1:48 GRUMMAN J2F-5 DUCK, ARGENTINE NAVAL AVIATION

Grumman J2F-5 Duck, Argentine Naval Aviation, 1:48 scale

This is a finished collector model of an aircraft, not a kit. It captures the American Grumman J2F Duck amphibian biplane in the J2F-5 version, in Argentine Naval Aviation markings. For collector aircraft, 1:48 is a comfortable compromise: the model is a reasonable size for a display case and the arrangement of the struts, the float and the cockpit is still visible on it.

The real subject

The J2F Duck was an American single-engined amphibian biplane of the 1930s. Its recognition feature was the massive central float blended into the fuselage, into which the wheeled undercarriage retracted, so that the machine could operate from water and from land alike. In service with the Navy and the Coast Guard it was used for observation, liaison, photographic reconnaissance and the search for survivors. After the war a number of machines went abroad, where they flew on in coastal and rescue work. The J2F-5 version belongs to the later batches with a more powerful engine.

What the model offers

• A collector model, not a kit - it is neither assembled nor painted
• 1:48 scale, a size that suits an ordinary display case
• A subject from among the amphibians, which is less usual in collections
• Markings from the world of the Argentine Naval Aviation

Who the model is for

It suits collectors who put a display case together by type rather than by brand, and anyone interested in interwar and wartime naval aviation. It goes well with other American machines of the same era in the same scale. The model is a finished product, so it is worth bearing in mind that it should be handled with care: the thin struts of a biplane take less than the solid fuselage of a monoplane.