Kit Previews
Hangar 47 strives to provide historical information along with the details of the kit…enjoy.
F.M.A. IA 58A Pucara
F.M.A. IA 58A Pucara by Special Hobby 1/72 scale Kit No. 72047 Cost: $21.00 Decals: 4 versions - all Argentine Air Force Comments: Engraved panel lines: resin cockpit seats and engine exhausts; photo-etch seat straps and instrument panels History In the mid-1960's the...
PZL P.23B Karas
The PZL P.23B Karas was an effective, if ill-used, light bomber representing the cream of the Polish Air Force’s striking power at the time of the German invasion in September 1939. Its design was strongly influenced by an outdated concept of armed reconnaissance, rather than close air support of ground forces, the role for which it was best suited.
PZL P.24
PZL P.24 by Mirage 1/48 scale Kit No. 48107 Cost: $25.00 Decals: Two versions by Techmod - both Greek Air Force Comments: Engraved panel lines, detailed radial engine, detailed 20mm gun pods, resin and photo-etch details, film instruments insert History The Panstwowe...
PZL TS-11 Iskra
PZL TS-11 Iskra 200 BR by Mastercraft 1/72 scale Kit No. 7201 Cost: $12.50 Decals: Two versions (Polish Air Force) Comments: Unusual Eastern Bloc aircraft; engraved panel lines; option for two-seat trainer or single-seat attack/reconnaissance aircraft History The PZL...
Seversky P-35
Entering U.S. Army Air Corps service in 1937, the aerodynamic P-35 caused a sensation with its sleek lines and retractable landing gear, inspiring Italian designers to create the Reggiane Re 2000; but the Japanese Zero would maul it in combat 4 years later.
Seversky P-35
The P-35 was the first aircraft from the design team of Russian immigrants Alexander P. de Seversky and Alexander Kartveli. Entering service in July 1937, it had the distinction of being the first American single-seat fighter with a fully enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear. It was also the first all-metal fighter (save for its fabric-covered control surfaces). But despite its flair, the coming war brought home with cruel reality its deficiencies as a combat aircraft.
Curtiss P-36/Hawk 75
The Curtiss P-36 was the U.S. Army Air Corps’ first monoplane fighter, and was on the front lines with U.S. forces in Pearl Harbor and the Far East when war came in December 1941. Sold to France in limited numbers in 1940, it was already out of date but fought off the Axis in the early stages of WWII.
P-38 Lightning Nightfighter
Lockheed P-38M Night Lightning by Dragon 1/72 scale Kit No. 5019 Cost: $22.00 Decals: One version - 418th Night Fighter Squadron, Atsugi, Japan - 1945 Comments: Engraved panel lines, crisp detail throughout History The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was one of the great...
P-39 Airacobra
Bell P-39 Airacobra by Monogram 1/48 scale Kit No. 6844 Cost: $12.00 Comments: Excellent detail that remains competitive over 45 years after its initial release Decals: One version for U.S. Army Air Force P-39F, 488th Fighter Squadron, 59th Fighter Group History Bell...
Bell P-39Q Airacobra
Ironically, although designed with features that would have made it an effective high altitude interceptor, a combination of NACA recommendations and changing Army directives regarding fighter powerplants relegated the Bell P-39 — through no fault of its own — to second-class status as a low-altitude fighter bomber. It excelled in this role, and, despite its critics, the Japanese viewed it as a respected adversary. The Russians, in a word, loved it.
Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk Mk. II
The Curtiss P-40 entered service in May 1940, just as Hitler invaded Western Europe. 140 planes were soon sold to the British, who dubbed them “Tomahawk,” armed them with additional .303 Browning machine guns and sent them to fight the Germans in North Africa.
Curtiss P-40E Warhawk
The P-40E is an icon of WWII, its shark-mouthed paint scheme bringing fame to the Flying Tigers in China and the RAF in North Africa…
Republic P-43 Lancer
The P-43 Lancer was an interim fighter design linking the Severksy P-35 to its ultimate evolution, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Having some but not all of the features of a modern fighter, it was nearly obsolete upon entering service with the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1940. Mostly relegated to training roles, it did find its way to the front lines in China in limited numbers, where it performed fighter escort and photo reconnaissance duties.
P-51B Mustang Mk. III
North American P-51B Mustang Mk. III by Revell Germany 1/72 scale Kit No. 4167 Cost: $9.00 Decals: Two versions, both Royal Air Force (No. 316, Polish Squadron, August 1944; and No. 234 Squadron, December 1944) Comments: Engraved panel lines, flushed rivet detail,...
P-51 B/C Mustang
North American P-51B/C Mustang by Pro Modeler (Monogram) 1/48 scale Kit No. 5931 Cost: $22.00 (aftermarket) Decals: 3 versions - all U.S. Army Air Force: Topper III, flown by Captain Edward L. Toppins of the 99th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group (Tuskegee...
P-63 Kingcobra
The Bell P-63 Kingcobra was a development of the P-39 Airacobra, intended to address its deficiencies in the areas of speed and armor protection. Unlike its earlier cousin, which was originally envisioned as a fighter/interceptor, the P-63 was designed as a ground-support/fighter-bomber from the beginning. The biggest operator of the P-63 was the Soviet Union, which received 2,397 aircraft, delivered between 1943 and 1945 and mainly used to support infantry units.
P-70 Nighthawk
Coming to the Pacific in the Summer of 1942, the P-70 was meant to be a stopgap night fighter, soon to be replaced by the P-61 Black Widow. But the P-70 served until 1944 due to the P-61’s teething problems….
P-80 Shooting Star
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star by Monogram 1/48 scale Kit No. 5428 Cost: $15.00 Decals: One version - United States Air Force Comments: Raised panel lines; first released 1977; detailed cockpit with option for open or closed canopy; detailed gun bay and wheel wells; rear...
RF-4C Phantom II
Ordered by the U.S. Air Force partly in response to the Navy’s RF-8 Crusader, which highlighted deficient Air Force performance in the low-altitude reconnaissance role during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, the RF-4 ushered in a quantum improvement in USAF reconnaissance capability. Italeri’s RF-4 features a three auxiliary drop tanks, a multi-part canopy and a series of clear plastic parts depicting camera ports in an elongated nose.
RF-8A Crusader (Sword)
As of October 1962, the Vought RF-8A Crusader was the one aircraft capable of the finest, most detailed low level reconnaissance photography in the entire U.S. military. Derived from the superb F-8 Crusader, the U.S. Navy’s shipboard interceptor, with its guns and fuselage-mounted missile pylons removed, it became an equally superb photo-reconnaissance platform. During the 1962 Missile Crisis, it yielded intelligence that may well have helped avoid nuclear war.