North American SNJ-3 Texan – 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, USMC, MCB Quantico, VA, 1942 DISPLAYED

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA1512: North American SNJ-3 Texan of 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, USMC, MCB Quantico, VA, 1942

Length 5 inches Wingspan 7 inches

PLEASE NOTE: This is an imperfect ex display model. Comes with all original parts but has a replacement propeller. Paintwork has the odd imperfection which has been touched in but not in A1 condition. Photos of actual model.

The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing was activated at Marine Corps Base Quantico Virginia on July 7, 1941 where they used the SNJ-2s for training aircraft. That same year the first of its SNJ-3s started to arrive and by the end of the year they had 15. Two SNJ-3s as well as two SNJ-2s were assigned to Base Air Detachment One (BAD-1) at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Quantico, Virginia. Meanwhile the other 13 SNJ-3s were assigned to Marine Fighting Squadron One Hundred Eleven (VMF-111) and VMF-121 at MCAS Quantico; VMF-211 at MCAS Ewa, Territory of Hawaii; and VMF-221 and Marine Observation Squadron Two Hundred Fifty One (VMO-251) at NAS San Diego, California. These aircraft were used during WWII as squadron and station utility aircraft and allowed personnel to maintain their proficiency.

Designed as an entry for a 1937 USAAC “Basic Combat” aircraft competition, the T-6 was first flown on April 1, 1935. Several hundred T-6s were built before the advanced trainer designation, when it was modified for its role as a basic combat trainer. Nicknamed “the pilot maker,” the Texan had low cantilever wings and a long two seat cockpit, with the engine mounted at the extreme forward. It trained thousands of USAF pilots through the 1950s and remained in service with some nations well into the 1990s. More than 15,000 T-6s were manufactured, and the aircraft remains a familiar air show presence, with 350+ airworthy examples still in existence.