Photographs of models.
Antonov AN.2
Left to right-Rolls Royce Thrust measuring rig,Short SC.1 experimental vertical take off aircraft,Short Scion,Short SC.1 prototype conventional flight machine.models under construction.
Another view of the same models under construction.
The delightful little Short Scion aircraft.
Me.1099 Projected Heavy armoured version of the Me.262.
Underside view of the Me.1099 project showing the rear mounted cannons.
Rolls Royce Thrust Measuring Rig ( Flying Bedstead ) made from scrap materials.
Boulton Paul BP.III Research aircraft.
Rutan Challenger round the world non-stop aircraft.
Hawker Siddeley Harrier.
Miniature air force.
Aerial view-left to right are top row,Mig 29,F-101 Voodoo,Supermarine Scimitar,Hawker Siddeley Harrier,Shackleton MR.3,Rear row-left to right,Flying Bedstead,Short SC.1 Prototype conventional take off version,Boulton Paul BP.III,Short SC.1 Vertical lift prototype,Comet C.2,with Rutan Voyager behind.
Supermarine Scimitar.
Me.210 & Junkers EF.128.
Mig 29 in Finnish air force colours.
Short SC.1 Research & development aircraft.
Short Scion under construction.
Avro Shackleton MR.3.
F-101 Voodoo.
Bristol Freighters at a busy airport scene,model photography is great fun.
Bristol Superfreighter in the colours of Midland Air Cargo a short lived Midlands freight carrier.
Fairey Flycatcher.
Fairey Gannet T.4
Fairey Gannet AEW.3
Gee Bee racer.
Langley Monoplane under construction.
Bristol F.2B Fighter built from a free plan published in Model aircraft magazine.
Focke Wulf 190 with a captured Rafwaffe colourscheme.
Grumman Duck amphibian built from an Harold Towner plan.
Avro Lancaster cut away model on display in the Imperial War Musem,London,model built by F.J.Camm.
Lockheed Electra twin rubber powered model.
Another view of the Electra.
Vultee Valiant was built from a wreck.
Another view of the rebuilt Vultee Valiant.
Two Earl Stahl Vultee Vanguards,the one at the rear was built by George Hollingdale for the scene in the film 'Empires of the Sun' where it appears hanging up in the small boys bedroom,the one in front is a twice size example built by the author,she flew beautifully.
The U.S.Army Air Corps only used one Lockheed Vega,this was designated the Lockheed YSC-12.
Hurricanes at a R.A.F Maintenance unit.
More Hurricanes being serviced.
Horsa glider being readied.
Yet more Hurricanes at MU.
Aerial view of Hurricanes.
P-51 Mustangs and a P-47 Thunderbolt.
Lysander at R.A.F Maintenance unit.
Queen Mary lorry with Spitfire in transit and Coles crane.
Spitfires of different marks,a Defiant and a Spiteful.
Spitfires ata Maintenance unit awaiting servicing.
Another angle on the Spitfires.
Busy scene at a wartime airfield MU.
Ventura on ferry flight gets a refuel.
Air Transport Auxiliary delivery flight of a Ventura,aircraft in transit through an MU.
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley scene.
Canadair CL-415,Bristol Superfreighter,Armstrong Whitworth Whitley,Lockheed Vega,Cessna 150,Beech Kansan,Piper Super cub,Douglas DC-3,North American T-6 Texan,Morane Saulnier Storch.
British European Airways DC-3 Dakota.
'Spirit of Boreke' Tornado in special colourscheme.
Alouette II in 1=32 nd scale.
Cessna 152 in raspberry ripple colourscheme.
VC-10 in 1=144th scale.
Piaseki Workhorse.
Ace Freighters Lockheed Constellation,de-icer boots & wheels still to be painted.
Even as a model she is such a beautiful aeroplane,replica of the short lived Ace Freighters company which were based at Baginton in the sixties.
Avro Vulcan.
American Airlines Douglas DC-3 aircraft.
British European Airways DC-3 aircraft.
BEA Dakota alongside a Midland Air Cargo Bristol Mk.32 Superfreighter.
Trans European Airways DC-6
Two famous Douglas airliners share the same ramp.
Gloster Meteor F.I Protype.
