Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star

Designed as an advanced trainer for pilots already qualified to fly propeller aircraft, the T-33 Shooting Star first flew on March 22, 1948. To develop the T-33, designers lengthened the Lockheed P-80/F-80's fuselage by about three feet so they could add a second seat, instrumentation and flight controls. The T-33 proved to be a reliable trainer and was also used for target towing and as a drone director. It served with the US Navy and the US Air Force well into the 1970s and 1980s, and some nations even used it for combat (the Cuban Air Force scored several kills in T-33s during the Bay of Pigs Invasion).

Falcon Models' 1:72 scale T-33 Shooting Star is constructed in diecast metal, with plastic components used for details such as engine intakes, wing-tip tanks and ordnance. Rivet details have been cast into the engine intakes, fuselage and rudder. The hinged canopy with configurable actuator locks into the open position for easy viewing of both the front and rear pad-printed instrument panels, control sticks and seats. The solid metal wing has sharp leading and trailing edges, with under-wing mounted ordnance and large wing-tip fuel tanks. The entire fuselage is cast as an almost complete single piece, which provides a seamless look that does not interrupt the lines of the aircraft.