[T]he Islamic Republic said Tuesday that it will send President Obama a tiny toy replica of the [RQ-170]. Iranian state radio said that the toy model will be 1/80th the size of the real thing. Iranian citizens can also buy their own toy copies of the drone, which will be available in stores for the equivalent of $4.
Those of us old enough will remember back in 1976 when an American model maker (Mongram or Revell) did the same immediately following the West's acquisition of defecting pilot Viktor Belenko's MiG-25 Foxbat. The American model maker was able to provide a scale replica based on studies of the captured Foxbat. It's unfortunate, however, the Iranians will be releasing a 1/80 scale replica, as a more conventional scale for hobbyists would have been 1/72 or 1/48.