Flying Fox glider which I repaired for a museum,the early flying machine was made by Major R.F.Moore who as a member of the Royal engineeres in India made a study of fruit bats,the machine was made by J.Shaw and sons in Coventry and shown at Crystal Palace.Major Moore died in Vancouver during 1925.
The model of the Flying Fox was believed to have been made by Dick Teasdale for the Midland Air Museum.
Rubber driven China Clipper flying boat at Old Warden.
Not all models are high tech,this little model was made from writing paper and a few pieces of balsa wood,the pioneer aircraft is the Antoinette.
A simple Wright Flyer skeletal structure before covering the wings.
All ready to test fly-The Wright Flyer.
The old Airfix Recovery set still makes into a superb little model,despite its age the mouldings are very crisp and make up into a detailed diorama piece.
An old Spitfire has been pressed into service to serve as a load for the Queen Mary lorry.
Thruxton Jackaroo converted from a Tiger Moth kit,this entails a fuselage extension and a wider fuselage.
The diminutive Jackaroo conversion.
Airfix 1=72nd scale Concorde on the bench nearing completion.
Underside view showing the detailed undercarriage complete with debris guards as per the mods to the original.
The characteristic and complex wing shape has been faithfully copied.
Another detail view showing the amount of work performed by the toolmakers at Airfix for this beautiful model.
Interesting size comparison with a Douglas DC-3 Dakota.
Bare bones of a quarter scale Tiger Moth photographed at Woburn at the De Havilland Moth Rally.
Makes you feel like hopping into the cockpit and taking this beautiful De Havilland DH.2 for a quick circuit,photographed at Woburn on 21-08-2004.
Fuselage longerons are alloy tube,engine has cooling ducts via nose cowling.
Note the fins of the engine buried into the nose cowl of the DH.2 Quarter scale model.
Monster B-52 flown at Rufforth in 2004
Picture credit:Peter Simpson,U.S.A.A.F Display team.
B-25 Mitchell also at Rufforth 2004,thanks to Peter Simpson for the photograph.
De Havilland Comet 1-a beautiful model flown at Rufforth,very realistic in flight,all pictures courtesy of Peter Simpson.
Restrainer gives indication of size of this monster !
B-24 Liberator at Rufforth 2004,picture thanks to Peter Simpson,U.S.A.A.F Display team.
Nose view shows the detail and huge size of this model.
T-6 Texan,Douglas A-24 Banshee (Dauntless),two P-47 Thunderbolts of the U.S.A.A.F Display team at Rufforth 2004.
Looks like one of those big cardboard models in the background and a Sopwith Pup.credit:Peter Simpson.
Looking across the Douglas A-24 Banshee (Dauntless) at Rufforth 2004.
U.S.A.A.F Display team B-17 in flight,just like the real thing ! pictured at Seething 2004,picture from Peter Simpson.
Superb !
Wheels down....
Douglas A-24 Banshee comes in for a landing,part of the U.S.A.A.F Display team fleet.
Peter Simpson pic.
The distinctive air brakes are deployed to good effect.
Authors Avro Lancaster under construction.
Rear view of the Lancaster showing the flaps extended.
Comper Swift radio controlled model,originally fitted OS.25 but later re-engined with OS.26FS,a little beauty to fly.
This is a solid model of the delightful little Comper Swift.
De Havilland Dragon radio controlled twin biplane subject.
Antoinette flying model glider,made from paper and a little balsa for the undercarriage.
Avro Avian monoplane,static scale model made for 50 th Anniversary of the Air Training Corps,displayed at Tamworth,UK.
Vought Kingfisher under construction,made from Basswood.
Avro Commodore.
Bristol Bisley shown at Cranfield.
Another view of the stupendous Bristol Bisley.
Bristol Fighter WW.1 Biplane.
Clipper flying boat rubber model-built from a Cleveland Peerlass plan.
Douglas Dakota control liner.
De Havilland Mosquito in B.O.A.C markings,these aircraft were used for ball bearing runs to and from Sweden.
Percival Mew Gull.
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter.
Jabawokee,the model was based on the Waco series of airplanes.
Gloster Meteor F.1
Voiught Kingfisher parts laid out read for assembly.
A few circuits around the playground with the little electric Tiger Moth,great fun !
Solid model of the Curtiss Kittyhawk made from Basswood.
