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I can't imagine how
the pilots of the 'Century Fighters' must've felt when throwing the throttle
quadrant forward for the first time. An entirely new,
aggressive
form of
aeronautical development in the form of 'manned rockets' resulted in some of the
most groundbreaking aircraft designs of the 20th century. Worthy of note is the
fact that these aircraft; the Voodoo, the Starfighter, the Thud, the Dagger, and
the Dart were far from mere X-Planes. In many cases, they proved themselves to
be formidable aircraft against unsuspecting adversaries, with several of the
breed serving for many years around the world - (Starfighter in particular).
For reasons that
remain a mystery, even to me, I had never regarded the Dart with any affection.
Seeming like a flying triangle, I considered the Dart boring. However, I managed
to get hold of a 1:72 kit through E-Bay and subsequently enjoyed a radical
alteration of my opinion on this fine aircraft. As part of my admittedly limited
research of the aircraft, I came across faded and nostalgic pictures of Dart
Pilots climbing aboard their steeds with understandable expressions of pride and
excitement. Who could deny them this? Strapped into a serviceable, operational aircraft,
that at the time, was capable of achieving performance only dreamed of by
boys reading comic books? I came to fully appreciate what the 'Six' represents,
and enjoyed this build more than any in a long time.
This Six was built
using Superscale decals for the type (72-877). I chose to display the missile
doors as open, but without the addition of the Genie missiles which seemed to
make the plane look a little too 'pregnant', opposing it's sleek,
rocket-like qualities. Anyone building this kit: please bear in mind, the canopy
is a TERRIBLE fit, and should be shaped for dry fitting before cementing and
airbrushing.
Tim
Click on
images below to see larger images
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