HOBBY MASTER AIR POWER SERIES

In August 1958, the 45th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron replaced its subsonic F-84 Thunderjets with the supersonic McDonnell RF-101C Voodoo, the first supersonic tactical reconnaissance aircraft in the USAF inventory. It deployed to Tan Son Nhut Airbase near Saigon in 1966, flying high-speed reconnaissance missions over South Vietnam. The usefulness of the RF-101 to the war effort was, in large part, the reason for the aircraft to remain in the inventory throughout the 1960s. The squadron returned to Misawa AB, Japan at the end of 1970 and its aircraft, now relatively war-weary from nearly a decade of flying combat missions, were retired.

Designed to meet a USAAF requirement for a long-range turbojet powered fighter, the F-101 was first flown (as the XF-88 prototype) on October 20th, 1948. Its initial mission as bomber escort was modified during development to include that of all-weather interceptor, nuclear fighter-bomber and photo reconnaissance aircraft. Reconnaissance variants saw extensive use during the Vietnam war while interceptors remained in service with several Air National Guard units until 1982. Ultimately, the Voodoo's career was rather short-lived although it did help pave the way towards the highly successful F-4 Phantom II that replaced it.

Hobby Master's 1:72 scale F-101 Voodoo is a large model in this scale and is constructed from diecast metal with plastic components used for replication of fine scale details such as the model's nose and engine exhausts. The short stubby solid metal wings are cleverly fitted to the fuselage with almost no visible seams and feature razor thin aerodynamic wing fences and crisp panel lines. The hinged canopy opens near vertical for easy placement of crew figures and viewing the highly detailed pad-printed front and rear instrument panels. The series covers fighter variants with a rotating weapons pallete under the forward fuselage and reconnaissance variants with transparent camera windows in the nose.

Info:       RF-101C Voodoo - USAF 460th TRW, 45th TRS Polka Dots, #56-0176 Gerry's Clown, Tan Son Nhut AB, South Vietnam, 1969