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 models that had seen better days.
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Workbench shots.
Busy restoration workshop.
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Hawker Slip Wing Hurricane.
During World War 2 some desperate measures were undertaken to increase the range of fighter aircraft,some of the ideas were verging on dangerous such as towing three fighters behind transport aircraft and dropping them off as gliders,then the engine would be started in flight and the aircraft carry on with its task,another system that needs explaining is the 'circular runway' in this case the aircraft was attached to a pole and once flying speed had been reached,the aircraft was literally flung into the air ! thankfully experiments proved the impractibility of such a technique and it was scrubbed.But one idea that was tried on Hawker Hurricane L1884 entailed the fitting of an upper wing,the idea was that aircraft could be flown from tiny fields hidden away from the enemy,once airborne the upper wing was jettisoned,needless to say this ingenious idea was not adopted by the R.A.F,the experimental Hurricane was converted by F.Hills and Sons Ltd who designed and adapted some most unusual aircraft during wartime.
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Sukhoi SU.9
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De Havilland DH.90 Dragonfly.
The external simularity of the De Havilland DH.90 Dragonfly to the DH.89 Dragon Rapide belied its very different internal structure,the earlier designs spruce and plywood box fuselage being replaced by a preformed plywood monocoque shell strengthened with spruce stringers.The lower wing centre-section was strengthened ,making possible deletion of the nacelle/wing root bracing struts and inner bay rigging wires,and so providing easy access to the cabin,with accomodation for a pilot with four passengers.Powered with two Gipsy Major engines,the prototype made its first flight at Hatfield in August 1935,the first production machine being flown and delivered during 1936.Production totalled 66 aircraft and the aircraft was very popular with wealthy private owners of that time,the type was also used for commercial purposes and served with the air forces of Canada,Denmark and Sweden.
Model of DH.90 Dragonfly G-AEWZ made from Plastikard,Jabrok and wire.
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Focke-Wulf FW.44 Steiglitz.
Second only to the Focke Wulf FW.190 as the most prolific Focke-Wulf design,the FW.44 Steiglitz ( means 'Goldfinch') trainer appeared in 1932,the prototype making its first flight in the late summer of that year in the hands of Gerd Achgelis.Powered by a 140 hp Siemens Sh.14a radial engine,the aircraft was a single bay biplane with a welded steel fabric covered fuselage,with wooden wings and fabric covering,in its original form the aircraft suffered some undesireable flight characteristics,but these were soon sorted out after an extensive flight test programme undertaken by Professor Kurt Tank who joined the company during 1931 from the BFW organisation,he headed the design and flight test departments of Focke-Wulf when Heinrich Focke became pre-occupied with his rotary wing activities.The Steiglitz became an outstanding aerobatic mount,particularly in the very hands of Achgelis,Emil Kropf and Ernest Udet,it won many export orders from Bolivia,Chile,China,Czechoslovakia,Finland,Romania,Switzerland and Turkey,licence production was also undertaken in Argentina,Austria,Brazil,Bulgaria, and Sweden.Built in substantial numbers for the Luftwaffe,serving as a trainer until the end of World War 2.
The lovely Steiglitz climbs away from Baginton ready to give a superb aerobatic display at the 1954 Lockheed Aerobatic competition,the aircraft was crated in and assembled on site by Alvis Ltd.
Ready to go into a flick roll,the powerful ailerons on top and bottom wings.
And with a rock of the wings to inform he judges that the competition flight was complete,and into land.
The model was made from a stripped down Revell Boeing PT-17 Stearman kit,the wings needed to be swept back and a new aerofoil section filed in,the shape had to be altered dramatically,ailerons replaced,new undercarriage built up,the fuselage was cut just aft of the cockpit and a new front fuselage made from Jabrok grafted into place,the Siemens engine was scratch built from toothpicks bound with button thread,rocker covers made from a toothbrush handle,pushrod guides from pins.The tail is made from Miralyte 1=64th ply two laminations,struts made from Contrail/Sutcliffe streamlined section pinned to the board and glued together,the whole model was then primed with Holts white primer and sprayed with auto enamel Canary yellow,details hand painted.
No doubt there are now kits available for the FW.44,but this one was built a long while ago.
