Kit Previews
Hangar 47 strives to provide historical information along with the details of the kit…enjoy.
F-22A Raptor
Designed to maintain the air dominance achieved by the McDonnell-Douglas F-15, the F-22 Raptor entered service with the U.S. Air Force in December 2005. It has one-half the F-15’s radar signature and can fly at speeds in excess of Mach 1 for extended periods. It is the first fighter since the Convair F-106 to carry all its weapons internally.
F-35C Lightning II
The F-35A is the U.S. Air Force’s latest fifth-generation fighter. Its first flight was on December 15, 2006. It is intended to replace the U.S. Air Force’s aging fleet of F-16 Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt II’s, which have been the primary fighter and ground attack aircraft for more than 40 years. Equipped with state of the art avionics, it has enhanced survivability in multiple modern air combat situations, including advanced ground-based threats.
F-51D Mustang
The North American F-51D Mustang was the re-designated P-51 of World War II fame. It was employed extensively for close air support of U.N. forces during the Korean War, particularly during the struggle to hold the Pusan Perimeter after the bloody retreat from the Chosin Reservoir during the winter of 1950-51. It was prized for its ability to loiter over the front lines and provide air support, to the degree that some F-80 jet units re-equipped with the F-51D.
F-82 Twin Mustang
North American’s F-82 Twin Mustang downed the first enemy aircraft of the Korean War, when Lts. William Hudson and Carl Fraser shot down a Yak-11 on June 27, 1950, two days after the North Korean invasion.
F-86 Sabre
North American F-86F-30 Sabre Jet by Hasegawa 1/48 scale Kit No. 07213 Cost: $28.00 Decals: Two U.S. Air Force versions Comments: Engraved panel lines, boxed in wheel wells, intake and exhaust, detailed pilot figure, poor cockpit detail for the scale History The North...
F-100 Super Sabre
North American F-100 Super Sabre by Revell 1/72 scale Kit No. 04604 Cost: $15.00 Decals: Two versions – USAF, 1958; French Armee de l’Air, 1972 Comments: Re-box of sought-after 1982 Esci kit History The F-100 took its maiden flight on May 25, 1953. Although designed...
F-102 Delta Dagger
Convair’s F-102 Delta Dagger took its maiden flight on October 24, 1953, and entered service with NORAD, the North American Air Defense Command, in April 1956. It was the first fighter able to reach supersonic speed in level flight. For a time it was a key part of NATO’s forward air defenses, with the last squadron standing down in 1973.
F-104 Starfighter
An effective point-defense interceptor but lacking in range and maneuverability, the F-104 was withdrawn from front-line USAF units just three years after its introduction. It figured prominently in a 1960’s bribery scandal involving fighter contracts for the NATO countries.
F-105G Wild Weasel
The Republic F-105 was, according to the late Pierre Sprey, former defense analyst at the Pentagon who was instrumental in the development of the F-16 Falcon and the A-10 Warthog, “an attempt by Tactical Air Command to grab a little of the nuclear money.” Designed to deliver tactical atomic bombs in Europe in the hopes of limiting a nuclear war, the F-105 would see the bulk of its combat dropping conventional bombs on targets in Southeast Asia.
F-106A Delta Dart
Initially intended as an upgrade of the Convair F-102 interceptor, the F-106 evolved into a distinct and more capable aircraft. Entering service with the Air Defense Command in 1959, it became the Air Force interceptor of choice, remaining on alert status into the 1980’s due to continual upgrades, protecting the U.S. from air attack at the height of the Cold War.
F-107 Ultra Sabre
North American F-107A Ultra Sabre by Trumpeter 1/72 scale Kit No. 1605 Cost: $17.00 Decals: Three versions - all U.S. Air Force prototypes Comments: Crisp detail, engraved panel lines History Developed by North American Aviation in the mid-1950's, the F-107 was the...
F-117 Nighthawk
Lockheed Martin F-117A Nighthawk by Hasegawa 1/72 scale Kit NO. 00531 Cost: $15.00 Decals: Two versions - both USAF Comments: Great kit for a quick build of the Stealth Fighter History The F-117 Nighthawk was developed under great secrecy for the U.S. Air Force by...
Fairchild 91
The Fairchild 91 was a single-engine, eight-passenger flying boat developed in the United States in the mid-1930’s in response to a Pan American Airlines requirement for a small amphibian aircraft. It would ultimately service a route along the Amazon River in Brazil, earning the nickname “Jungle Clipper.”
Fairey Delta
Fairey Delta by Novo/Frog 1/72 scale Cost: $10.00 Decals: One version, for the world speed record-breaking aircraft, WG774 Comments: Old kit, hard to find intact; engraved panel lines History First flown on October 6, 1954, the Fairey Delta II was a research aircraft...
Fairey Delta 2
The Fairey Delta 2 was a British supersonic research aircraft built by the Fairey Aviation Company in response to a specification from the Ministry of Supply for a specialized aircraft to investigate controlled flight at transonic and supersonic speeds. The Delta 2, featuring a delta wing and a drooped nose, influenced the development of the Concorde supersonic airliner, and allegedly the Mirage III fighter. It was the final aircraft to be produced by Fairey as an independent manufacturer.
Fairey Firefly Mk. I
The Fairey Firefly was the Royal Navy’s most capable two-seat fighter of World War II, entering service in late 1943. Designed to replace both the aging Sea Gladiator biplane and the relatively modern yet still obsolete Fulmar two-seat fighter. In Europe, it participated in attacks against the German battleship Tirpitz, and in the Pacific, it harassed Japanese aircraft and ground installations throughout the East Indies, attacking oil refineries in Sumatra, Palambang, and elsewhere.
Fairey Fulmar
The Fairey Fulmar was an underpowered Fleet Air Arm fighter that despite its shortcomings, helped protect British shipping at a critical stage early in World War II. Smer’s kit features engraved panel lines, a one-piece canopy and decals by Propagteam.
Fairey Seafox
Fairey Seafox by Matchbox 1/72 scale Kit No. PK-36 Cost: $10.00 Decals: Two British Royal Navy versions - 173 Catapult Flight, Kalafrana, Malta, aboard HMS Arethusa, 1939; and 702 Squadron Fleet Air Arm, detached to HMS Asturias, 1942 Comments: Interesting kit of a...
Farman NC 223.4
The Farman NC 223.4 was a mail plane commandeered by the French Aeronavale and was the first Allied plane to bomb Berlin during WWII…
General Dynamics FB-111 Aardvark
General Dynamics’ F-111 was borne of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara’s attempt in 1961 to shoe-horn Air Force and Navy requirements for new combat aircraft into a single airframe. It overcame bureaucracy and inter-service rivalry to prove itself a highly sophisticated, capable strike aircraft in Vietnam, but is most famous for the 1986 raid against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.