Heller Fiat G 91 1/50 Scale

The Aeritalia G.91, also known as the Fiat G.91 and nicknamed Gina, was an Italian fighter aircraft that was intended to serve as standard equipment for NATO air forces in the 1960s. It was eventually only adopted by three - the Italian Air Force, West Germany's Luftwaffe, and the Portuguese Air Force, but enjoyed a long service life that extended over thirty-five years

Other G 91 Information:
http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/AERO/fiat.htm
http://www.scramble.nl/wiki/index.php?title=Fiat_G91

Airfix HS 126 1/72 Scale

The Henschel Hs 126 was a Luftwaffe (air force) aircraft of World War II. Produced in two models (A and B). Although primarily a reconnaissance aircraft, it could carry up to 50 kg of bombs and was equipped with two 7.92 mm machine guns, a forward firing MG 17 and a flexible MG 15 in the observer/gunner position. Late in the war, it was used in glider tug and night ground attack roles. Eventually it was superseded by the Focke-Wulf Fw 189.

Plastic Model Reviews:
http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/portland/971/Reviews/luftwaffe/hs-126_airfix.htm
http://modelingmadness.com/scotts/axis/luft/126preview.htm

Other HS126 Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henschel_Hs_126
http://1000aircraftphotos.com/HistoryBriefs/HenschelHs126.htm

Fujimi Alphajet E Patrouille De France 1/72 Scale

The Alpha Jet resulted when France and West Germany decided to consolidate their requirements for an advanced trainer and a light attack aircraft. The German Alpha Jet A is equipped with an advanced nav/attack system, Doppler radar, and an inertial navigation system for its primary role as a close-support attack plane. The Alpha Jet has also found several foreign customers attracted by its low cost.

Plastic Model Review:
http://modelingmadness.com/scotts/mod/aj.htm

Other Alpha Jet Information:
http://www.answers.com/topic/dassault-breguet-dornier-alpha-jet
http://www.ping.be/~gvanroy1/alphajet.htm

Hasegawa Grumman X-29A 1/72 Scale

Two X-29 aircraft, featuring one of the most unusual designs in aviation history, were flown at the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (now the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, Calif., as technology demonstrators to investigate advanced concepts and technologies. The multi-phased program was conducted from 1984 to 1992 and provided an engineering data base that is available in the design and development of future aircraft.

Plastic Model Reviews:
http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/portland/971/Reviews/70s/x-29-m.htm
http://www.geocities.com/~ipms-atlanta/trimtab/tt9808-13.htm

Other X-29 Information:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-008-DFRC.html
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/x-29.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_X-29

Airfix Martin B-26C Marauder 1/72 Scale

The Martin B-26 Marauder was one of the most controversial American combat aircraft of the Second World War. It was primarily used in Europe, and was in fact numerically the most important USAAF medium bomber used in that theatre of action. However, on four occasions, investigation boards had met to decide if the development and production of the Marauder should continue. The Marauder survived all attempts to remove it from service, and by 1944, the B-26s of the US 9th Air Force had the lowest loss rate on operational missions of any American aircraft in the European theatre, reaching a point less than one half of one percent.

Plastic Model Reviews:
http://hedgehoghollow.com/awoic/models.html
http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/portland/971/Reviews/usaaf/b-26c.htm
http://modelingmadness.com/reviews/viet/us/mansb26k.htm

Other B-26 Information:
http://www.harmonize.com/swdroundup/B26a.htm
http://www.vectorsite.net/avb26.html
http://www.warbirdalley.com/b26.htm

Academy F-84E/G Thunderjet

The Republic Aviation Company F-84 Thunderjet was an American-built turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Air Force proposal for a daytime fighter, the F-84 flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thunderjet was plagued by so many structural and engine problems that a 1948 Air Force review declared it unable to execute any aspect of its intended mission and considered cancelling the program.

