Don't Be Deceived with Its Puerile Attributes, Our OS2U Kingfisher Model Airplane Exudes Elegance

Unbeatable museum quality best describes our handcrafted OS2U Kingfisher model airplane just like the OS2U. After passing through the hands of master craftsmen, the parts are sanded and primed many times. Talented artists then paint on the intricate details with great accuracy. A final coat of clear lacquer protects the airplane and gives it a glossy finish. Our OS2U-1 airplane model exhibits an unmatched quality and intricate design to obtain the exact look of the actual OS2U Kingfisher.

The OS2U-1 Kingfisher model aircraft comes with a handsome mahogany-based chrome pedestal, and undergoes various stages of quality control before being placed in its box. The OS2U Kingfisher scale model plane is perfect as an addition to a growing collection or as an exquisite gift to a loved one. Each OS2U Kingfisher scale model plane will surely be appreciated by aviation enthusiasts and hobbyists for it is truly a work of art that relives their memory of the actual OS2U Kingfisher.

OS2U Kingfisher History:

In 1937, the United States Navy (USN) issued a new specification for an observation-scout aircraft that was required to be a two-seater floatplane with non-folding wings and have the capability to quickly convert to a landplane. Three companies offered their designs, namely the Naval Aircraft Factory, Stearman and Vought. All designs were biplane types with central floats. However, Vought designer Rex Buren Beisel saw the weak potential of the biplane and proposed an all metal monoplane.

After the prototype was successfully evaluated and slightly modified, production of the OS2U-1 Kingfisher began. By November 1940, Vought delivered 54 planes. The Kingfisher could operate as a floatplane or landplane, and was equipped with defensive and offensive armament. It was the USN's first monoplane that was catapult-launched from battleships and cruisers; all planes previously used by the Navy for this operation had been biplanes. The OS2U quickly gained a reputation for reliability, despite modest performance due to its light engine. Primarily an observer aircraft, it later also served as anti-submarine patrol and air-sea rescue aircraft. It was the main shipboard observation plane used by the USN during World War II. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, all the Navy's battleships were equipped with the Kingfisher. The OS2U has also served with the US Coast Guard, the Royal Navy, the Soviet Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force.

The OS2U-2 version of the aircraft introduced leak-proof fuel tanks, armor protection and a more powerful engine. Following this was the OS2U-3, which was externally similar to its predecessor but had more fuel tankage and a better armor arrangement.

Based with the fleet, the Kingfisher has served far and wide. On July 15, 1942, two OS2Us bombed and helped sink the U-576 in the North Atlantic near Cape Hatteras. Another shot down a Japanese Zero fighter during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The most famous incident involving a Kingfisher occurred in 1942 near Funafuti, Tuvalu. Captain Eddie Rickenbacker's B-17 had crashed, and he and his companions spent 24 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean before Lieutenant William F. Eadie spotted them while flying his OS2U- 3. The most seriously injured of the group shared the back seat with Radioman L. H. Boutte while Rickenbacker and his other companion held on to the wings. Lt. Eadie was forced to taxi his overloaded aircraft over 40 miles in the rough sea to make the nearest landfall.