Northrop F-5N Tiger II

USN VFC-111 Sun Downers, NAS Key West, FL, 2021

Hobby Master 1:72 HA3365

Northrop F-5N 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.

F-5 761554 MSN L. 1028 was formerly owned by the Swiss Air Force as J-3029 and acquired by the USN when the Swiss were retiring these planes. The aircraft underwent upgrades to an "N" variant and became active with VFC-111 "Sun Downers" in 2008. VFC-111 is an Aggressor Squadron with the mission to train USN and USMC pilots in the art of aerial combat. Many VFC-111 F-5s are painted in a two-tone blue scheme to visually mimic Russian latest aircraft. Several of these paint schemes differ from the others by using the two blues in various patterns.

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.