipping two squadrons of RAF Fighter Command by September 1940. It was externally identical to the Mk I but slightly faster…
Supermarine Swift FR.5
The Supermarine Swift flew for the first time on August 1, 1951. It was the first swept-wing fighter to enter service with the Royal Air Force. Assigned the role of interceptor, it was a disappointment because it lacked the performance required at altitude, even after its engine was fitted with an afterburner. But, once it set an absolute world speed record at low altitude in September 1954, the Swift excelled as a low level reconnaissance platform.
Sukhoi Su-34
Sukhoi Su-34 by Italeri 1/72 scale Kit No. 59 Cost: $22.00 Decals: Two versions, both for demonstration aircraft, one of which performed at the 1995 Paris Air Show Comments: Engraved panel lines, detailed cockpit, ample underwing stores History The Sukhoi Su-34...
Sukhoi T-50
The Sukhoi T-50 is a Russian fifth generation jet fighter developed by Sukhoi Aviation. Development work on the T-50 began in 2007, and after extensive modifications it entered service with the Russian Air Force under the designation Su-57 on December 25, 2020. The plan is for it to replace the MIG-29 Fulcrum and the Su-27 Flanker. Incorporating aspects of Lockheed’s F-22 and Northrop’s YF-23 designs, it is the first true Russian stealth fighter.
T-2 Buckeye
Rockwell T-2C Buckeye by Wolfpack Designs 1/72 scale Kit No. WP10005 Cost: $25.00 Decals: Three versions - all U.S. Navy Comments: Engraved panel lines, optional position canopy, highly detailed cockpit, landing gear, and wheel wells History The North American (later...
Beech T-34B Mentor
The T-34B was a militarized version of the Beech Model 35 Bonanza, chosen for its rugged efficiency as much as the fact that it was more cost-effective to go with a proven design during the increasing austerity of U.S defense budgets in the decade following WWII. The T-34B trained a generation of Navy pilots from the mid-1950’s until it was phased out in favor of its turboprop successor, the Beech T-34C.
T-34C Turbo Mentor
T-34C Turbo Mentor by Czech Model 1/48 scale Kit No. 4809 Cost: $35.00 Decals: 2 versions - both U.S. Navy Comments: Engraved panel lines; resin cockpit tub, seats, engine exhausts, wheels and nose wheel well; two vacuform canopies History The Beech T-34 Mentor was...
T-38 Talon
Hasegawa’s T-38 Talon is an older kit, not too detailed, but reasonably accurate and a good weekend build. It can be built as an F-5A with wingtip fuel pods and includes two pilot figures.
TBM-3 Avenger
Grumman TBM-3 Avenger by Accurate Miniatures 1/48 scale Kit No. 480121 Cost: $30.00 Decals: Two versions -- both U.S. Navy; one for Night Torpedo Bomber Squadron VT(N)-90, the "Batmen" of USS Enterprise (CV-6), March 1945; the other for the Flight Leader's aircraft of...
Grumman TF-9J Cougar
The Grumman F9F/ F-9 Cougar was a swept wing version of Grumman’s straight winged F9F Panther, and entered service in December 1952, too late to see action in Korea. The U.S. Navy employed them for advanced training, weapons training, and carrier qualifications until 1974. A few of these trainers saw operational use in Vietnam with the Marines as a forward air controller.
Panavia Tornado GR.1
The Panavia Tornado GR. 1, a sophisticated low-level supersonic strike aircraft, entered service with the RAF, the Aeronautica Militaire Italiana and the Luftwaffe in 1982, equipped with state-of-the-art terrain following and ground mapping radar, two 27mm cannon and able to carry a variety of ordnance. It was deployed to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War as part of Operation Granby, providing combat air patrols during Desert Shield and fighter cover for other strike aircraft during Desert Storm. With periodic upgrades, it is still the most capable strike aircraft in Western Europe.
Travel Air Mystery Ship
The Travel Air Mystery Ship was one of the most iconic racing planes of the 1920’s, designed and built in secret to take on the military-sponsored racing planes which dominated the National Air Races during the decade following World War I. With its stunning victory over the Army and Navy at the 1929 National Air Races, the Mystery Ship jolted the U.S. military into dropping biplanes in favor of low-wing monoplane designs.
TSR.2
British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2 by Airfix 1/48 scaleKit No. A10105Cost: $29.99Decals: Markings for any one of three experimental prototypes, XR219, XR220 and XR 222Comments: Detailed cockpit includes two crew figures; engraved panel lines; detailed landing gear and...
Lockheed U-2
The Lockheed U-2 is a single-engine, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation specifically for the Central Intelligence Agency in the 1950’s — with the express goal of providing the CIA with aerial surveillance capability over the former Soviet Union.
Lockheed U-2C
Using the F-104 Starfighter fuselage as a starting point, in 1954 Lockheed designer Kelly Johnson added long, glider like wings and a Pratt & Whitney J57 turbojet. Designed solely for reconnaissance, the U-2 didn’t have anything it didn’t need to perform that one, critical mission. It was part of two pivotal crises of the Cold War.
UH-1N Twin Huey
UH-1N Twin Huey by Italeri 1/72 scale Kit No. 88 Cost: $10.00 Decals: Three versions - US Navy; British Royal Army; and Austrian Air Force Comments: Excellent engraved detail throughout History This helicopter kit needs little introduction. The twin-engine version of...
Hiller UH-12
First flown in 1948, the Hiller UH-12 was used extensively by the U.S. military in a variety of roles such as training, utility, observation, and especially in medical evacuation of casualties during the Korean War. Broadly similar to the contemporary Bell Model 47 helicopter, the UH-12 was nonetheless overshadowed by the Bell 47 in the Korean Theatre, partly because unlike Bell, Hiller did not provide in-the-field support and maintenance for its aircraft.
Vickers Valiant Mk. I
The Vickers Valiant was the first of RAF Bomber Command’s V-class aircraft. It established Britain’s airborne nuclear deterrent force and pioneered RAF in-flight refuelling. Although later overshadowed by the Vulcan and Victor, the Valiant was the first V-bomber to drop a nuclear bomb, the first to see combat, and the RAF’s first operational tanker. Despite these successes, its career would be cut short by structural problems in 1965.
Cobalt Co50 Valkyrie
First flown in January 2015, the Cobalt Co50 Valkyrie is a single-engine, four- to five-seat aircraft intended for wealthy aviation enthusiasts. Featuring a leather interior and Garmin avionics, its pusher configuration includes a forward canard and a Continental TSIOF-550-D turbocharged piston engine laid out in a “flat six” configuration and capable of a cruising speed of 290 mph.