News — 1 May 2021

Scale 1:32
#634
SPAD XIIIc1

SPAD XIII - World War I fighter, created by SPAD in 1917 and broadly based on the earlier SPAD VIIc1. Compared with the previous type, it had a slightly larger overall size, and revised cowling shape and control surfaces. The early version machines had wings with rounded ends. In 1917-1918, almost 8,000 fighters of this type were built in total, operated not only by the French Air Force, but also by other countries such as Great Britain, the United States and Italy. Many famous aces, such as Georges Guynemer, Francesco Baracca and Eddie Rickenbacker, flew this aircraft, winning a significant number of their victories in the air. The combat service of the machine continued even in the first postwar years, and in the new US Army Air Service until the early 1920s the SPAD XIII was one of the most important fighter aircraft.

Scale 1:144
#337
Convair B-36D/F/H/J Peacemaker

Convair B-36D/F/H/J Peacemaker - American ten-engine strategic heavy bomber, developed from the earlier B-36B. The main difference was the installation of four additional General Electric J-47 jet engines with a thrust of 5,200 lbf each (23kN), which significantly improved basic characteristics such as speed and range. In the history of aviation, this was almost the only case of building a multi-engine aircraft with mixed power plants. This feature gained it the slogan "Six turning, four burning". With later modifications, its radar equipment was significantly improved and also its protective weapons optimized. The combat service of the more than 300 aircraft built lasted until 1959, when they were completely replaced by the famous Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. None of them ever took part in any of the military conflicts of its time, but the B-36 rightly justified its name as the main preserver of peace in the world in the first decade of the Cold War.