It took a while but I finally found this example. It has orange plastic booster rockets, and Sue mentioned only white ones. ?
With the 'big plane' series starting with the apx 1:78 scale Beechcraft Bonaza in 1965 until the factory shut down in early 1980, they produced apx 17 different castings {including the Shuttle}. They were produced in various scales from 1:60 to 1:90 apx and some planes were issued with several variations, like the F-4 Phantom and Sea King Helicopter. Of these the P-47 Thunderbolt, at least judging from the prices at auctions, is the hardest to find.
But I wonder....{these 'big' planes on ebay are usually less than $90 in box/blister but the P-47 can reach levels 3 times that} is it really that rarer that the Shuttle? The P-47 had a 3-4 year production life, and others much less.
The Bell helicopter, for example, was issued over a wide period in the Police set and is fairly common.{BTW I flew Bell 47s and hate this toy. Doesn't do the real aircraft justice. The design of the real aircraft is so pure and functional that an example hangs in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.}
but there is an Army olive green variant that is never seen that was issued in another set.
The Me-109 was issued in a nice desert camouflage
but apparently there was a simple green with yellow wing tips issued for only a few months. I have never seen this one either.
Any thoughts?
