Airspeed AS.31 Fighter Concept (1935)

Scale: 1/72
Initial Release: 1999
Kit Rarity: 2

About the Design

The Germans weren't the only ones experimenting with radical aircraft designs in the years prior to WWII. In England, the Airspeed company came up with this unique single-engine fighter; its pilot was to be housed in an egg-shaped cockpit situated far behind the wing to enhance visibility during take-offs and landings. However, wind tunnel tests revealed that this odd arrangement would produce intolerable G-forces during high-speed turns, and the project was abandoned.

About the Kit

Although this was an early kit from Igor Shestakov's Ukraine-based Unicraft model company, it has remained one of his most popular selections. And no wonder; there's not an airplane kit like it to be found anywhere, in plastic or resin. The plane could be built with either a clear vacuform or solid cockpit (shown here).

This model was built from a 2002 issue.