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Above: The Northrop F-5 Tiger II "Freedom Fighter", so called because it was developed as an inexpensive
fighter to be exported to NATO countries to counter the numerically superior Soviet Air Force. This example is a two seat
trainer - the standard F-5 is a single seater. Extremely nimble and easy to fly, the aircraft makes a good Soviet type opponent
for the Top Gun students. Named after my sister Rica, the plane number is 46, for the year she was born, and the serial number
is her birthday. The paint job took forever, but it was worth it.
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Above: A close up of the crew compartment on the F-5. The ejection handles are made from doll house wiring.
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Above: The A-4 Skyhawk, named Frere Jacques after my brother. His initials, JA, are on the plane's tail fin,
his birth year, 49, is the plane number, and his birthdate is the serial number. The paint job was again difficult but rewarding.
This Skyhawk has the "humpback" behind the crew compartment that contains additional avionics upgrades, typical of late model
Skyhawks. As in the F-14, the leading edge slats have been carved out of the wing, then I made new ones and glued them in
the open position. The canopy is attached to the cockpit by a metal tube that retracts into a hole with a rubber band wall,
allowing the canopy to be set in any position on the model.
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Above: The underside of the Skyhawk. All the landing gear and open wheel wells have been super detailed with
wiring and metal parts. The pitot tube and other sensors are covered, as is customary when aircraft are on the ground. I used
regular Scotch tape for these covers, and painted them red. As in all my aircraft models, the bottoms of the tires have been
filed down and a small glue bulge added to simulate the weight of the aircraft on the tires.
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