1:48 AF-2W Guardian "Submarine Hunter"

AF-2W Guardian, Submarine Hunter 1:48 — Special Hobby

A short-run injection-molded plastic kit of the American Grumman AF-2W Guardian carrier-borne anti-submarine aircraft in 1:48 scale from the Czech firm Special Hobby. It is a large single-engined machine of unusual shape that appears in the modeling range only rarely.

The real subject

The Guardian was the largest single-engined carrier aircraft the US Navy ever took into service. The anti-submarine task was carried out by a pair of machines in two roles: the AF-2W version carried an enormous radar housing under the fuselage and served as the hunter, while the AF-2S version carried the weapons and attacked the target. It is that bulky radar housing under the fuselage that gives the hunter its entirely characteristic silhouette. The aircraft served at the beginning of the 1950s and was quickly replaced by the twin-engined Grumman Tracker, which handled both roles on its own.

Building and painting tips

A short-run mold means dry fitting, filling and sanding back. The large radar housing under the fuselage is a conspicuous part whose seam has to be filled and sanded back perfectly; once the putty work is done, spray it with filler primer and check it under a side light. Finish and paint the inside of the cockpit before you close the fuselage up. The dark blue finish of the US Navy of that period takes only a very fine wash; it is better to mix the deep blue from a darker and a lighter coat so that it does not look flat.

Who the model is for

• Collectors of US Navy carrier aircraft
• Modelers looking for a subject outside the usual range
• More experienced modelers used to short-run molds
• Enthusiasts of anti-submarine and early postwar machines

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.