The PV-2 Harpoon was the most specialized and successful of Lockheed's World War II bombers. The Harpoon is often confused with the Ventura but it was a very different aircraft with larger wings and tail surfaces, greater fuel capacity, and weapons capabilities optimized to the US Navy's needs. The PV-2's distinctive 'belly bulge' accommodated a 30% larger payload than the PV-1 and it was capable of carrying two Tiny Tim rockets completely enclosed in it. 8 five-inch HVAR rockets under the wings and eight forward firing machine guns made the Harpoon a formidable strafing attack aircraft as well. Stationed at Tinian (alongside B-29's), PV-2s made frequent low level attacks on the Japanese naval base at Truk until hostilities ceased. In the end, the Harpoon turned out to be a highly reliable and popular aircraft and, although its service in World War II was relatively short, no less than eleven VP squadrons operated them until they were finally phased out of service in 1948.

These 3D printed models require no assembly but compare favorably with injection molded kits and exceed the detail of most comparable resin and white metal models by a good measure. Photography of these little gems is a challenge for our equipment and limited skills, check out the well proportioned model including the detailed canopy, the fuselage complete with windows and door, the dorsal turret, twin-tail assembly and even the tiny tail wheel!

Although the surfaces are not perfectly smooth (3D printing is done in layers), the plastic used can be sanded and painted much the same way you would handle resin or styrene. The landing gear is represented in the retracted, in-flight position on these models but it should be fairly straight forward to add photo etch parts for a very convincing "gear down" rendition, perfect for an air base diorama.

NOTE: While we currently maintain limited inventories of most items, some items may be "printed on demand", which usually requires 10-15 business days from order to shipment.