Convair Kingfish (1959)

The 1:144 scale Convair Kingfish model kit is now available for purchase in the Fantastic Plastic Virtual Museum Store.

The Kingfish was one of several designs proposed to replace the high-altitude but subsonic U-2 spy plane, which had become increasingly vulnerable to Soviet radar. In their 1959 design, Convair’s forward-thinking engineers included “stealth” features that would not appear until decades later in fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft, including a sharp-edged design that limited Radar Cross-Section (RCS) — similar to the F-117 Nighthawk — embedded engines with “cooling” exhausts to minimize its infrared signature — similar to the arrangement on the YF-23 Black Widow — and engines that could boost the plane to speeds of Mach 3.5 — matching the top speed of Lockheed’s A-10.

Ultimately, it was the A-10 that won the competition — and eventually evolved into the legendary SR-71 Blackbird.

This first-of-its-kind kit of the Convair Kingfish was created exclusively for Fantastic Plastic by Anigrand Craftswork of Hong Kong. The kit includes 24 pieces, including a clear resin cockpit canopy, as well as a full custom decal set by JBOT and TangoPapa.

The finished model is 6.5 inches long.

Allen Ury

USA

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