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Model of the Month + New releases on the way
Before I launch into the main section of the blog, a quick note to say our latest COBI order is on the way which includes three exciting new models - see below.
Have a great weekend.
Warmest wishes,
Zoë
Have a great weekend.
Warmest wishes,
Zoë
New releases on the way!
Due in stock 13th - 17th February - place a pre-order now.
Brick Model of the Month:
Northrop B-2 Spirit — The Ghost in the Sky
Northrop B-2 Spirit — The Ghost in the Sky
Few aircraft symbolise modern air power quite like the Northrop B-2 Spirit, also known as the B2 bomber. With its smooth, flying-wing shape and near-mythical reputation for invisibility, the B-2 looks less like a conventional bomber and more like something from the future. Yet behind its striking appearance lies decades of experimentation, innovation, and hard-won technological progress.
A Revolution in Stealth
Developed during the final years of the Cold War, the B-2 was designed to penetrate the most heavily defended airspace on Earth. Its flying-wing layout, combined with radar-absorbent materials and carefully contoured surfaces, drastically reduces its radar signature. Unlike earlier bombers that relied on speed or altitude for survival, the Spirit simply avoids detection altogether.
Size, Range and Power
Despite its elegant profile, the B-2 is immense. With a wingspan of 172 feet (nearly half the length of a football pitch) and a crew of just two, it can carry both conventional and nuclear weapons in internal bomb bays that preserve its stealth characteristics. Its intercontinental range allows missions to be flown directly from the United States to targets anywhere in the world, often with only minimal aerial refuelling.
Stealth Lineage: From Speed to Invisibility
While the B-2 appears revolutionary, its roots stretch back further than many realise. In 1944, German engineers unveiled the Horten Ho 229, an experimental jet-powered flying wing. Although it never entered service, its smooth, tailless form hinted at aerodynamic efficiency and reduced radar reflection decades before stealth became a formal discipline.
In the early Cold War, survivability depended not on invisibility, but on performance. Bombers such as the B-58 Hustler and the experimental XB-70 Valkyrie were designed to outrun enemy defences at extreme speed and altitude. This doctrine reached its most dramatic — and successful — expression in the SR-71 Blackbird. Flying above 80,000 feet at over Mach 3, the Blackbird did not attempt to hide; it simply moved too fast to intercept.
Yet advances in radar and missile technology steadily eroded the advantage of speed alone. By the late twentieth century, a different solution emerged. The F-117 Nighthawk proved that avoiding detection entirely was not only possible, but operationally decisive.
Operational from 1997, the Northrop B-2 Spirit represents the culmination of this evolution — combining the aerodynamic purity suggested by the Ho 229 with the operational stealth principles demonstrated by the Nighthawk, refined through advanced materials, computing power, and precision manufacturing.
Fun Facts
- Each B-2 cost more than its weight in gold at the time of production
- The aircraft’s shape is so radar-resistant that birds reportedly appear more clearly on radar screens
- Pilots fly missions lasting over 30 hours thanks to in-flight refuelling
- Every B-2 is individually maintained due to subtle differences in its stealth coating
An Icon of Modern Aviation
Whilst no longer in production, the B-2 Spirit is still in use today and has become an enduring symbol of air power in the modern era. It is expected to remain in service into the early 2030s, when it will gradually be replaced by the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider. The B-2 represents a shift away from brute force towards precision, innovation, and technological mastery — making it a perfect subject for a truly striking COBI brick model, speaking of which...
Introducing COBI's officially licensed 1:100 scale Northrop B-2 Spirit aircraft brick model - COBI 5916 - 1109 bricks
Introducing COBI's officially licensed 1:100 scale Northrop B-2 Spirit aircraft brick model - COBI 5916 - 1109 bricks
The model was released earlier this week and is due in stock stock 13th - 17th February. Have you pre-ordered yours yet?
For a deeper dive into the history of the B-2 Spirit, check out the youtube video below.
Terry
You forgot to mention Northrops’ XB-35 and YB-49 prototypes, the all jet YB-49 was known to be invisible to long-wave radar back in the 1940’s and shared the same 172ft wingspan as the B-2
When the second prototype crashed in 1948 killing all five crew members including co-pilot Glenn Edwards Muroc Air Force Base was re-named Edwards AFB in his honour