Hanging in the retired model museum are a Stinson Reliant,Aeronca Citabria and a Fairchild 91.
Keith Ridleys rubber driven De Havilland Mosquito.
Original was by Harold Towner.
Members of the Midland Air Museum Junior model builders hard at work on their models.Catch them young and encourage the youngsters in your area to build models,groups like this are a lot of fun and help promote model building,from small acorns ambitions are realised.
Model of the North American T-6 Texan finished in 'Miller Time' smoke writing colourscheme.
Morane Saulnier Cricket.
Stranraer flying boat.
Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer.
Vickers Varsity.
Home brew Stampe SV.4 biplane built around 1960.
Small selection of flying model subjects.
Scale details under construction for an Avro Lancaster model.
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ON THE WORKBENCH-BUILDING THE 'AMODEL' RUTAN CHALLENGER.
If you want the more unusual subjects for model building then you have to look a bit further afield for them,as the larger manufacturers have tended to keep to their best selling Spitfires & Bf.109 kits to boost up sales,it has been left to the smaller cottage industry to cater for the esoteric aircraft much sought after by those whose interests go wider.
The AModel Bert Rutan Challenger is a good example of this enterprise and the end result after a bit of work is a delightful little 1=72nd scale model of this famous machine,the full size aircraft now hanging up in the Smithsonian museum was the one that flew non stop around the world after a shaky take off where one of the wings grazed the runway and Rutan had to shake off the offending vertical wingtip in flight.The high aspect ratio wings and the push-pull design certainly make for an eye catching subject and it is thanks to the manufacturers that we can tackle this subject for our collections.
Firstly dont expect to rattle the box and fit this one together overnight ! far from it as the parts need a lot of fettling and cleaning up before you can even think about opening the adhesive,as with all cottage industry subjects you get the very raw parts with plenty of free flash thrown in,the type of tooling and moulds cater for hundreds rather than thousands of model kits aimed at the masses,all it requires is a bit of time and patience to bring the parts up to standard,the best tools are a set of Swiss files whereby you can get into the delicate nature of the sprues,once this has been done then finish off with wet and dry paper with plenty of water used in the process.
In the case of the Challenger kit there is plenty of scope for extra detailing and re-working the parts,although the miniscule cockpit canopy does not allow much detail to be actually viewed incorporating the two seats and control column will fill a void nicely.Some distortion of the boom parts was noticed but nothing that could not be pulled back into shape with a bit of tape and bands whilst the adhesive sets,the secret of assembly on this model is to assemble the parts as modules ie booms,fuselage,tailplane,do a dry run first as always to establish a good mating surface then use the adhesive,pay particular atention to aligning up the booms making sure that the tall tail fins are perfectly vertical,to this end a simple card jig can be made up to make life easier.The small undercarriage will need a lot of cleaning up also,for the cross braces I used some pre-stretched sprue carefully positioned with a pair of tweezers.
Regarding the finish this is all white overall,I tackled this by firstly giving a coat of Holts white primer,then sealing any joints that were not satisfactory with white Squadron putty,once everything is nice and smooth apply more primer to these parts,then a coat of gloss white auto paint will finish off the anti glare white of the original.
The decals looked very thin so before application I gave them a coat of gloss varnish allowing to dry out for 48 hours,this paid out as they slid off well once submerged in water but were noticeably thin still so go easy with them,I have a feeling that the registration and stripes are slightly oversized but this is not too evident once in place and carefully positioned.
All in all a very attractive and above all unusual subject that certainly stands out when on display,look out for this model in the more specialised shops selling kits,you will enjoy the challenge of building one.
Note for manufacturers,distributors etc-If you would like your product reviewed here please contact the webmaster,your kit would be built up as here and given a fair and honest appraisal.
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This model is a little bit special,it represents a Boeing Stearman PT-17 Kaydet made by my father during 1941 whilst he was under training as a pilot with the U.S.Army air corps,the model was whittled from chunks of firewood carved with an ordinary pen knife,the now cracking dope finish is authentic paint from the real Stearman's that he scrounged from the maintenance crew in the workshops,the fact that it has survived all of these years after travelling back and forth across the atlantic in a military kit bag is remarkable in itself,together with his log books it is an historic reminder of turbulent times past,machine '41' was the one that he made his first solo in at Lakeland air force base in Florida.The Army air corps instructors were mostly civilians snapped up by uncle sam to fulfill the war effort,they stood no nonsense with the R.A.F recruits on the famous Arnold scheme which ensured flying instruction un-hampered by the awful English weather at that time.
