COBI Panavia Tornado IDS Set 5894

COBI's Panavia Tornado IDS is a 1:48 model built from 483 blocks, 36 cm long, in the camouflage of the Italian Air Force. The wings sweep, the ailerons and wheels move, the cockpit opens for two full-size figures, and AIM-9 Sidewinders and a BOZ-102 countermeasures pod are fitted. The landing gear detaches for the included display stand with its nameplate. All markings are printed; no stickers.

Italy built it too

The Tornado was a three-nation programme — Britain, Germany and Italy — and Italy was a full partner rather than a customer. Aeritalia built the wings for every Tornado produced, and Italian industry took a fixed share of the whole programme.

Italy received 100 aircraft and used them harder than the size of its air force suggests: the Gulf War in 1991, the Balkans, Kosovo, and the NATO operation over Libya in 2011 — which, from Italian bases, was effectively a campaign in its own neighbourhood.

The first night of the Gulf War

On 18 January 1991 eight Italian Tornados took off for their first mission. Refuelling in the dark went badly and only one aircraft reached the target area, crewed by Gianmarco Bellini and Maurizio Cocciolone.

It was hit by anti-aircraft fire near Basra. Both men ejected and were captured, and Cocciolone's face, badly bruised, was shown on Iraqi television within days — one of the images that defined that war for an Italian audience. Both were released at the end of the conflict after around six weeks as prisoners.

It was Italy's only aircraft lost in the campaign.

In the COBI range

Set 5852 is the RAF's Tornado GR.1 and 5853 the German Luftwaffe's IDS, both at this scale.

Specifications

Pieces: 483 · Figures: 2 · Scale: 1:48 · Swing wings · No stickers
Model dimensions: 36 × 28 × 13 cm (14.1 × 11.0 × 5.1 in)