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| Na eshopu: | ANO |
|---|---|
| Newsletter: | news23-04 |
| Era: | Postwar |
| Product: | Plastic kits |
| Edition: | Special Hobby |
| Type: | Aircraft |
| Origin: | USA |
| Scale: | 1/48 |
| Weight: | 0.474 kg |
The largest single engine, piston engine aircraft to have ever been flown from the decks of aircraft carriers – yes this is the apt description of the anti-submarine AF-2 Guardian aeroplane. Following the Korea War, the Guardians were redelegated to reserve units and eventually struck off charge. Some of them, however, and mainly due to the strength of their airframe and their excellent range and payload capability, were given a new lease of life and converted to fire fighting machines which kept flying well until the 1970s.
The kit consists of seven grey styrene sprues, one with clear parts, a set of PUR parts and a fret of etches. There are also two styles of the water tanks available and the decal sheet caters for makrings of a trio of machines.
- Limited edition
- Unique version
I haven’t built this model yet, but it looks great. I build mainly 1/48 scale kits and I’m always looking for something that’s a little bit unusual. This kit suits that purpose perfectly. The parts are very finely molded and feature delicately engraved or raised details in appropriate areas. The decals are very nicely printed and in register. The instruction booklet is fantastic, with very well-done assembly drawings throughout. Very good painting information is also featured. Firefighting water bombers are of vital importance in regions of the US and Canada that are highly susceptible to forest fires. Many water bombers in use today are former WWII aircraft. It’s fantastic that they still fly and continue to perform a vital service. Their pilots and crews are every bit as dedicated to service today as they were decades ago. \r\n\r\nModeling water bombers are a fascinating part of the kit building hobby for me and Special Hobby’s excellent 1/48 Guardian is a perfect modeling subject. I would like to see more 1/48 kits of various types of firefighting aircraft.