GAF Turana
Drone System

Hobartville Hobbies, 1/35 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

.The GAF Turana was a target drone produced by the Australian Government Aircraft Factories (GAF) for anti-aircraft gunnery practice.

The name is believed to be from an Aboriginal Australian word meaning rainbow.

It was in use from 1971 to 1979.

The Turana target drone was designed and built in Australia as a development of the Ikara anti-submarine weapon system. It was a target drone with remote control that was launched from the Ikara launcher for use in naval anti-aircraft target practice.

The Turana had a composite metal/fibre glass structure and was powered by a Microturbo Cougar 022 Turbojet.

The Turana was first flown from Woomera in August 1971. The program was cancelled in 1979 as water ingress during recovery of the drone was causing failure of the electronics.*

* Historical summary courtesy of Wikipedia

Hobartville Hobbies is a new name to me but I had to buy their 1/35 scale GAF Turana when I saw it online recently.

This is a small subject but it has been comprehensively delivered by Hobartville Hobbies.

This set comprises 16 parts in grey 3d printed resin, four metal rods, two lengths of copper tube, a decal sheet with five marking options and illustrated assembly and decal instructions.

The resin parts are snugly stored in seven zip-lock bags.

Surface textures are very nice with recessed panel lines and rivets plus raised details as appropriate.

The fuselage is broken down into three sections. Each section is a tight press fit to its neighbor.

Alternative nose cones are offered, with different styles of probes and pitots.

The rocket motor is presented as a single part with the main body, mounts, bolts and exhaust all in place.

The wings and fin are printed as one piece each. Metal pins are supplied to hold the parts securely in place.

A simple display stand is thoughtfully included. This is made up from four parts.

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Thumbnail panels:

Pins are also included to attach the stand to the drone's fuselage.

Decals

Australian decal company "Dekl's" has produced a high quality waterslide decal sheet that is included with Hobartville Hobbies' kit.

Five marking options are included.

Each subject is treated to six-view colour illustrations and helpful notes.

Stencil markings are offered on the decal sheet.

White base decals are included to "double-up" on the white markings, helping to make sure that the red paint colour does not make an ulwelcome appearance! Very thoughtful.

This is a straightforward kit of an interesting but relatively unknown subject.

Recommended.

Purchased from Hobartville Hobbies

Text and Images Copyright © 2025 by Brett Green
Page Created 1 May, 2025
Last updated 1 May, 2025

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