The Northrop F-89 ‘Scorpion’ was an all-weather interceptor designed and built for the US Air Force. It’s role was to intercept and destroy Soviet bombers and the main version, the F-89D, was armed with small rockets to do this.

The Northrop F-89 was one of the first jet powered fighters to enter service with the US Air Force.

Initial planning began in 1945 to create an all-weather interceptor and went through a series of redesigns until the prototype first flew on 19 August 1948.

They began entering service in 1950..

A total of 1,052 F-89s were built. The earliest versions were armed with six 20mm cannon but with the F-89D this was replaced with an armament of 104 small unguided rockets.

They remained in service until 1969.

This model represents a F-89D of the 74th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, US Air Force, in 1956

Hobbycraft 1.72 kit completed by Leigh Edmonds in August 2025.