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The Gee Bee Model R Super Sportster was a racing aircraft made by Granville Brothers Aircraft of Springfield, Massachusetts (Gee Bee is an abbreviation for Granville Brothers). Derived from the Model Z, the plane that won the Thompson Trophy Race in 1931, the R-1 was a unique design with a short teardrop-shaped fuselage and a large Pratt & Whit-ney R-1340 radial engine with the cockpit positioned just forward of the vertical stabilizer for better pilot visibility during tight turns around racing pylons. Piloted by Jimmy Doolittle, the R-1 won the 1932 Thompson Trophy Race by a wide margin. Doolittle also set a new world landplane speed record of 296 mph in the Shell Speed Dash. Along with most of the racing airplanes in the early 1930s, the R-1 rapidly earned a repu-tation as a dangerous aircraft. One pilot was killed in a crash during the 1933 Bendix Trophy Race, and a second died in a later accident after the plane was rebuilt.

The kit contains 55 parts molded in gray plastic on four sprues, with one clear sprue containing the separate canopy. Also included in the kit is a fret of photo-etched metal detail parts for interior details, support

ring for the cowl and the flying wires. The cockpit features a multi-part pilot seat with a photo-etched harness, tube framing surrounding the fuselage area, and a throttle quadrant with photo-etched control levers. The Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp engine has a separate exhaust col-lector and push rod assembly. The kit includes a set of vinyl masks for painting the distinctive bright red scallop marking on the wings, fuselage and landing gear spats. The kit comes with illustrated instructions with painting and decal placement guides, as well as decals for the R1 (and R2) aircraft with stencils, instrument panel and identification markings.

Iwata QuickFit Quick Disconnect SetThe Iwata Quickfit Quick Disconnect Set offers scale modelers a meth-od of quickly changing from one airbrush to another. Many modelers use multiple airbrushes for different types of painting, like a higher-flow airbrush for spraying primer and base color coats over an entire model and another detail airbrush for painting small areas or delicate cam-ouflage patterns. The Quick Disconnect Set allows shifting between

Keith’s picks for DecemberAirfix 1/48 Hawker Hunter F.6Airfix has released its 1/48 Hawker Hunter F.6 kit. In 1944, Hawker Aircraft Limited began work on a jet engine-powered version of its Hawker Fury for the British Royal Air Force. The design evolved over the next four years, and by 1948 the aircraft had swept wings, a center fuselage-mounted jet engine with bilateral wing root intakes and a single exhaust at the tail. The Hunter became operational with RAF units in

July 1954, replacing the outdated Gloster Meteor and DeHavilland Venom. When the supersonic English Electric Lightning was introduced in the 1960s, the Hunter transitioned to fighter-bomber and reconnais-sance roles. The Hunter had such excellent flight characteristics that it was used by the two Royal Air Force flight demonstration teams, the Black Arrows and the Blue Diamonds. In production since the early 1950s, almost 2,000 Hunters served in 21 countries. The last one finally retired from the Lebanese Air Force in 2014.

The newly tooled kit contains 116 parts molded in gray and clear plastic. The kit features engraved panel lines, access hatches and fasteners, with raised detail as appropriate. The cockpit comprises eleven parts including the tub, four-part seat, rear bulkhead, control stick, instrument panel (with decal instrument gauges) and gun sight. The landing gear bays are also detailed and featured molded brake lines on the struts. There are separate intake ducts, with the compressor blades at the rear and the exhaust shows detail inside the tailpipe. The design features small internal tabs on each fuselage half that interlock to achieve a more precise fit. Options include an open or closed canopy, open or closed air brake, extended or retracted wing flaps, external fuel tanks, open or closed gun ports, and landing gear deployed for shelf display or retracted for an in-flight display. The kit comes with illustrated instructions, painting and decal placement guides, as well as a large sheet of decals with markings for three different aircraft, two of which were in service with the British and one with the Royal Netherlands Air Force.

Dora Wings 1/48 Gee Bee R1 Dora Wings has released its 1/48 Gee Bee R1 kit, a modified re-release of its R2 kit which featured a smaller engine for cross country racing.

Developed by the Granville Brothers, the Gee Bee series of racing planes developed a well-deserved reputation as killers.

The Hawker Hunter was a leader in the second generation of fighters developed based on lessons learned in World War II. It served for decades in air forces around the world.

