Because two sets of eyes are better than one, the US Marine Corps decided that the two-seat TF-9J Cougar (aka “Twogar”) would make a great forward air control asset over the jungles of Vietnam. Thus, equipped with 20mm cannons and rockets, the venerable trainers took to the skies of Southeast Asia on the hunt for traffic along the Ho Chi Minh trail. While this was pioneering work, it seems to have largely been forgotten about, until relatively recently that is!
To help fill in the gaps in most modeller’s Vietnam-era aircraft collections, Sword offered a TF-9J in both trainer, and armed recon/FAC(A) versions. Of course, I love a two-seater, and one with rocket pods is even better! Check out the Sword 1/72 TF-9J (Vietnam/Blue Angels) to see how this unsung hero turned out. It’s on the Out of Box page.
The Sprue Lagoon 