Supermarine S6B Racer built from a kit made by the model shop Newcastle Upon Tyne,the model was rubber powered.
Keil Kraft Phantom control liner fitted with E.D Competition Special aero engine.
V1 Rocket powered with firework rockets, spectacular !
Author holding a Wakefield model that was made by his father.
BE2C Card cut out model.
BUILDING MODELS FROM CARD
Card and paper modelling is probably the oldest form of model building in use today,in fact there is a new and revided interest thanks to the internet,now thousands of card model designs can be easily downloaded,printed and built up into practical small scale models,we have our very own card models here on this site which have now been downloaded in their thousands to individuals and schools throughout the world,so why card as a modelling material ? well there are many good reasons firstly it is available anywhere and appeals to many who live in conditions where sanding dust etc is a no no,also it replicates very nicely the structures of boats,battleships,farm and fairground equipment,aircraft,trains and traction engines,being a sheet material that is easily bent around an inner structure it lends itself to some detailed built up constructional techniques,once more it is easily sealed to make it not only tough but waterproof and can be painted with either enamel or acrylic paints as desired,in fact the sky is the limit and only your own imagination restricts what you want to build,its fun,cheap and available.
One of the better card stocks is called Bristol board,this is obtainable from local art shops in sheets or large format books,it has a nice smooth surface,is easy to bend and form into the most tricky of shapes,a good tip is to get hold of some sorbo rubber,three layers of carpet underlay is ideal,place the card onto the sorbo and with an ordinary domestic teaspoon rub gently against the card which is placed onto the foam,soon the card will take on a dished shape,much the same as a panel beater uses a sandbag to do his panel beating,with practise all types of forms can be made up,simply experiment and get to know both your tools and materials,other useful tools are a good steel rule,the best can be an industrial hacksaw blade,the staggered teeth either side assist in gripping the card which is placed onto a self healing mat,ordinary craft knives are suitable for cutting out the shapes or a small pair of curved nail scissors also come in useful,adhesives are imporetant with card as every type of modelling,UHU do some excellent products,also thinned PVA adhesive applied with a stick or stiff paintbrush are ideal,for sealing the card use two part furniture sealer,better known to us as Tufcote fuel proofer,once mixed up apply to the card outside as this stuff really stinks,once set it is like a piece of metal especially as it soaks into the pores of the card.Also useful in card modelling are various types of adhesive tape,masking tape is excellent for the temporary holding together of the parts,for inner strengthening use the licky sticky type of brown paper tape,you can still get this from art shops simply ask for watercolour paper securing tape and they will know what you want.
You can easily design your very own models drawing out the subjects onto the card itself and scribing fold lines with a blunt tool such as a well worn kitchen knife,to fold the card hold it against the steel rule and bend it over,the inner joints can be re-inforced with strips of balsa wood used as a suitable fillet,for making up railway buildings card reigns supreme,it is easy to cut and shape.More ambitious shapes can be created by rolling around a piece of dowel,use a wooden rolling pin to curve the card gently onto the sorbo rubber base,by applying different amounts of pressure you can get different effects,secure the ends with tabs cut into the card,splay these outwards or inwards if it is possible to get at the parts during assembly if this is not possible plug with pieces of balsawood.
I have seen a variety of models made up from a tiny scooter and side car to an impressive bridge modelled on Ironbridge for an exhibition,there are also hundreds of card cut out books available if you are prepared to look out for them,these originate from an early pioneer called Wallis Rigby,this person used a variety of card models as advertising mediums,he would get manufacturers involved and sell them his wonderful designs,these appeared in full colour during the early thirties,also some comics had weekly parts within their pages,for example aeroplane models with one wing one week,then some parts for the fuselage etc much the same as modern part works,except more reliable ! So you can see the modern Plastikard sheet is just a development of good old cardboard,save your cereal boxes they not only make excellent templates for your models but is also good material in itself for building small miniatures.Most of all remember card modelling is far from dead,in countries like Czechloslovakia it is a very popular form of modelling,and these countries are excellent sources of inspiration for us all.
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BUILDING WITH FOAMBOARD.
