COBI Northrop F-5E Tiger II Set 5857

COBI's Northrop F-5E Tiger II is a 1:48 model built from 351 blocks, 29 cm long, in the red livery of Patrouille Suisse, the Swiss Air Force display team. The ailerons move, the landing gear detaches for the included brick stand, and the cockpit opens for a simplified pilot figure with a printed helmet. A plate with the name, scale and Swiss flag is included. All markings are printed; no stickers.

Switzerland is still flying them

The Swiss bought F-5s in the 1970s, and a number of them are still in service — half a century later, in a wealthy country that could afford anything it wanted.

The reason is that Switzerland keeps trying to replace them and keeps not managing it. Swiss defence procurement is subject to referendum, and in 2014 voters rejected the purchase of Saab Gripens outright. A later decision to buy F-35s passed by under two per cent. In the meantime the F-5s fly on, doing training, target towing and display work, because a fighter that is paid for and still airworthy is difficult to argue against.

Patrouille Suisse has flown the type since 1995 and is one of the few display teams in the world using a supersonic fighter rather than a trainer.

In the COBI range

Sets 2425 and 5858 are the earlier F-5A Freedom Fighter, and set 5859 is the black F-5E that appeared in Top Gun as the fictional MiG-28.

Specifications

Pieces: 351 · Figures: 1 · Scale: 1:48 · Display stand and plate included · No stickers
Model dimensions: 29 × 17 × 10 cm (11.4 × 6.7 × 3.9 in)