Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USN McDonnell Douglas A-4E Skyhawk Attack Aircraft – John McCain, VA-163 “Saints”, USS Oriskany (CV-34), Vietnam War, 1967
Merriam-Webster defines a commemorative as an item “issued in limited quantities for a limited time to honor or feature someone or something.” Poignant, to say the least.
As many of you may remember, Senator John McCain was a former US Navy attack aircraft pilot during the Vietnam War who was shot down over Hanoi and spent several fitful years in the ignominious “Hanoi Hilton” prison. The son of an admiral, he could have gone home early to nurse his wounds yet chose not to do so, deciding to remain in captivity with his fellow airmen for 5-1/2 years.
President George H. W. Bush, also a former US Navy pilot, flew an Avenger torpedo plane in WWII, one in which he too was shot down but fortunately made it back to friendly lines after being rescued by a US submarine. Both were dutifully remembered by our nation, McCain earning the Purple Heart, Silver Star, and Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions and Bush receiving the Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross and Presidential Citation for his exploits. Both men have since passed away, having served our nation on and off the battlefield as only they could.
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USN Grumman Avenger TBM-1C Torpedo-Bomber – “Barbara III”, Lt. George H. W. Bush, VT-51, USS San Jacinto (CVL-30), September 1944
Having said that, Hobby Master recently decided to pay both men an additional honor by re-releasing commemorative versions of the aircraft they flew into battle in their respective wars. In the case of Senator John McCain, we will soon take delivery of his A-4E Skyhawk attack aircraft when he was a member of VA-163 “Saints”, then embarked upon the USS Oriskany (CV-34) in 1967 (HA1429). And, in May, we will be accepting Bush’s Avenger TBM-1C torpedo-bomber, which he affectionately dubbed “Barbara III” in honor of his late wife and former first lady, Barbara, an aircraft that he flew into battle with VT-51 then embarked upon the USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) (HA1221). Both models are expected to sell very well at retail despite seeing the light of day for a second time around and produced in far greater numbers this go round than in the past. As we see it, sometimes quantity and recurrence on the collector’s shelf are superseded by fitting memorials to two of our nation’s monumental heroes. The true meaning of a commemorative.
It has been brought to our attention by the distributor that the name plate for the McCain A-4E Skyhawk has been misspelled and that the second “c” was not capitalized as shown in the accompanying photo. The manufacturer has included a corrected name plate with each model that can be easily affixed to the display base after first removing the original name plate.