The aircraft was not considered fully operational until the 1949 F-84D model and the design matured only with the definitive F-84G introduced in 1951. In 1954, the straight-wing Thunderjet was joined by the swept-wing F-84F Thunderstreak fighter and RF-84F Thunderflash photo reconnaissance aircraft.

Other F-84 Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-84_Thunderjet
http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=112

Revell MIG-21 PF 1/48 Scale

The MiG-21 is the most built jet ever. Fast, small, agile dependable (performance data), and above all simple, it could be turned out in prodigious numbers, and was. It flooded the skies above Europe, Asia, Africa, and even Central America with literally thousands of modern, deadly fighters. It has flown in more wars than any other airplane in the world.

An estimated 10,000 (some sources state as much as 13,000 copies) of them have been produced by the Soviet Union, it's allies and (without license) China. The MiG-21 is outnumbered only by WWII airplanes and in modern days only by one, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. First introduced in service with the Soviet Air Force in 1959, it continued front line service for more than 30 years. A record equal, and parallel, to the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The operational record, now entered its fourth decade, may well extend into the next century with i.e. the Chinese and Eastern Europe Air Forces.

Plastic Model Reviews:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~designer/models/mig21/mig21.htm
http://www.kitreview.com/reviews/mig21mfreviewcedw_1.htm

Other Mig-21 Information:
http://www.topedge.com/panels/aircraft/sites/kraft/mig1.htm
http://www.flug-revue.rotor.com/FRheft/FRH9811/FR9811h.htm
http://www.warbirdalley.com/mig21.htm

Hobbycraft Canadair CT114 Tutor 1/72 Scale

The Canadian Canadair CL-41, designated the CT-114 Tutor in RCAF and later unified Canadian Forces use, is a jet trainer aircraft. Ordered in September 1961, the aircraft went on to serve as the Canadian Forces primary jet trainer until 2000, when it was replaced by the CT-155 Hawk and CT-156 Harvard II. The CL-41G supplied to Malaysia was built as a ground-attack aircraft.

Plastic Model Reviews:
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Rev1/901-1000/Rev904_Hobbycraft-Tutor_Edmundson/rev904.htm
http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/hc/kit_hc_ct-114.shtml

Other CT-114 Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadair_CL-41_Tutor
http://www.lancastermuseum.ca/tutor.html

Heller Sepecat Jaguar 1/72 Scale

Developed jointly by Britain and France from an initial concept of light trainer and close-support aircraft. Has sold overseas, to Ecuador, India and Oman. The RAF version has more avionics than the French, with integrated nav/attack and laser ranger. The GR.1 saw a lot of action in the Gulf War, painted desert pink and carrying overwing Sidewinder missiles.

The Jaguar lacks one vital component, radar. It does however possess a computer system which allows waypoint co-ordinates to be entered before the start of the mission. Thereafter, a moving map display presents the aircraft's projected position to the pilot, and this can be manually corrected as the mission proceeds. The Jaguar has been sold to Nigeria, Ecuador, Oman and India.

Plastic Model Review:
http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/portland/971/Reviews/60s/jaguar_compare.htm

Other Sepecat Information:
http://www.gatwick-aviation-museum.co.uk/jaguar/jaguar.html
http://www.vectorsite.net/avjag.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEPECAT_Jaguar

Hasegawa Blue Impulse T-2 1/72 Scale

Blue Impulse or 11 Squadron, is the aerobatic demonstration team of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Originally formed in 1960 as a team of six F-86 Sabres, the team switched to the Mitsubishi T-2 in 1980 and then the Kawasaki T-4 in 1995. They are based at Matsushima Air Base.

Other T-2 Information:
http://www.faqs.org/docs/air/avt2f1.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Impulse

Italeri F-21 Lion Kfir 1/72 Scale

The Israel Aircraft Industries Kfir (Hebrew: כפיר, "Lion Cub") is an Israeli-built all-weather, multi-role combat aircraft based on a modified Dassault Mirage 5 airframe, with Israeli avionics and an Israeli-made version of the General Electric J79 turbojet engine.

