COBI F-35A Lightning II Husarz Set 5904

COBI's F-35A Lightning II Husarz is a 1:48 model built from 605 blocks, 32.5 cm long, produced under licence from Lockheed Martin in Polish Air Force markings. The cockpit and weapons bay open, the controls move, the wheels roll on rubber tires, and AGM-88G AARGM-ER anti-radiation missiles are included. A Polish pilot figure with helmet and oxygen mask, a display stand and a plate with the Polish and American flags complete the set. All markings are printed; no stickers.

Named after the winged cavalry

In 2024 Poland's defence ministry named its F-35s Husarz — hussar — after the Polish heavy cavalry of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

The husaria were the most effective shock cavalry in Europe for over a century, and they are remembered for the wooden frames of feathers mounted on their backs. Every explanation of what those were for is disputed: frightening enemy horses, deterring lasso attacks by Tatars, making a noise in the charge, or simply looking magnificent. Nobody knows, and contemporary sources do not say.

The name was chosen because the hussars arrived decisively and were expected to settle a battle in one movement, which is the role Poland has in mind for these aircraft.

Thirty-two aircraft

Poland ordered 32 F-35As in 2020. The first were delivered to Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas for training, and the aircraft will be based at Łask and Świdwin. They replace the MiG-29 and Su-22 — Soviet-designed aircraft that Poland has flown since before the Cold War ended.

That transition, from Russian equipment to the most advanced Western aircraft available, took about thirty years and is close to complete.

Specifications

Pieces: 605 · Figures: 1 pilot · Scale: 1:48 · Licensed by Lockheed Martin · No stickers
Model dimensions: 32.5 × 21.5 × 10 cm (12.8 × 8.5 × 3.9 in), 11 cm high on the base