Acadamy Plastic Model Kit Minicraft Lockheed PV-1 Ventura — 1:72 damaged box

Manufacturer and kit history

Academy is a South Korean model-kit manufacturer with a particularly extensive range of aircraft subjects. The company also marketed many earlier kits through Academy/Minicraft distribution.

Kit 1614 is an older-generation Academy tooling dating from the late 1980s/early 1990s era. It has subsequently become a vintage kit and is now most commonly encountered through specialist and second-hand model-kit dealers. A current UK listing describes it specifically as the 1987 release.

The tooling is moulded in plastic and represents the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura, the navalised patrol-bomber development of the Lockheed Ventura family.
Kit contents

The 1:72 kit provides the principal components for constructing a PV-1 Ventura, including:

Fuselage halves

Detailed cockpit

Pilot/co-pilot positions

Instrument panel

Crew compartment

Two radial engines

Engine nacelles

Propellers

Main wings

Horizontal stabilisers

Vertical tail

Retractable landing gear

Bomb-bay components

External stores

Clear canopy and glazing

Decals

Assembly instructions

The surviving vintage examples are commonly found factory sealed or complete, although the condition of original decals can vary because of the age of the tooling. A current eBay listing identifies the kit as Academy/Minicraft 1614, 1:72, with the aircraft and instructions included.
The full-size Lockheed PV-1 Ventura

The Lockheed PV-1 Ventura was an American twin-engine maritime patrol bomber developed during the Second World War.

It was derived from the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar and closely related to the RAF's Ventura bomber. The U.S. Navy required a long-range land-based aircraft capable of conducting patrol, reconnaissance, anti-shipping and bombing missions.

The resulting PV-1 combined Lockheed's established twin-engine transport design with military equipment, armour, weapons and a bomb bay.
Development

The PV-1 evolved from the B-34 Lexington, itself derived from the Lockheed Model 18.

The U.S. Navy ordered the aircraft as the PV-1 Ventura, with the first production aircraft delivered in 1942.

Unlike carrier aircraft, the Ventura operated from conventional land bases, where its long range made it particularly useful for maritime patrol.

The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radial engines.
Design

The Ventura retained the basic twin-engine, low-wing configuration of the Lockheed 18 family but incorporated extensive military equipment.

Its features included:

Twin radial engines

Retractable tricycle landing gear

Pressurised/armoured crew areas on some versions

Internal bomb bay

Nose and dorsal armament

Long-range fuel capacity

Maritime patrol equipment

Provision for depth charges and bombs

The aircraft had a crew of approximately 5–6, depending upon its configuration and mission.
Performance

Representative PV-1 specifications include:

Crew: approximately 5–6

Engines: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp

Power: approximately 1,200 hp per engine

Maximum speed: approximately 275 mph / 442 km/h

Cruising speed: approximately 215 mph / 346 km/h

Range: approximately 1,660 miles / 2,670 km, depending upon load and fuel configuration

Service ceiling: approximately 26,000 ft / 7,925 m

Wingspan: approximately 65 ft 6 in / 19.96 m

Length: approximately 51 ft 5 in / 15.67 m

Armament: machine guns, bombs and depth charges

Performance figures varied considerably with fuel and weapons loads.
Armament

The PV-1 carried substantial defensive and offensive armament.

Depending on the production block, the aircraft could have machine guns in the nose, dorsal position and waist positions.

The internal bomb bay could accommodate bombs or depth charges, making the Ventura useful for anti-submarine and maritime strike operations.

Later aircraft could also carry external weapons.
Pacific operations

The PV-1 saw extensive service in the Pacific theatre.

U.S. Navy squadrons used the aircraft for:

Maritime patrol

Anti-shipping operations

Reconnaissance

Bombing

Anti-submarine warfare

Night operations

The aircraft's long range was particularly valuable in the vast distances of the Pacific.

Venturas operated from island bases throughout the Southwest Pacific and other areas.
Aleutian Islands

The PV-1 also played an important role in operations in the Aleutian Islands.

The harsh weather and enormous distances of the region made a long-range land-based patrol bomber particularly useful.

Venturas conducted bombing and reconnaissance missions against Japanese positions in the Aleutian campaign.
Anti-submarine warfare

One of the PV-1's important roles was anti-submarine warfare.

The aircraft could carry depth charges and patrol large areas of ocean for extended periods.

This made it an important component of Allied efforts to protect shipping and locate Axis submarines.
British service

The Ventura's history is particularly interesting because the aircraft was also heavily used by the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth forces.

British aircraft were designated Ventura rather than PV-1 and were employed primarily as medium bombers.

The RAF initially used the Ventura in daylight bombing operations over occupied Europe.

The type was eventually replaced in many RAF units by more capable aircraft such as the de Havilland Mosquito.
South African and other Commonwealth service

The Ventura also served with Commonwealth air forces.

Operators included:

Royal Air Force

Royal New Zealand Air Force

Royal South African Air Force

Royal Australian Air Force

Canadian units

United States Navy

The aircraft therefore has a particularly broad Second World War service history.
RAF Bomber Command

British Venturas entered service with RAF Bomber Command during 1942.

They conducted daylight bombing operations against targets in occupied Europe.

One of the best-known Ventura operations was the 18 May 1943 raid on the Philips works at Eindhoven, where RAF Ventura and Boston bombers attacked the industrial complex.

The operation demonstrated the aircraft's ability to perform precision daylight attacks but also exposed it to considerable fighter opposition.
Transition to patrol operations

The PV-1 was better suited to long-range maritime operations than the Ventura was to daylight bombing against heavily defended targets.

Consequently, the naval version became particularly important in patrol and anti-submarine work.

Its range, bomb load and twin-engine reliability made it well suited to operations where an aircraft might spend hours searching large areas of ocean.
Later service

After the Second World War, PV-1 aircraft continued to serve with a number of nations.

Some were converted or adapted for:

Training

Transport

Patrol

Civilian utility work

Survey

Firefighting

The rugged Lockheed airframe allowed some examples to remain in service for many years after the war.
Historical significance

The PV-1 Ventura is an important example of how a successful civilian/transport airframe was adapted into a military aircraft.

The Lockheed design provided the Allied forces with a useful combination of:

Long range

Reasonable speed

Substantial weapons capacity

Twin-engine reliability

Large internal volume

Good patrol endurance

The aircraft was particularly valuable in areas where a large maritime patrol radius was more important than the extreme performance of a single-engine fighter.
Surviving aircraft

A number of Venturas and related Lockheed aircraft survive in museums and collections.

Surviving examples are particularly valuable because the PV-1 represents an important link between Lockheed's pre-war twin-engine transports and its later dedicated military patrol aircraft.
Selling prices

Current/recent prices, shown in pounds sterling:

The aircraft had a crew of approximately 5–6, depending upon its configuration and mission.