.: Bruce Pilkinton's 1/72nd Aifix Buffalo

Facing an airplane shortage during the early stages of WWII, in January 1940, the British government established a commission to purchase U.S. planes that would help supplement domestic plane production. Amongst the fighters that caught the commission's attention was the Brewster Buffalo, the U.S. Navy's carrier based fighter.

The Buffalo was first developed in 1935 and featured a modern mid-wing monoplane design with enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear. The first mass produced Buffalo was designated F2A-1, which was shortly followed by the improved F2A-2. The F2A-2 based export fighter, the B-339, was equipped with an export approved 1,100hp Wright Cyclone engine and was redesigned for land use with navy equipment such as life raft and arrestor hook removed.

Belgium took 40 units which were designated B-339B, Britain took 170 designated B-339E, and the Dutch took 72 units of the B-339C/D for use by the Netherlands East Indies Army Air Corps (ML-KNIL) in Java and Borneo. The British Royal Air Force (RAF) upgraded their Buffalo fighters by replacing the standard ring and bead gun sight with a British Mk.lll reflector gun sight, and improving armor by adding reinforced armor plating and installing armored glass behind the canopy windshield.

Most of the B-339E were sent to South East Asia to be used by British, Australian and New Zealand pilots in Malaysia, Singapore and Burma. Despite having initial successes against the Japanese Ki-27 Nate, the Japanese Zero fighters proved much more superior in agility and firepower, with the B-339 Buffalo suffering significant losses in the skies over South East Asia.  

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