The first naval combat aircraft designed to carry an atomic bomb and for a time the world's largest carrier based aircraft, the AJ Savage was developed to a 1945 US Navy specification calling for a high performance attack bomber capable of carrying a nuclear weapon. The AJ Savage was powered by two piston engines and a turbojet buried in the rear fuselage The first deliveries to VC-5 began in September of 1949 with the first carrier take-off and landings being made on the USS Coral Sea in April and August 1950, respectively. The upgraded AJ-2 bomber flew for the first time in February 1953 and featured increased fuel capacity, systems modifications and a taller tail fin. It was actually preceded in March 1952 by the AJ-2P photo-reconnaissance aircraft which was equipped with 18 cameras for day and night photography at high and low altitudes, photo-flash bombs in the weapons bay and advanced electronic equipment in the modified nose. Four US Navy combat squadrons were still operating the AJ-2 in 1958. A number of AJ-1s and AJ-2s were converted to flight refueling tankers and the type was used to refuel John Glenn's Vought F8U-1P Crusader during the Project Bullet transcontinental speed record flight in July 1957.

This set actually includes two different models: one each of the AJ-2 bomber and AJ-2P photo-reconnaissance variants. While photography of these little gems is a challenge for our equipment and limited skills, check out the well proportioned models including the fuselage with detailed canopy, the extended 'chin' nose housing the forward-looking camera on the AJ-2P, the tail assembly with jet engine, the wings with piston engine nacelles and wing tanks, and the landing gear.

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.

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.