1:72 CDN T-33, Silver Shark special, 1992

1:72 T-33 of the Royal Canadian Air Force in a special finish of 1992

A finished collector model in 1:72 scale. It is not a kit: the model is supplied assembled, painted and with the markings applied, so nothing has to be done with it and it goes straight into the display case. The model carries a commemorative finish of 1992, that is, one of the striking color schemes with which the Royal Canadian Air Force marked anniversaries and special occasions.

The real subject

The T-33 was a two-seat jet trainer derived from the first American production jet fighter. Canada built it under license with a different engine and operated it for decades, long after other air forces had withdrawn it. Power came from a single turbojet with a centrifugal compressor, typical of the designs of the day. Thanks to its undemanding operation and its honest handling it became one of the longest-serving trainers of all.

How a collector model differs from a kit

With a kit the modeler chooses the colors, the markings and the degree of wear himself and the result is one of a kind. A finished model, by contrast, offers certainty: the exactly specified version of a particular machine, a uniform look across the whole collection and the immediate option of standing it in a display case. That is precisely why collections of finished models are built in series, where one piece complements the next.

How to keep the model

• Display it out of direct sunlight, which fades the colors over time
• Remove dust with a soft brush, not with a cloth, which abrades the markings
• Hold the model by the fuselage, not by the wings and the tail surfaces
• Leave it room in the display case so that neighboring pieces do not touch