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The Miles Aerovan.
Miles was a prolific designer,and a mass of projects passed through the drawing office,though many of them came to nothing.One unusual looking design which did make the grade was the Miles M.57 Aerovan,a twin engined light freighter which first flew in 1945.In appearance the wings and tail unit were similar to the Messenger ,but somewhat larger,while the fuselage was of pod and boom layout.A number of UK and overseas orders were placed and the Aerovan entered production with a longer pod than the prototype,which was designated the Aerovan Mk.1,and the second prototype the Aerovan Mk.2.The first production Aerovan Mk.3 was similar to the Mk.2,and seven of these were built with 150 hp Blackburn Cirrus Major 3 engines,which was the standard Aerovan powerplant,the next version the Mk.IV differed in detail and 40 of these were built,the final version was the Aerovan Mk.VI which had 195 hp Lycoming 0-435-4A powerplants,this was later fitted with a Hurel-Dubois high aspect ratio wing in 1957 and became the HDM.105.The aircraft would carry a family car,one undesireable feature of the Blackburn Cirrus engine was to have the crankshaft break in flight,thus the propeller would rip through the sides of the fuselage directly in line with the pilot,something that happened more than once.
The model of the Aerovan was made from various materials,the fuselage was made up from a crutch form of thick card laid into a '+' shape,this was then treated with Johnsons clear to seal it, then Das Pronto was laid and built up between the 'L' shape of the form to get the complex shape necessary and smoothed down with a pallette knife,the tail unit was two laminnations of 1=64th Miralyte ply,the boom was made from an old toothbrush handle suitable filed to shape,the wheels were from a childrens bead pack and represent the low pressure tyres nicely,the wings were made from Bass and the props carved from Jelutong.
The aircraft represented is OO-ERY of the Belgium Royal Family,this came to England and was registered as G-AJOG to a company called Devonair Ltd who intended to operate her on an air service to the Lundy Isles,although she is known to have flown at least once to the Lundy Isles the service was operated instead on an Ad-Hoc basis with a Auster 5 aircraft G-AJXC.
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BAC (Kronfeld) Drone
During the early 1930's the British Aircraft Co. of Maidstone built a series ofgliders culminating in the B.A.C VII tandem two seater.In 1932 C.H.Lowe Wylde,designer and managing director of the firm,fitted a B.A.C VII BGA.186 with an undercarriage and a 600 c.c Douglas flat-twin motorcycle engine mounted above the wing on a steel pylon.This additional equipment approxmately equalled the weight of the second occupant.The single seat prototype known as the Planette,proved both docile and manoeuvrable with a speed range of 15-20 mph,following this initial success three more were constructed.The aircraft made a number of demonstrations at Hanworth and West Malling during 1933,the designer whilst on one of these demonstration flights took ill in the air and the aircraft sideslipped into the ground and was killed.The company was then taken over by the Austrian sailplane pilot Robert Kronfeld who carried on with the demonstration flights and acquired premises at Hanworth near London,before the company closed down during 1937 some 33 Drones had been built at the factory.A remarkable flight was made during 1936 when Col.the Master of Sempill ( latyer Lord Sempill) made a remarkable flight from Croydon in the UK to Berlin and back on a mere 25 shillings worth of petrol in eleven hours,in the following week the aircraft displayed at Selfridges store in London to publicise the event.Subsequent Drones were fitted with either a 30 hp Carden Ford water cooled engine,or some with a Cherub 3 motor.Although a delight to fly even in poor visability the incredible noise created by the close proximity of the engine propeller tips to the structure would mean that the aircraft could be heard miles away ! to try and cure this problem Kronfeld made a conversion whereby the wings were swept back,this brought the propeller some 6 inches aft of the trailing edge.One bizarre use of a Drone was by 609 ( Figther) Squadron on duck-shooting duties using a 12 bore shot gun and a ring and bead sight ! Two aircraft were also supplied to India,although by todays standards the Drone may have seemed a strange aircraft it was however a pioneering light aircraft utilising low powered cheap to run motor cycle engines,was the name 'Drone' also coined by this aircraft from which were to follow designs in later years that were pilotless target aircraft used by the forces ?
