IPMS/USA Reviews

The Revell 1/32 Panavia Tornado has been around since the mid 1980's and represented all variants from the GR.1, F2, IDS and ERC models. Both the RAF and German Airforce have been offered throughout Revell's production runs. It is currently available as an RAF GR.1 in Gulf War colors. This aircraft has several nicknames: the "Fin" due to its enormous tail, and "Tonka Truck" due to its rugged, tough design. The RAF, German Air Force and the Saudi Air Force have operated the Tornado.

This issue of the Spotlight On series deals with the three major types of fighter used by the Royal Air Force against the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. The book is aimed primarily towards modelers who are interested in modeling the three major types used in that conflict, the Hurricane, Spitfire, and Defiant. The author begins with a one page summary of the battle, telling who was involved, and the types of aircraft used. The British, Canadians, New Zealanders, Australians, and South Africans are mentioned, along with the Poles, Czechs, and Belgians. Oddly, the Americans are not mentioned.

This set was incorporated into my build of the AFV F5-F ROC Aggressor (Kit #AR48S07) presented in a separate review. While the base kit is nicely done, it is lacking a few details that need to be addressed to produce a finished model. Most notably, there are no seat harnesses on an aircraft with a lot of canopy to see them through. As it turns out, there are a few options, you can get resin seats or as in this case, a complete cockpit replacement. This set consists of resin parts for the cockpit tub, seats, instrument panel pedestals and shrouds, control sticks, canopy actuators and multiple fine detail parts.

A PE fret includes: seat harnesses, instrument panels, rudder pedals and various fine details for the canopies including rear view mirrors, locks and a wet compass for the windscreen frame. A small clear sheet holds the instruments and HUD glass parts.

History

Built at a time when US fighter aircraft were getting more complex and expensive, the Northrop Grumman company decided to go against the grain and build a lightweight fighter based on their successful T-38 Talon design. The first F-5 Freedom Fighter flew on July 30, 1959. It proved to be a very nimble and adaptable aircraft but it was never widely adopted by the USAF. It did find willing operators in the several foreign air arms including the Republic of China (ROC) also known as Taiwan. The island nation produced their own licensed built F-5s including 66 of the two seat F5-F models. This kit presents four aircraft of the 46th Aggressor Squadron. As the name implies, this unit trains fighter pilots in air combat maneuvering by engaging in mock combats, recording the results and using those recordings to teach pilots how to prevail. In spite of the mission these aircraft are assigned, they are still fully operational fighters capable of deploying missiles and ground attack ordinance. Largely replaced by F-16s and Mirage 2000s, the ROC F5-Fs are nearing the end of their service.

Background

Hauler/Brengun was founded in 1999 and produces scale plastic kits, resin kits and accessories, photo-etched details for kits and other accessories. This kit of the Rutan Quickie is offered in two different scales: 1/72 and 1/48.

The Rutan Quickie is a lightweight single-seat taildragger aircraft of composite construction, configured with tandem wings. The Quickie was primarily designed by Burt Rutan in 1977 as a low-powered, highly efficient kit-plane. After the first flights, Tom Jewett and Gene Sheehan continued development of the Quickie to market it for home-build projects. Over 350 kits were produced between 1978 and 1980, with ultimately some 1,000 kits being sold. The recommended engine is a Onan four-stroke piston engine delivering 18 hp, although since it was a kit plane, there was considerable variability. Its tandem wing design has one anhedral forward wing and one slightly larger dihedral rear wing. The forward wing has full-span control surfaces and is thus similar to a canard wing, but is considerably larger. The aircraft has unusual landing gear, with the main wheels located at the tips of the forward wing.