Grumman AF-2W Guardian "Submarine Hunter"

In the 1950s, the AF-2 Guardian anti-submarine aircraft team operated from US Navy aircraft carriers.
While the AF-2W carried a bulky APS-20 search radar beneath its fuselage, the second version—the AF-2S—carried anti-submarine weaponry (such as torpedoes, depth charges, or rockets, along with an attack radar) in its weapons bay and under its wings.
Development of the Guardian began during World War II, with the US Navy initially calling for a torpedo bomber. At Grumman, this project was designated G-70, while the Navy assigned it the designation XTB3F-1. The XTB3F-1 was intended to feature a combined propulsion system: a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial engine in the nose driving a four-bladed propeller, and a Westinghouse 19XB jet engine in the tail. However, the jet engine was removed prior to the maiden flight, which took place on December 19, 1945. On December 24, 1945, the US Navy changed its requirements, calling for a redesign into an anti-submarine aircraft comprising the two aforementioned versions. The prototype of the "Hunter"—as the AF-2W version was known—flew for the first time in November 1948, while the "Killer" prototype flew in January of the following year. The first AF-2s of both versions entered US Navy service in 1950. Later, the AF-3S version was added; this was identical to the AF-2S but was additionally equipped with a magnetic anomaly detector. The AF-2s operated from both aircraft carriers and land bases. During the Korean War, they protected US Navy aircraft carriers in combat zones. They were withdrawn from frontline service in 1955 but continued to serve in reserve units until 1957. The Guardian aircraft were the US Navy's first specialized carrier-based anti-submarine warfare planes. They also hold the record as the largest single-engine piston-powered aircraft ever to operate in regular service from the decks of US Navy ships.

Plastic model kit

• Includes resin parts
• Includes photo-etched parts
• The decals allow for the depiction of two all-blue aircraft with white trim stripes and markings; one was stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Bairoko, while the other operated from the deck of the USS Badoeng Strait

Scale 1:48

unbuilt / unpainted

Paint and glue not included