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Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA3557: McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet of the RCAF Demo Team, Canada, 2012. Production run of 600 pieces.
Length 9.25 inches Wingspan 6.25 inches
In 2012 RCAF CF-188A 781 (US registry 188781) MSN 0556/A464 was selected to receive the special paint scheme to represent Canada's Demo aircraft for that season. The aircraft paint theme was "The True North, Strong and Free" and flown by Captain Patrick Paco Gobeil, a former Snowbird Demonstration team member. Images on the aircraft depict the Arctic with 13 snowflakes to represent Canada's 13 provinces and territories. Also shown are Northern Lights, Canada's Maple Leaf, a polar bear and an Arctic hunter.
Designed as a replacement for the A-4 Skyhawk and the A-7 Corsair II and as a complement to the F-14 Tomcat, the F/A-18 first flew on November 18, 1978. Perhaps best known as the aircraft of the US Navy's Blue Angels, this carrier-capable, supersonic, all-weather fighter has many roles, including fighter escort, fleet air defense and close air support. The F/A-18 is a versatile aircraft: it can operate from carriers or land bases and a single switch converts it from fighter to strike mode. During Operation Desert Storm, the F/A-18 proved that, on a single mission, one aircraft could serve as both fighter and a bomber. |
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