| This is
one of my all-time favourite flying boats. However, this is a gallery I thought I would
never see, for two reasons. Firstly, when I
visited Pima County Air Museum this flying boat
was, I thought, just a hull sitting derelict in
the sun at the side of the plot. (See the entry
in the Photo gallery for what it looked liked then). I
was not aware that the rest of it was in storage.
Second, having had the surprise of my life when I
saw it mentioned in the April 2001 issue of the
British magazine 'Flypast' I knew I could not get
back to Pima in time to record it before the
Arizona sunshine took its toll on the paintwork.
But, thanks to the efforts of James Jennings and
Fotios Rouch, both of whom responded to my
request on the modelling webzine Hyperscale; here
it is! And doesn't it look magnificent! What a
tribute to the skills of the staff at Pima - and
to the Golden Age of the flying boat - the JRS-1
being the military version of the S-43 - the
'Baby Clipper' of PanAm fame. So, for
all you modellers with the Dekno 1/72 scale resin
kit and those with the Execuform 1/72 vac-form -
Enjoy!
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