The SR-71 was the third and final version of what is still quite possibly one of the most famous and recognizable aircraft in the world. Its predecessors, the CIA’s intelligence-gathering A-12 and the Air Force’s interceptor YF-12, were responsible not only for the SR-71’s ultimate success but were also the launch beds for so many other aircraft designs and weapons systems. This success allowed the United States to be the leader in military systems for so long. There are a number of good publications available and a great amount of web-based data available via simple search requests.

I had always wanted to build a model of this epic aircraft and can now say I have. Having the luck to get a Hasegawa kit with the drone was just icing on the cake. When I opened the box, I removed the plastic wrap only to find this kit is much older than I would have expected, and is virtually all raised panel lines. All of that aside, it is still a subject I wanted to build.

The Aircraft

The Mark IX Spitfire was supposed to be an interim between the Mk V and the Mk VII and VIII. With the Fw-190 outclassing the Mk V to the point where the RAF couldn’t operate over France, something had to be done. The fix was to put the newer Merlin 60, 62 or later 66 or 70 engine in a Mk V airframe and call it a MK IX. This fix was so successful that the Mk IX and XVI (a IX with a Packard Merlin engine) were the most numerous of the Spitfire marks. I was also confused by the LF and HF (Low and High Altitude) for the Mk IX. It had to do with the engine installed, not whether it had a long or short wing.

You simply can’t get any easier than this. You get 14 resin bags in different combinations almost ready to be used as you need. Seven of them appear to be large potato-filled bags, while the other seven might be sand bags. One piece is three of the potato filled sacks already stacked on each other. Three of the four single potato bags have the same pose and the other is different. Three of the sand bags are single and then there are four stacked on top of each other. All you have to do is cut off the pour lug and paint. Even the simplest of us modelers can do this! But Plusmodel may need to sharpen its quality control measures; in my sample set, one of the sacks had a ¼” wide by ¼”-deep air bubble that will require filling. Luckily, I have become pretty good at using baking soda and super glue as a filler.

The Duel series from Osprey Publishing has been expanded to include a volume devoted to the aerial night fighting campaign between the Bf-110 and the Lancaster during WWII.

Most of the previous titles have been devoted to similar classes of airplanes, armor, or ships. However, this title is different in the sense that it’s a fighter versus a bomber (disparate classes of aircraft), and the weapons that changed the tide in their fight were usually technical developments in the field of electronic measures and countermeasures, not a higher rate of fire, better tactics, or improved performance.

Like all the other books in the series, this one has a section devoted to the evolution of airframes, the strategic situation, training, combat, etc. It is illustrated with plenty of period pictures, plus multiple color illustrations which would be welcomed by modelers looking for detailing their builds.

Thank you to the crew at Moebius Models – Frank Winspur, Dave Metzner and Bob Plant – for providing this review kit! The opportunity also wouldn’t be possible without the IPMS Review Corps staff, who graciously allowed me to give this one a try.