Keith Pruitt

MODEL KIT REPORT

28 HOBBY MERCHANDISER DECEMBER 2019

Iwata airbrushes smoothly and efficiently. The set includes the Air Hose Adapter, which is attached to the air hose outlet while the QuickFit Airbrush Adapter is screwed onto the air inlet of the airbrush.

Once the adapters are in place on the air hose and airbrush, they are ready to use. Pushing down on the QuickFit Air Hose Adapter re-leases the airbrush. When disconnected, the hose attachment automat-ically cuts off the airflow, so the compressor does not have to be turned off and the pressure released before changing to the next airbrush. The individual Airbrush Adapters are also sold separately so that multiple air-brushes can be equipped and ready to use in seconds. With the Iwata Quick Disconnect Set and a few Quick Disconnect Airbrush Adapters, modelers can easily choose which of their airbrushes, or all of them if needed, to use during any given painting session.

Pegasus E-Z Snapz 1/48 Messerschmitt Bf-109 G-6Pegasus Hobbies has released its E-Z Snapz 1/48 Messerschmitt Bf-109 G-6 kit. One of the most iconic aircraft of World War II, the Messer-schmitt Bf-109 was a single-seat, single-engine fighter that became the backbone of the Luftwaffe throughout the war. Highly advanced when it became operational in 1937, the design proved adept in a variety of roles and service requirements. Of the dozens of variants built, the G was highly maneuverable and easy to fly, with improvements including a reinforced wing, increased bullet-proof armor in vital areas, additional air inlet scoops to improve cooling, and bulges in the cowling and on the wings to accommodate larger guns. Erich Hartmann, the highest scoring ace in the world, flew the Bf-109G throughout the war.

The Pegasus kit of Hartmann’s Bf-109G6 is targeted toward the beginning modeler with relatively few parts and easy snap-together construction. The kit contains 25 parts molded in gray and clear plastic, with beautiful detail for a beginner kit in this scale. The pieces feature engraved panel lines and raised detail where appropriate, with the cockpit tub molded as one part with a separate instrument panel. The only option for the kit is deployed landing gear for display on a shelf or raised landing gear for an in-flight display. However, a display stand is not included in the package. The kit includes illustrated instructions with painting and decal placement guides, as well as decals for one aircraft flown by Erich Hartmann. Designed for a quick and easy build, this kit could be a great starting point for a young or beginning modeler.

Tamiya 1/24 Ford GTTamiya has released its 1/24 Ford GT kit. The Ford GT is an Ameri-can mid-engine two-seater sports car inspired by the legendary Ford GT40, which was built to challenge Ferrari in endurance road races like Le Mans. Originally produced from 2005 to 2006, the first-gener-ation GT marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of Ford Motor Company. Returning to the Ford lineup in 2016, the second generation GT features a revolutionary design, expert engineering, and a dynamic

teardrop shape. With a carbon-fiber body powered by a 647 horse-power 3.5L EcoBoost V6 engine, the car is really a race car designed to be street legal. According to Ford, the second-generation Ford GT has the best power-to-weight ratio of any production car.

The kit includes parts molded in white, black and gray plastic with plated wheels, as well as black vinyl tires and clear plastic windows and light covers. Also included is a set of template masks for painting the window frames, metal foil transfers for the mirror faces, and four polycaps for attaching the wheels to the axles. The body is built from multiple parts with the fenders and other aerodynamic parts that are attached separately. The chassis features detailed multi-part suspen-sion and drivetrain components. The engine comprises a single-part block and transaxle with separate pieces for the induction and exhaust systems. The interior features a tub floor with separate sidewalls and console, dashboard with the instrument cluster, and various other panels. Many of the subassemblies are somewhat complex, as each headlight assembly consists of eight separate plastic parts molded in three different colors. These features add a depth of realism that is both extensive and authentic. The kit contains illustrated instructions, with painting and decal placement guides, as well as decals that include markings, intake areas and interior instrumentation, along with racing stripes in red, white, black and silver. Tamiya has built a reputa-tion for producing high-quality kits, and the Ford GT is just one more example of an exquisitely refined package. HM

A quick disconnect system helps modelers switch between airbrushes during a painting session without losing pressure.

If customers are looking for a good starter model, this Pega-sus Bf-109 kit has snap-together construction.

The second-generation Ford GT is a hot collector’s car, and this Tamiya model is a good way to get your hands on one.

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