{"product_id":"cobi-rafale-a-technology-demonstrator-set-5931","title":"COBI Rafale A Technology Demonstrator Set 5931","description":"\u003cp\u003eCOBI's \u003cstrong\u003eRafale A\u003c\/strong\u003e is a 1:48 model of the demonstrator that led to France's current fighter, built from \u003cstrong\u003e453 blocks\u003c\/strong\u003e and released to mark forty years since its first flight. The white finish with red and blue trim is reproduced as the aircraft actually wore it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe landing gear retracts, the canopy opens onto a cockpit sized for a pilot figure, and the set includes a display stand with a printed nameplate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe aircraft that started the Rafale\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1985 France walked out of the European Fighter Aircraft project. The partners wanted a land-based air-superiority fighter; France needed something lighter that could also fly from a carrier deck, and wanted design leadership. Rather than compromise, Dassault built its own demonstrator, and the Rafale A first flew from Istres on 4 July 1986 — barely a year after the split. It was larger and heavier than the production aircraft that followed and flew initially on American General Electric engines because the French Snecma M88 was not ready. What it proved was the configuration: a delta wing with close-coupled canards, which is the shape every Rafale has worn since. The production version entered service in 2001.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eIn the COBI range\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt 1:48 the model belongs to COBI's Armed Forces range and stands correctly alongside the other 1:48 jets in the series, including COBI's own model of the production Rafale C.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePieces:\u003c\/strong\u003e 453 · \u003cstrong\u003eScale:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1:48\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"COBI","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52834983477530,"sku":"5931","price":59.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0837\/3134\/9786\/files\/5931-box-front.png?v=1789789448","url":"https:\/\/notjustcollectibles.com\/products\/cobi-rafale-a-technology-demonstrator-set-5931","provider":"Not Just Collectibles, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}