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Jewels from a sour purse.
Having just completed the group build Spitfire that should have been completed back in April 2006, it was time to reflect on exactly what has been achieved with what is probably the most spartan of all Sitfire kits currently on the market,many would probably have consigned the heavy clydside rivetted mouldings to the trash bin without even considering the hard work getting rid of those rivet heads ! the Israeli company Starfix are not exactly known for the best kits available today in an intense detailed scale model marketplace,but always one for a challenge I set about with a few sheets of wet and dry paper and a razor saw to see what could be made of this model,and above all make something a bit different.
The kit came cheap as chips all of £1.50 together with another Spit kit and a Me.109 for the same price,so even if things went bottoms up I would loose very little,so the long job of rubbing off those rivets came about,two weeks of it in fact working on and off with other projects on the go,inspection of the cockpit showed very little detail whatsoever,well there was a seat of sorts ? so before glueing the fuselage halves together I set about making instrument panel and bezels,control column,throttle lever,rudder pedals and dummy former where the instrument panel was anchored on the full sized machine,pizza dish metal was used to fabricate most of the bits ala as commercial etched fittings except this little lot cost me a delicious real Italian pizza as a by product to get the metal !
You can simulate rivets,fold it over onto itself easily and above all bend and stick it easily with a miniscule drop of cyno,and when painted up it looks excellent,the cockpit work took me about another week working from a photograph in an old wartime publicity publication,the cockpit canopy benefited from a dunk in Johnsons Klear/Future to give it that real optical look,framework was masking tape pre-painted onto a piece of glass and cut into strips with a razor blade,then sealed again with more Future.
The awful gun shrouds which were not even in line were ground away with a Dremel tool and then polished out with fine wet and dry,a few blemishes sorted out with Squadron green putty,the undercarriage legs needed extending a little with fine brass tube pushed over the ends of the legs and trimmed off with the razor saw,the wing is as good as I could get it after reshaping the root ends to bring the wings in line,at one stage I almost resorted to making new wings it would have probably been easier in the long run but I got there in the end.
After weeks sitting unpainted I decided to make the colours a bit different on this one,everyone builds R.A.F Spits,I have plenty of those so opted for a blue example when in service with the Royal Thai Air Force,well why not be a bit different ? after all nobody else would be mad enough to rework a Starfix kit so lets celebrate the occasion with a colourful model ! so I found the right shade of blue in my Tamiya stock and applied a precious set of decals obtained as a door give-away at a long gone IPMS nationals meeting,you just cannot beat cherry picking and mixing your decals from the spares box,so here are the results of my labours,probably a unique model of a Spitfire 21,another one for the collection,which despite the hard work was enjoyable to see what could be achieved,there are plenty of other blue painted Spits to model,including the THUM Flight ( Thermal & Humidity research ) aircraft that were based at R.A.F Woodvale,those were the well known PRU Cerulean blue of a dark hue,those were to be the last Spitfires in Royal Air Force service.
You do not get many Spitfires over my house but here I have created one,the building just visible in the background is an old prison.
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Percival Proctor
This model of a Percival Proctor was modified from a Frog kit,the kit is basically modelled around a military Proctor 5 which the Royal Air Force used as radio and navigation trainers during World War 2,the bulky radio set was stowed behind the front seats and took up a lot of room,this particular mark of aircraft was designed by Percivals in response to a military requirement to get radio operators through the course as quickly as possible,in order to get the order through the aircraft used the same wings as the pre war Vega Gull but there the difference ended ,where as the Vega Gull was a beautiful touring aeroplane with docile handling characteristics the extra weight of the radio gear in the military version made her tricky to handle and a few were lost in spinning accidents.
A much nicer aircraft was the Proctor 3 which was virtually akin to the pre war Vega Gull except for a new wider more roomier cockpit,my model depicts an aircraft dear to my heart as I used to maintain this particular machine G-ANPP owned by pet shop owner Harry Fanshawe who flew her all over including an epic flight from the UK to South Africa and back,Harry told me that the Gipsy Queen engine never missed a beat the whole of the trip and he loved this aircraft which served him well,on another occasion whilst on a flight to France from the UK he hit fog near Le Bourget and had to put her down in a field,when the fog cleared the next day the aircraft was literally feet away from a ditch ! he had to hire a lorry and a crane to lift her and with a gendarme escort trucked the Proctor to a proper airfield to take off again,as the lorry took the aircraft through the streets he sat in the cockpit waving to the French public looking at the strange site in curiosity.