Plastic Model Reviews:
http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/portland/971/Inbox/d-f/f-21-lion-i.htm
http://modelingmadness.com/scotts/mod/f21.htm

Other KFIR information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAI_Kfir

Grumman F11 F-1 Tiger 1/72 Scale

Kitech MIG-31 "Foxhound" 1/48 Scale

The Mikoyan MiG-31 is a long-range high-performance interceptor which was developed to replace the MiG-25 in the Soviet Air Defence Force (PVO). Clearly a derivative of the rather crude-looking MiG-25, the high speed and very powerful radar of the MiG-31 make it a formidable interceptor.Developed to counter the XB-70 Valkyrie bomber, the MiG-25 Foxbat functioned well as a high-altitude interceptor with the help of Ground Control, but it was equipped with only limited avionics.

From the late 1960s, bombers in Western air forces had started to switch to low-altitude attack profiles, to avoid the ever increasing anti-aircraft missile threat, and they also started carrying early forms of cruise missile. In countering low flying aircraft the MiG-25 performed quite poorly. The Soviet Air Defence Force therefore required a new interceptor which could operate well at high and low altitudes, and which was also capable of intercepting cruise missiles.

This new aircraft was the MiG-31.It was decided to make the MiG-31 a two-seater, so that it would not be dependent upon direct help from Ground Control. Given an approximate initial location of the intruder, the back-seater would guide the pilot to the target. However, it was also planned that the MiG-31 could operate semi-automatically, being directed towards a target by the AK-RLDN ground-based automatic guidance network, using the aircraft's APD-518 digital datalink and BAN-75 command link.

Plastic Model Reviews:
http://kits.kitreview.com/mig31reviewpb_1.htmhttp://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/portland/971/Inbox/k-m/mig-31-i.htmhttp://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/portland/971/Inbox/k-m/mig-31-i.htm
http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/portland/971/Reviews/soviet/mig-31_zheng.htm
Other MIG-31 Informations:
http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/types/russia/mig/mig-31/mig-31.htm
http://www.milavia.net/aircraft/mig-31/mig-31_his.htm
http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/vvs/mig31-01.htm

Back to LS Plastic Model Collection Home Page:

http://lsmodelcollectionroom.blogspot.com/

Revell Lockheed SR-71A 1/72 Scale

The SR-71 Blackbird holds the record for fastest and highest flying manned aircraft with air-breathing engines. The aircraft could fly faster than Mach 3 at more than 90,000 feet. It was designed and built at the Lockheed "Skunk Works" in the early 1960's to replace the U-2 spy planes. The mission of the aircraft was strategic reconnaissance and it carried an array of cameras and sensors in its weapons bay.

More information:
http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/sr-71/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR-71_Blackbird
http://www.aviationexplorer.com/sr-71_facts.htm

F-111E 1/48 Scale

Nicknamed 'Aardvark' because of its long, slightly upturned nose, the F-111 evolved in response to a joint services requirement in the 1960s for a long range interceptor (US Navy) and deep-strike interdictor (USAF). The F-111 was a multipurpose tactical fighter bomber capable of supersonic speeds. The aircraft was one of the more controversial aircraft ever to fly, yet it achieved one of the safest operational records of any aircraft in USAF history and became a highly effective all-weather interdiction aircraft.

The F-111 provided many firsts among weapons systems. It was the first production aircraft with variable swing wings that could be swept back or brought forward to increase efficiency. It also had the first terrain-following radar, allowing it to fly at night at high speeds and low altitudes, as well as the first crew escape module. The aircraft was produced in seven different variants with the first production aircraft delivery in October 1967 and the last delivery in September 1976. F-111's are no longer in the Air Force inventory but were a major part of the fighter force for many years.

More information:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-111-history.htm
http://www.georgespangenberg.com/vf2.htm
http://www.historycentral.com/aviation/fpostwar/F111.html