The BAC Drone could be heard for miles away whilst in flight,a strong headwind would mean that the aircraft would literally hover.
Basically a powered sailplane with a pusher engine mounted onto a pylon.
The Drone achieved sustained flight on very low powered engines,once more very cheap flying for enthusiasts.
About the model-The model was built entirely from a Panama wooden cigar box by myself some 50 years ago ( yes that is 1956 ! ) the wheels were wartime pot cast items which at that time could still be obtained from model shops,the wood was carved with nothing more than a penknife and glasspaper,the tiny propeller which cannot be seen in the photographs was carved from a matchstick,after a coat of dope and mums best talcum powder she was painted with very early Humbrol enamel.
No restoration has been done on the model she is exactly as built back then.
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Short Scion
During 1933 Short Brothers entered the field of light transport aircraft with the Short S.16 Scion,a twin engined high wing monoplane carrying five or six passengers and powered by two 75 hp Pobjoy R engines,the first Scion flew at Gravesend in August 1933 receiving a brand new certificate of airworthiness in February 1934.An initial batch of four production Scion 1 aircraft was built with 85 hp Pobjoy Niagara I or II engines,but the fifth Scion I and Short Brothers final batch of 10 Scion II aircraft had 90 hp Pobjoy Niagara III's.Because of the increasing work on the Empire flying boats,Shorts sold production rights of the Scion to Douglas Pobjoy,who built a further six aircraft.
The model of the Short Scion was scratch built from Basswood & Jelutong.
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Lockheed 8 Altair ( Charles Lindbergh )
Developed originally to meet a requirement for Charles Lindbergh as a low wing monoplane of high performance,the Lockheed 8 Sirius combined a Vega wooden fuselage with a new low set cantilever wing,first flown in 1929,and then powered with a 450 hp Pratt and Whitney Wasp radial engine this aircraft had a non retractable landing gear as opposed to the Lockheed 8 Altair built for Lindbergh.The Altair had a new wing in order to incorporate the inward retracting units,in the end Lindbergh not to have the retracts fitted but the installation did become a retrofit for subsequent Sirius aircraft.The aircraft was loaned to the U.S.Army Air Corps during 1931 and fitted in Novembner of that year with a new 450 hp Pratt and Whitney R-1340-17 radial installed.Under this configuration she was acquired by the U.S.Army with the designation YIC-25.Another important Altair 8D was 'Lady Southern Cross' acquired by Charles Kingsford Smith who along with P.G.Taylor as his navigator,to make the first crossing of the Pacific Ocean from Australia to the United States between October and November 1934.
About the model-Built from a 'Flying Aces' drawing the all balsa wood creation is some 53 years old,as an 8 year old lad armed with my trusty balsa bundles,scrap sandpaper and a few razor blades,the lower picture shows the yellowing varnish,crackular paint around the nose cowl and card wheel fairings,the cowling was made from one of those old cotton reel bobbins suitably hollowed out,a bit rough around the edges but I will not restore it as I want to keep her as a period model,after all we need to start somewhere and it is a good reminder of our roots.Anyway I feel quite proud of it,especially as she is still intact and once formed one of the aircraft on my own model airfield layout.
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Heinkel He.100
Although Messerschmitt's Bf.109 had been adopted as the Luftwaffe's standard monoplane fighter in preference to Heinkel's He.112 submission ,Heinrich Hertel and Siegfried Gunter designed a new high performance fighter with a design maximum speed of 435 mph.It was also engineered for ease of production with a few curves and the minimum number of parts and components.The resulting Heinkel He.100 made its first flight in January 1938,powered by a Daimler Benz DB.601 engine with a special pressurised evaporative cooling system.A second prototype,with DB601M engine captured the 62 mile closed circuit landplane record on 6th June 1938 piloted by Ernest Udet.Referred to officially as the He.112U,to boost the reputation of the He.112B sold to Japan and Spain.The third prototype was built for an attempt on the world absolute speed record had a reduced wingspan,a more streamlined cockpit canopy and a boosted DB.601 engine,this aircraft crashed in September and was quickly replaced by a similar eighth prototype,in this aircraft Hans Dieterle raised the record to 463.92 mph at Oranienburg.Three more were sold to Japan and six to the USSR.