So back to my model,the decision to use the Proctor 5 kit and do my best to make her into a Proctor 3 was taken,with a bit of slicing and filing plus the inevitable filler, she evolved into my own miniature model and is a passable likeness to G-ANPP as I once knew her,with this aircraft I worked late into the night to keep her flying for her proud owner,she was made from plywood and spruce covered in fabric,that is the way that they built them then as the pressed aluminium aircraft had yet to arrive on the scene.
Anyway here she is in all her glory in flight once again over my house here ! it is just like turning the clock back 45 years with these re-enactments in miniature.
You can hear that Gipsy Queen,G-ANPP flying at low level,what a pretty colourscheme.
Duck ! off again on another cross country trip.
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Ensign Crossley Racer
Well if you want a real aeroplane and have around £700 to spend then here is your opportunity,the rare and unique Ensign Crossley Racer built in 1983 as a record breaking racing aircraft,buyer must collect.
Enquiries to Wonwinglo@scale-models.co.uk
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Fairey Fulmar
This model of the Fairey Fulmar was built from a Vac-Form kit,I believe it may have been Rareplanes now long since out of production,these old vac form kits can sometimes be picked up for a few pounds in those boxes that appear underneath the tables at model meets,usually unloved and with tatty packaging and a bit dusty,the amount of extra work in my opinion is well worth it,to see how they are put together then see the tutorial that was done a while back on the subject.
Fairey Swordfish.
This one is the original Airfix offering,it came in a box of bits looking very sorry for itself with broken wings and no undercarriage,so I made up a scratch built undercarriage,built up a jig to re-glue the wings and generally tidied up the paintwork,so the model was saved from the scrap bin,probably not the most fine of Swordfish models but one with great historical significance.
Westland Wapiti.
This model was built around the bits from a Frog Westland Wallace,the fuselage is scratch built from Plastikard,wire and bits from the scrap box,it is my second attempt at this important subject.
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Fuel Tank installation in relation to the needle valve assembly.
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Airspeed Oxford Trainer.
This model was based on the Frog Airspeed Oxford kit,I wanted to represent a machine operated from R.A.F Church Lawford,Warwickshire so finished her in overall silver with yellow taining bands and the appropiate training command codes,there is sufficent detail at this scale to look good and being a monocoque plywood covered machine she is very smooth with no rivets to contend with,a very enjoyable period Frog kit,the subject was inspired by the late great model builder Doug Mc Hard who suggested a range of models to the International Model Aircraft group for whom he worked at that time.
One of the best training command colourschemes ever in my opinion,DF447 Airspeed Oxford on approach to Church Lawford airfield in the nineteen fifties.
Another view of DF447 about to do a touch and go.
Spartan Arrow biplane.
During the 1930's the British Spartan aeroplane company designed a direct contender to the Gipsy Moth aircraft,it was named the Arrow,the aircraft sold well mostly to New Zealand where she had a good reception,very few Spartan aeroplanes survive today ( not to be confused with the American company of the very same name ) and G-ABWP is the sole survivor,there is a Spartan Three Seater in New Zealand that was restored in the UK.
The model was built using much modified wings ( note the balanced ailerons ) from a Frog Gipsy Moth,the tail is plastikard,the fuselage is new and scratch built,plus the undercarriage which was made from re-arranged Gipsy Moth parts,you just need to see any potential parts that are of use and study them with a view to conversion.
A grand old lady that still appears at vintage aircraft fly ins,the Spartan Arrow G-ABWP climbs out from her airstrip.
The distinctive fin and rudder of the Spartan Arrow,note the mass balanced large ailerons,the Spartan Arrow is a classic from yesteryear.
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Curtiss T-32 Condor.
