1/144 de Havilland Vampire FB.5/FB.51/FB.52A/Mk.6 - Mark I

1/144 de Havilland Vampire FB.5/FB.51/FB.52A/Mk.6 - Mark I 

de Havilland Vampire FB.5/FB.51/FB.52A/Mk.6 'In Europe & North Africa' (2in1 = 2 kits in 1 box)
(RAF, French Navy, Italian AF, Swiss AF)

The de Havilland Vampire was a British jet fighter developed during WWII. It was the second jet, after the Gloster Meteor, operated by the RAF. The Vampire Mk.5, which flew in June 1948, was a fighter-bomber modified from a Vampire F.3 fighter.

It was a single-seat monoplane aircraft, of a combined wood-and-metal construction, powered by a DH Goblin turbojet. It featured twin-boom tail configuration with two wing-root intakes, bubble canopy and was fitted with a non-ejection seat. Two external tanks or 500lb bombs could be carried under the wing, while eight 3" RPs could be attached inboard of the booms.

The Vampire replaced wartime piston-engine fighters and was in front-line service until 1953. The Vampire FB.5 equipped many RAF units in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East, while, by far, the largest number of Vampires were stationed in Germany.

Almost 3,300 Vampires of all marks were manufactured, a quarter of them built under licence in other countries, including France, Italy and Switzerland. It was also sold to many nations and operated in a wide range of environments around the world.

Colour schemes included in the kit:
1) de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB Mk.5, WA144, Black A-U, No.112 Sq., RAF, Brüggen Air Base, Germany, autumn 1953

2) SNCASE (de Havilland DH.100) Vampire FB Mk.51, No.10080, White 57.S.15, Escadrille 57S (École de Chasse a Réaction), French Navy (Aéronautique navale), Khouribga Naval Base, Morocco, mid-1950s

3) de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB Mk.52A, MM6024, Black S-3 171, 6th Sq. (Gruppo), 4th Fighter Wing (Stormo Caccia), Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare), Napoli-Capodichino Air Base, during 'Exercise Cirrus', Wiesbaden Air Base, Germany, August 1951

4) Federal Aircraft Works F+W (de Havilland DH.100) Vampire Mk.6, Black J-1107, Swiss Air Force (Schweizer Luftwaffe), Emmen Air Base, the 1950s Federal Aircraft Works F+W (de Havilland DH.100) Vampire Mk.6, Black J-1107, (experimental camouflage scheme for "Target Actor" a/c), Zielfliegerkorps 5 (Aerial Target Corps), Swiss Air Force, Samedan Airport, 1977

Two injection-moulded kits are supplied in this box and each kit contains 31 parts and three clear parts (the cockpit canopy and position lights). A comprehensive decal sheet is included.

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MKM14469

Additional Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Vampire

http://www.airvectors.net/avvamp.html