1/72 01687 Trumpeter Tu-128M Fiddler - (Tu-28)
Plastic Model Kit, Box Condition: Sealed Mint
Still factory sealed. At long last, an injection molded model of this long-range Soviet interceptor. Nicely detailed with over 130 pieces and a fret of PE parts. The giant Fiddler is still the world's largest fighter aircraft and was designed to range far and wide to hunt down B-52 bombers. The Soviet Union had such a large northern boarder that it could not be covered with the existing range surface-to-air missiles and the short-ranged fighters available. Instead of leaving large gaps unprotected, PVO opted for defending the entire front but loosely; the Fidder was the result of this policy. The original design for this task was the La-250, which was unsuccessful and Lavochkin's last aircraft. The lessons learned helped develop the Tu-128. The large fuel load was carried internally while all the missiles were carried on wing pylons. The AA-5 "Ash" was one of the most powerful air-to-air missiles at that time. The aircraft was first shown publicly in 1961. 198 were built and production ended in 1970. Fiddler was not a dogfighter or highly sophisticated but was reliable. The only combat experience was in shooting down reconnaissance balloons. Fiddler had a very long service life, being replace in 1990 by the much more capable Mig-31.
This item has been sold.
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