Final product photos HA4312 F-86F "MIG MAD MARINE".

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series HA4312 F-86F Sabre 52-4584, "MIG MAD MARINE" Major John Glenn, 25th FS, Suwon AB, Korea, 1953.

USMC Major John H. Glenn Jr. had flown with VMF-311 but became an exchange pilot assigned to the USAF 25th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter Interceptor Group at K13 Suwon, Korea. 

He was equipped with an F-86F-30 serial number 52-4548 with the names of his wife and two children painted on it. Glenn had complained of a lack of MiGs and one morning came out to find “MiG Mad Marine” had been added. During the final two weeks of the war Glenn downed three MiG-15s.

Final product photos HA1992 RF-4EJ Kai 501st SQ, JASDF.

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series HA1992 McDonnell Douglas RF-4EJ Kai 87-6406, 501st SQ, JASDF.

The JASDF 501st Squadron was formed at Matsushima on December 1, 1961 equipped withRF-86Fs. In 1975 the 501st Tactical Reconnaissance Group moved to Hyakuri with their new RF-4Es. In 1992 seven RF-4EJs and eight RF-4EJ Kai had been converted and updated from the normal F-4E. 

The early 1980s saw the introduction of the F-15 so F-4EJs were heavily modified and could carry 3 types of external sensor pods of which one was the LOROP (Long Range Oblique Photography ) pod with KS-146B camera.

Hobby Master HA1949 433rd TFS F-4D with Pave Knife Pod.

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series HA1949 McDonell Douglas F-4D Phantom II 60-7709, 433rd TFS, 8th TFW, Ubon, AFB, Thailand. It is Pave Knife Pod equipped.

McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II 66-7709 was delivered to the USAF 432 TFW/13th TFS in early 1967. During the aircraft time in the Vietnam War it spent time with the 433rd TFS/8th TFW, 336th TFS/ 4th TFW, 49th TFW, 36th TFW. 

In 1979 the aircraft moved to the 12th TFS/18th TFW before transferring to the 457th TFS/301st TFG in 1984 and the 465th TFS/507th TFG in 1986. In April 1988 66-7709 was transferred to the RoKAF as one of the last of the 92 F-4Ds transferred to the RoKAF.

Hobby Master releases for June 2016.

June sees some interesting releases for HM. The splinter and desert camouflaged Iranian F-14 and EA-6B Prowler respectively have unusual schemes not yet done in die-cast.

There is also an Australian F-111 in the Farewell Scheme and two F-16s, a Turkish MiG Killer and a Singaporean example. In addition we see a Patrouille Suisse F-5E, North Korean MiG-15 and RoCAF F-86 Sabre. 

In 1/48 scale the P-51B "Ding Hoa" is all that's on offer.

CHiPs pursuit ends in SUV crash with Super Hornet!!!

Two people are dead after a Jeep Grand Cherokee collided with an F/A-18E Super Hornet in California. The female passenger in the Jeep died at the scene and the male driver died later in the hospital after the SUV ran into the horizontal stabilizer of the fighter on the ramp at Lemore Naval Air Station on Thursday. 

Lemore is one of three "master jet bases" run by the Navy to keep aircraft carriers supplied with crews and aircraft so the crash caused a stir. The Navy set up a temporary command center as a response to what was initially feared to be a targeted attack on the base but as details emerged it seems the dramatic incident was just a horrible accident.

At a hastily arranged news conference later in the day on Thursday, Capt. Monte Ashelman, the CO of the base, said there will be plenty of investigations about how the Jeep managed to smash through a gate and run amok on the base before hitting the Hornet. 

The drama began with routine inquiry by a California Highway Patrol officer on a state highway near the base. The Jeep took off and the CHP officer was joined by a CHP helicopter on the chase. The police helicopter followed the Jeep around the base with the help of air traffic controllers until the collision. The aircraft is damaged but repairable. Names of the two deceased haven't been released.

By Russ Niles