I just cannot remember which kit this model was built from ? it was a long time ago,but it was the only Heinkel He.100 that I have ever built,despite being only to 1=72nd scale I think that she really looks the part and enjoyed the daylight under her wings after so long ! another great design by Heinkel for the early Luftwaffe all of those distant years ago.
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Heinkel He.162 Salamander.
The prototype of the Heinkel He.162 turbojet engined interceptor was flown for the first time on 6th December 1944,this was only 38 days after detail drawings had been issued to the factory.This prototype was lost in a fatal flying accident on 10th December,but the programme was continued and then revealed some aerodynamic problems,these problems were rectified in the third and fourth prototypes which were both flown during 1945,first deliveries of aircraft for operational evaluation and service trials were also made during January 1945.On 4th May 1945 one Gruppe of three squadrons,with a total of 50 aircraft,was formed at Leck in Schleswig-Holstein,but British forces occupied the airfield on 8th May and accepted the units surrender.A total of 116 He.162's were built,and another 800 were discovered in underground production centres in wooded areas of Germany.
On finals to Leck,the Salamander was a tricky little beast to master,especially if an engine should suddenly flame out,had the right metals been available at that time the combination would have been a winner,the He.162 was just too late for the Luftwaffe to benefit from Heinkels technology,advanced aircraft like the Salamander proved the remarkable and desperate advances of the later years during World War two.
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De Havilland Sea Venom FAW.22
Having experimented with the photography on my models for some weeks now,decided to take the process a little further,today I went to two actual locations at Burton Dsssett Hills a local beauty spot,and my favourite haunt at Wellesbourne Mountford airfield,so the backgrounds are real as the model was held towards the sky,I feel that the results are well worth the extra effort,even worth the funnly looks people give you as you jostle with the models in one hand and the camera in the other ! still they live on another boring planet and dont bother me one bit,as modellers we are interesting eccentric beasts intent on creating special effects and scenes,something that I just love creating,especially as my friends here can enjoy looking at the results of my labours.
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Hawker Hunter T7
This is the old Matchbox Hunter T.7 kit,the markings are hand painted and were a chance to use that gloss Humbrol green that seems to never ever have any uses,however a good white base colour was first needed which took four coats of white criss-cross painted in thin layers each one flowing into the first to get a nice build up.
To get a nice fine line I used a piece of thin spring steel from a pocket watch tacked onto the model with Blue-tak,then I took a sharp needle and etched the lines into the surface,this forms a tiny gutter ridge for the paint which flows right up to the edge,it works remarkably well provided that you do the preparation work carefully.
The nose legend etc were done with a '0000' fine brush dipped into thinned white indian ink ( obtainable from art suppliers),I had to steady the model against a foam filled pin cushion held tight against my bench,as my hands now shake I cannot achieve the finese that I used to, but from a distance it looks fine,we just have to accept these facts of life.
The whole lot is pulled together with a thin film of Johnsons/Future rolled on with a cotton wool bud,the whole lot self levels and is better than using a brush.
The pictures were taken against real favourite local backgrounds,experiment with those angry cloud effects they add a bit of drama.
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Douglas Dakota
In September 1939 just when the whole world was to be covered by an inter-connecting air transport system,the nations divided themselves again in hostilities.By 1941 every great trading and commercial country was involved in active military operations,or was under the complete domination of the Axis Powers. The few neutral nations such as Sweden and Switzerland lived an uneasy life between the beligerents.Swissair retained two DC-3's in flying condition for occasional flights undertaken on behalf of the International Red Cross,and put the rest of its leet in storage.
All the European services of K.L.M were stopped on 23rd August 1939 except those to Scandinavia,Belgium and London.The Scandinavian service closed down on 9th April 1940,the Belgium on 18th April and finally on 10th May 1940 all European services were terminated and the Germans occupied the Netherlands.On that fatal day four K.L.M DC-3's painted in bright overall colours by German bombing at Schipol airport.A further four were captured by the Luftwaffe intact at Schipol when the invading forces reached there on 16th May,these were repainted with German crosses and swastika's and used by the Luftwaffe.Nothing daunted K.L.M joined the Allied cause and with four remaining DC-3'S fled their stricken country to set up a base at Whitchurch airport,Bristol UK,here they were allocated British registrations and opened a service between Bristol and Lisbon in August 1940.A German air attack on Whitchurch on 24th November 1940 destroyed one of the Dakota's.
