Northrop F-5E Tiger II "PA CAPONA" No. J-3074

Swiss Air Force, 2017

Hobby Master 1/72 HA3360

Northrop F-5E Tiger II  

The Northrop F-5 tactical fighter was designed as an extremely maneuverable, supersonic fighter with a high rate of reliability at a low operating cost. The F-5 first flew on July 30, 1959 with the first customer delivery in 1964. The last of more than 2,600 F-5’s was produced in 1989 and about two-thirds of these are still in service with 26 countries more than 4 decades later. The F-5 was manufactured by Northrop Grumman and under license in Canada, Taiwan, South Korea, Spain and Switzerland. The F-5E Tiger II is an uprated version of the previous design.

The Swiss AF was disbanding three squadrons of F-5E Tiger II that will be reformed into two new units. To mark the disbanding each of the three squadrons gave one F-5 a special paint scheme. Lehrverband Flieger 31 (LVb Fl 31) Flight Training Unit 31 chose F-5E J-3074 c/n L.1074 (81-00833) to receive “Pa Capona 31”. Translated in english,  “Pa Capona” means “Never give up!” or “Don’t Surrender”. The badge of 31 TU is displayed on the starboard side of the nose, and markings for Fliegerstaffel 13 on the port side and a lion on the tail.

Hobby Master "1:72 Air Power Series" diecast airplanes feature:

1. Molded metal construction with plastic components.
2. Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels and surface details.
3. Inscriptions and posters printed with a stamp that do not fade or fall off like decals.
4. opening of awnings, revealing detailed within the cockpit.
5. Extended / retracted interchangeable landing gear.
6. Display stand to display the aircraft "in flight".
7. Authentic detachable artillery cargoes complete with placards.