Tamiya TA32606

Armament for U.S. fighter Lockheed P-38F/G Lightning: 1 x 20mm & 4x 12,7mm gun barrels (designed to be used with Tamiya kits)

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"Phantom shades of gray" - Low Viz F-4J/N/S, 7 Markings McDonnell F-4J Phantom II, Bu.No. 153798, NL/212, VF-194 Red Lightnings, USS Coral Sea, February 1977. McDonnell F-4J Phantom II, Bu.No. 153850, AE/100, VF-102 Diamondbacks, USS Independence, July 1979. McDonnell-Douglas F-4N Phantom II, Bu.No. 151431, NK/104, VF-154 Black Knights, USS Coral Sea, August 1983. McDonnell-Douglas F-4N Phantom II, Bu.No. 152977, NK/206, VF-21 Freelancers, USS Coral Sea, April 1983. McDonnell-Douglas F-4S Phantom II, Bu.No. 153877, AA/101, VF-74 Be-Devilers, USS Forrestal, June 1982. McDonnell-Douglas F-4S Phantom II, Bu.No. 163862, AA/201, VF-103 Sluggers, USS Forrestal, October 1982. McDonnell-Douglas F-4S Phantom II, Bu.No. 155747, AA/203, VF-103 Sluggers, USS Forrestal, September 1982.

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Northrop F-5E/F Tiger Peace Alps Part Two) 40 years ago the F-5E/F Tiger was introduced into the inventory of the Swiss Air Force. The Tiger was the last aâé-sinexpensive' mass fighter aircraft for the Swiss Airforce, 98 single-seaters and 12 two-seaters were purchased. It was also the last Jet Fighter that was to be crewed by the militia pilot system; men who followed normal professions but also were professional Fighter Pilots. The end of the aâé-sFlying Baker' has been proclaimed for many years. The fleet reduction started already in 2002 when the U.S. Navy became interested in the F-5 to beef up their aâé-sAggressor Squadrons'. In the media, the Tiger got called old, night-blind and lame winged. A replacement was required, found and tested, the Saab 39 Gripen came out superior to the Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter. Not everybody liked this and in 2014, three million aviation experts voted not to purchase any new aircraft at all. Peace Alps Part Two is the story of an aircraft that has reached 40 years of service in Switzerland against all odds and continues flying. This set offers decals for the very first aircraft up to some retirement schemes of today, but is not covering the end, as the final pages still need to be written. Tigers delivered in the original first batch (J-3001 J-3066 and J-3201 J-3206) did not have the extended Leading Edge Wing Extensions (LERX) or the aerodynamically more streamlined shark shaped radar nose cones. However the second batch (J-3067 J-3098 & J-3207 3212) delivered from 1982 onwards, were built from new with the LERX and the improved nose cone. The prominent VHF antenna was installed behind the cockpit. These modifications were also retrospectively introduced to the earlier Tiger fleet. As has become an established tradition, the last aircraft off the production line received special nose art and J-3066 became Peace Alps I and featured a flying dove while J-3098 had Peace Alps II titles above a flying witch (both aircraft are featured on the 'Peace Alps Part Two' decal sheet). There is hardly any F-5 in Swiss service that did not receive a squadron badge at some time during its service life. Since the aircraft are not assigned to any specific squadron, some aircraft have more than one squadron badge applied or may have had a mix of various badges at different times. Tiger airplanes also participated in training missions and competitions abroad. Sardinia (SAKA) or Waddington (NORKA) in the United Kingdom created new badges. It is imperative to check photo references to get a picture of the exact look of a particular aircraft at any given time. The paint scheme applied was similar to the USAF F-15's of the time. The original colors are F9453 Medium Grey and F9452 Light Grey, produced by the company Walter Mader AG in Switzerland. The closest equivalent is a mix of FS 35237 Grey Blue and FS 36622 Grey in parts 33/67 and 50/50 respectively. With the introduction of the F/A-18 Hornet in 1998, things became easier and the colors were harmonized with FS 36320 Dark Ghost Grey and FS 36375 Light Ghost Grey. This is a matter of evolution, some aircraft were completely repainted, some merely received only a partial replacement while others simply received a touch up, thus leaving a 4 color mottled effect. While similar, the new Ghost Grays are a shade darker than the original colors; a very pleasing challenge to the modeler. In 2002, the U.S. Navy purchased 32 surplus F-5Es from the Swiss Air Force to strengthen their 'Aggressor Squadrons'. Later, a similar deal for an additional 12 F-5E was finalized. Renamed as 'F-5N' , these Tigers now serve with VFC-13, VMFT-401 and also VFC-111 'Sundowners' in Florida, a suitable retirement home for ageing airplanes! Research for this project was extremely interesting and creating the artwork for the decals placed a challenge. I'm aware, that I got carried away. This presents my biggest decal project and while preparing these instructions, I have not seen the finished product myself. I do know, that some registration numbers are missing but they are easy made up with spare numbers. This said with this sheet you will be able to create almost any Swiss F-5 Tiger at some point in time. Extra squadron badges are provided. There is simply not enough space on the instruction sheet for the whole fleet.

