McDonnell XV-1 Convertiplane (1954)

Scale: 1/32
Initial Release: 1956 (est.)
Medium: Styrene
Kit Rarity: 3

About the Design

McDonnell Aircraft built the XV-1 for the United States Army to test the feasibility of combining the vertical take-off and landing abilities of a helicopter with the speed and high-altitude performance characteristics of a fixed-wing aircraft. In fact, the XV-1 was the first aircraft to successfully make an in-flight transition between vertical rotor and fixed wing-fight, but never achieved the high speeds its creators had anticipated.

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About the Kit

ITC, the model-making division of Ideal Toy Co., issued this unique injection-molded kit in the late 1950s.  With the subsequent demise of ITC, the kit remained a rare collector's item until it was reissued by Glencoe Models in the mid 1980s.

This model is a copy of the Glencoe reissue.