1:32 T-2 Buckeye ‘Anniversary Markings’

Rockwell T-2 Buckeye Anniversary 1:32 (Special Hobby)

An injection-molded plastic kit in 1:32 scale from the Czech maker Special Hobby. The short-run molded plastic is rounded off with clear parts, resin details and a photo-etched fret. The Anniversary edition concentrates on colorful anniversary and display schemes: the decal sheet offers a US Navy machine in a blue, white and red finish and a Greek aircraft with a colorfully treated tail section. The large 1:32 scale lets the cockpit detail and the overall proportions come into their own.

The real subject

The T-2 Buckeye was an American two-seat jet trainer on which US Navy and Marine Corps pilots trained for many years, including practice landings on aircraft carriers. It served even longer in Greece. During the celebrations of the bicentennial of American independence in 1976, a number of Buckeyes received eye-catching festive schemes, which turned an otherwise workaday trainer into an attractive modeling subject.

Building and painting tips

Short-run molds call for more work than mainstream plastic: reckon on cleaning the parts, dressing the molding edges and dry-fitting before gluing. Glue the plastic with thin plastic cement; cut the resin parts from their casting blocks, wash them and glue them with super glue. Mask the glazing with templates. Lay down primer before painting; the colorful anniversary schemes come out best on a smooth gloss surface, and the decals are sealed with varnish.

Who the model is for

• collectors of American naval training aircraft in the large 1:32 scale
• anyone interested in colorful anniversary and display schemes
• modelers with experience of short-run kits and resin
• fans of unusual and colorful subjects

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.