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Grumman F2F and F3F (pre-war Navy/Marine biplane fighters. 192-pages [ F3F-1 F3F-2 F3F-3] And Civilian Variants By Richard S. Dann Published by Ginter Books The 192-page F2F and F3F book is generously illustrated with over 440 photos, including 34 color photos, many not previously published. In addition, 39 illustrations and line drawings are included. The early 1930s was a time of great change in the field of military fighter aviation. At the beginning of the decade, the state-of-the-art in fighter manufacture was the use of traditional construction techniques of welded tube fuselages and fabric covered surfaces. Fixed landing gear and open cockpits were standard equipment. By mid-decade, the state-of-the-art was changing. Lightweight aluminum alloys were being developed that offered high strength and light weight. External bracing gave way to cantilevered aero surfaces. Enclosed cockpits, retractable landing gear and aerodynamic streamlining were becoming standard design features on civilian and military aircraft of the day. In the late 1920s, the U.S. Navy fighter market was dominated by Curtiss and Boeing with aircraft manufactured using conservative design and construction techniques that had been employed at the beginning of the decade. By the early 1930s, however, Boeing had updated their F4B/P-12 design, incorporating a stressed skin, semi-monocoque fuselage into later models of both. In the Autumn of 1929, three engineers from the Loening Aircraft Company on Long Island made the decision not to relocate to Pennsylvania during a merger. Instead, they resolved to form their own aircraft manufacturing company. Thus, Leroy Grumman , Leon "Jake" Swirbul and William Schwendler founded the Grumman Aeronautical Engineering Corporation, in December 1929. Following early successes with the FF-1/SF-1 naval aircraft, Grumman turned its attention to designing a single-seat naval fighter for use aboard the U.S. Navy's growing carrier fleet. With excellent performance attributes, the Navy purchased 55 F2F-1s. While performance of the F2F-1 were impressive, Grumman continued development, offering the Navy an improved design known as the F3F-1. With even better performance than the F2F, the Navy eventually ordered a total of 162 F3Fs in three major subvariants. Grumman 's stubby F2F and F3F airplanes dominated U.S. Navy fighter squadrons from 1935 to 1941, with the final operational F3Fs relinquished to the training command a mere two months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and surrounding facilities. The first half of this 192-page monograph covers the developmental history of the F2F and F3F. Individual aircraft histories are provided for each aircraft, listing assigned commands, mishaps and final disposition. Detailed period engineering photos show every aspect of the aircraft. This is followed by an operational history of each Navy and Marine Corps squadron that operated the F2F and F3F.

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RNZAF Consolidated PBY-5 Catalinas,No.6 Sqn. RNZAF Consolidated PBY-5 Catalinas, Pacific Theatre 1943 - 1945. Four options. NZ4011, No.6 FB Sqn. Lauthala Bay Fiji, 1943. NZ4015, F/Lt Ian Scott, No.6 FB Sqn. Halavo Bay, Solomon Islands, March 1944. NZ4021, F/Lt Ian Scott, No.6 FB Sqn. Halavo Bay, March 1944. NZ4012, "The Naughty Nine" F/Lt Guy Rogers, No.6 FB Sqn. Halavo Bay 1945. All are in the U.S. Navy colour scheme of Blue/Grey (approx FS 35189) upper surfaces and Light Grey (FS 36440) lower surfaces.

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