1/72 High Planes RB-57D Canberra

  RoCAF RB-57D 

by Granger Hsu

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This is a 1/72 RB-57D from High Planes, to be honest, this is not an easy one for me to build. This kit comes with several resin parts and two vacuum canopies. This was actually the RB-57D which served with the Republic of China back in the 1958~ 1962 in Taiwan.  To execute high altitude reconnaissance missions over mainland China , two RB-57Ds were delivered to Taiwan around Feb. 1958.  Among the two, 5643 was shot down by the Chinese PLA’s missile (SAM-2) on Oct. 7th 1958 and this shoot down was believed to be the first casualty from Surface to Air missile attack in history.

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The other RB-57D 5644, as shown here, was resigned from its duty shortly because its operation attitude was no longer safe from missile attack.  Instead, a U-2 was delivered to Taiwan to continue the reconnaissance missions. 

Granger

Photos and text © by Granger Hsu