The Curtiss T-32 Condor II ( Curtiss Wright CW-4 ) biplane transport of 1933 was even more of an anachronism than its namesake,the Condor 18 of four years earlier.Its only concession to the then current modernity was the landing gear,its main units retracting into the engine nacelles.A two bay biplane of mixed contruction,with a strut braced single fin and rudder tail assembly,the T-32 Prototype made its first flight on 30th January 1933.Layout for most of the production batch of 21 aircraft that followed was as a luxury 12 passenger night sleeper transport,and a number of T-32's flew with Eastern Air Transport and American Airways during the following three years on regular night services.Two modified T-32's were bought as transports for the U.S Army and operated until 1938 under the designation YC-30.One Condor was completed with extra fuel tanks as a long range version for use by the Byrd Antartic Expedition.Equipped to operate with either twin floats or skis,it was also unique in having a fixed landing gear.Ten T-32's were ultimately converted to AT-32 standard and re-designated as T-32C.Four T-32's were being operated under British civil registrations at the outbreak of World War II,these were impressed and flown by the R.A.F.
The Curtiss Condor in R.A.F service.
Grumman Tigercat.
Piper L4H Cub ( Grasshopper )
Low and slow,artillery,observation aircraft,the Piper L4H could land in tiny fields and was the helicopter of its day.
On approach to a small field,the name Grasshopper referred to most U.S.Army spotter aircraft.
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Northrop P-61 Black Widow.
This was the first aircraft to be designed as a radar equipped night-fighter,Northrop's three seat twin engine twin boom design gained a U.S.Army Air Corps contract for two Northrop XP-61 prototypes in January 1941,these were followed by 13 service test YP-61 aircraft,and the development problems of this aircraft were matched by those to create a new air interception radar based on the British cavity magnetron.Nevertheless,the first,the first examples of the P-61A Black Widow production version began to appear towards the end of 1943.It was soon discovered that its four gun remotely-controlled dorsal turret caused severe buffeting when slewed to a beam position,and the turret was deleted after the first 37 aircraft had been built.P-61A'a began to appear with fighter groups in the South Pacific in the first half of 1944,production of this version totalled 200 aircraft,deliveries of the ensuing P-61B began also in 1944,a total of 450 of this version being produced,the last production batch the P-61C model comprised 41 aircraft,however at the wars end some 476 aircraft of this model were cancelled.Black Widows appeared in Europe by July 1944 and shot down four German bombers in their first engagement.The type also destroyed a number of V-1 Flying Bombs during the offensive with Antwerp.
The sole Northrop XF-51A Reconnaissance aircraft was converted from a late production P-61C Black Widow night fighter.
Both models were built from early Frog Northrop Black Widow kits 35 years ago,the XF-15 being made from scratch built parts utilised in the assembly,both models were restored during 2006.
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Grumman Martlet ( F4F Wildcat )
The U.S Navy's requirement for a new carrier based fighter in 1936 resulted in the Brewster Aeronautical corporation receiving an order for a prototype of its Model 39 under the designation XF2A-1.This became the U.S Navys first monoplane fighter in squadron service,but so tentative was the U.S Navy in its decision to order this aircraft that it also ordered a prototype of Grummans competing biplane design under the designation XF4F-1.However a more careful study of the performance potential of Brewsters design ,plus the fact that Grumman's earlier F3F biplane was beginning to demonstrate good performance ,brought second thoughts.This led to cancellation of the biplane prototype and the initiation of an alternative G-18 monoplane design.Following the evaluation of this new proposal,the U.S Navy ordered a single prototype under the designation XF4F-2.
Flown for the first time during September 1937,the XF4F-2 was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830-66 Twin Wasp engine of 1,050 hp,the aircraft had a max speed of 290 mph and was of all metal construction,it had a cantilever wing set at a mid position on the fuselage.After a brief period the prototype displayed hidden potential noted by the U.S Navy and was returned to Grumman in 1938 together with a new contract to develop the machine further.The G-36 became the XF4F-3 being fitted with a more powerful Twin Wasp which had a two stage supercharger,increased wing span and tail area,plus a modified machine gun installation.After moving the tailplane further up the fin the aircraft had improved handling characteristics and then the Navy ordered 78 of the production F4F-3 during 1939.With war imminent in Europe,Grumman offered the new G-36A design to France and Greece,the French Navy examples were not delivered instead were diverted to the UK for use by the Fleet Air Arm as the Grumman Martlet Mk.1.
The rugged little Grumman F4F in a bank was popular with its pilots,and ideal for carrier operations.
The undercarriage folded neatly into the fuselage sides,this layout gave the undercarriage a fairly narrow track.
The model was restored from two scrap Frog
