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HobbyBoss is to release in late July 2021 a 1/72nd Lockheed U-2A Dragon Lady kit - ref. 87270 Source: http://www.hobbyboss.com/index.php?g=home&m=article&a=show&id=185&l=en 3D render+box art V.P.

Scale confirmed: 1/48th Seen in the AFV-Club Facebook. Definitely a Lockheed U-2 or TR-1 outrigger wheel 3D render. Considering it's AFV-Club - a Taiwanese company - , I’ll bet it will be the U-2C most commonly used by the RoCAF Black Cat Sqn (link). Cross my fingers for a new tool 1/48th Dragon Lady kit... But I fear she'll be in 1/144th scale. To be followed. Source: https://www.facebook.com/AFVCLUB.TW/photos/a.1888884937823683/1894502393928604/?type=3&theater V.P.

Lockheed U-2A Dragon Lady (87270) 1/72 HOBBYBOSS via Creative Models The U-2 is a high altitude reconnaissance aircraft currently in service with the US Air Force. It was proposed and developed by Lockheed in the 1950s. Proposed in 1953, approved in 1954; and test flown in 1955 the aircraft was designed by the legendary Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. The design was based on the F-104 with a shortened fuselage and longer wings the aircraft with its lack of conventional landing gear was in all purposes a jet powered glider. Although rejected by the USAF the aircraft came to the attentions of the CIA who were up until this point relying on the USAF for intelligence flights. In the end due to lack of performance of other projects the U-2 was given the go ahead by a joint CIA/UASF project. The U-2 has undergone many design changes of the years from the original U-2A with the aircraft still continuing to serve with the USAF despite attempts to retire it. The only other nation to officially use the U-2 was Taiwan, though it later emerged the RAF had access to aircraft during the 1960s via the CIA. The Kit This is a brand new tool kit from HobbyBoss. The kit has 66 parts over 4 main sprues and 2 clear sprues, the parts are very well moulded with fine engraved panel lines. The kit looks to represent the clean lines of the early U-2 with no issues at all. Construction starts not with the cockpit but with the main landing gear bay. This has a couple of parts for the gear added before it can be placed in the fuselage. Next up the basic cockpit is constructed. A five part seat, unfortunately this does not look like the early Lockheed seat at all but a later seat. You could always replace it with a wicker seat which the CIA did on a few flights to save weight! Next into the cockpit is the instrument panel (instruments as decals) and the control column. The exhaust is the next part to be built up. Once this is done the cockpit, exhaust, front & rear wheel bays and the airbrake bays can all be added into the fuselage halves, and they can be closed up. The wings which are conventional left/right/upper/lowers can be built up and added to the fuselage along with the single part tail plane and rudder (left & right halves). Next up the main and tail landing gear are built up and added along with inserts in the main wing. To finish up the air brake doors are added along with the main intakes; then the gear doors can be added along with the wing pogo units. The last items are a few aerial, lights, the canopies and the end wing bumper units. Decals Decals are provided for 3 aircraft, all in a Natural Metal Finish, decals are in house and look to have no issues. 66701 - UASF (overall NMF) 66701 - USAF (overall NMF with large patches of International Orange) 320 - National Advisory Committee For Aeronautics (later to become NASA) Conclusion This is a great looking kit from HobbyBoss and their attention to detail is to be commended. Overall recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I saw Bridge of Spies a few weeks ago and quite enjoyed the film. The U-2 sequences where very good, dramatic license aside, and it wasn't long before I had checked out a few books from the library on Lockheed's Skunk Works and the U-2. The next step was to see what kits were available. I was somewhat disappointed to discover that there were no kits currently in production and unless I could find something on eBay, I was out of luck. Well, as luck would have it, soon after I started looking one or two popped up on eBay UK. The one I liked had a low starting price so I put a bid in and waited. Only one other bidder joined in but didn't seem to want it as much as I did so I won the auction. The box was a little worse for wear and many of the parts had broken off the sprue tree but it was all there. It is an old kit, however, and not at all cutting edge but, based on drawings I have since acquired, I think the general overall shape is good and it just cries out for a little scratch building and super detailing. Which I am more than happy to get stuck into now that I'm giving the Camel a bit of a rest. I've started on the cockpit and will post a couple of photos tomorrow. Meanwhile: pic in a minute.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/hypersonicmodels?fref=nf Jeffrey you're a Be aware: - HobbyBoss is working on a new tool 1/48th U-2R Dragon Lady - ref.81740 - http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234972800-148-lockheed-u-2r-dragon-lady-by-hobby-boss-in-20152016 V.P.

Pictures taken by Darwin at the SAC Museum in Nebraska