The pictures show one of these aircraft in bold wartime identification markings making no mistake as to the country of origin.
This is a fully rebuilt original Airfix Dakota,the model can be identified by the inaccurate nose shape and the models lack of sufficent dihedral.In order to complete the historic Airfix model this required stripping down another original Airfix Dakota which had seen better days.I have plenty of more accurate Dakota models and decided to keep this one as a record of how the first Airfix offering looked and paint it in an interesting historical colourscheme described above.
De Havilland DH.89A Rapide
This is the original Frog 1=76th scale Dragon Rapide painted in Cambrian Air Services colours.
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Boeing B-47 Stratojet.
This is the Hasegawa Boeing B-47 Stratojet,the model is now on its third restoration and I think looks better than when it was new,the problem with this type of model being so large is they can get damaged being moved around,and unless a proper storage box is made for them they suffer,I think this time a foamboard box is the answer with the fuselage resting onto balsa blocks to keep the undercarriage away from any stresses and strain.
The scene could easily be a Stratojet climbing away after take off from U.S.A.F Bruntingthorpe where they were once based.It was real fun doing this shoot and selecting some suitable scenery to add realism.
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Avro Lancaster.
This model of the first Airfix Avro Lancaster was almost consigned to the model breakers yard,found crushed in the bottom of a box of bits with no undercarriage,no tail and devoid of props,it had been covered in several layers of household paint,first job was to prise what was left of it apart with a large kitchen knife,thankfully it had not been glued together very well,the cockpits and turrets were cleaned up with Brasso and toothpaste then dunked into Johnsons to restore them,the major bits were soaked overnight in brake fluid which lifted the yukky paint,then the whole lot was cleaned up with white spirit to degrease the parts and re-assembly could begin in earnest,somebody donated a new tail assembly and a jig was made to solder together the brass tube undercarriage legs.
The whole model was given two coats of Halfords universal soft white primer,the gloss black undersides were done Tamiya paint,suitable decals came from the spares box and the serials and codes hand painted.
So another rare early kit was saved with a bit of a different colourscheme from the norm.
Avro Lancaster.
These white and black aircraft went on a tour of America just after World War 2,many American people had never seen a Lanc before so the aircraft toured all over the U.S.A on a goodwill mission.
Sadly the trip was marred at the very end ,when whilst on approach one of the machines came very low over the threshold and the Lancaster's large wheel struck an observer at the end of the runway.
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Handley Page Halifax.
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Bristol Bulldog.
Bristol Bulldog.
The title was inspired by the 'Aeroplane Monthly' articles ( later made into a book ) of pre-war R.A.F units that operated Gloster Gladiator's,Hawker Hart's,Hawker Fury's and the delightful Bristol Bulldog,called 'On Silver Wings' it showed the numerous wing and fuselage squadron markings carried by these biplanes,the period will probably be remembered as the most romantic period in R.A.F history,the squadrons were more like elite flying clubs ! and looking at the selection of aircraft that were flown it is understandable.
The Bulldog will probably be remembered by many as the aircraft which Douglas Bader lost his legs,whilst doing low flying he rolled one into the ground showing off to some civilian flying club pilots who just happened to pass a comment about these flash R.A.F brylcream boys !
The reality was that war was just around the corner and soon the little silver biplanes would all be obsolete and totally useless for the purposes of war,the Gladiator was in fact the very last of the biplane fighters of this same period,a throwback from World War one technology but with the claustrophobic hood that the pilots hated after graduating from the Gloster Gauntlet.
Those of you who have seen the film 'Reach for the Sky' which tells the life story of Douglas Bader will remember the scene where the Bulldog appears,this was in fact the aircraft owned by the Shuttleworth Trust,and rebuilt by the Bristol Aeroplane company in the fifties,sadly this was badly damaged later on after fiming took place and lay at Old Warden for many years until brought to life again as a static machine for display at Hendon, with the magic of Skysport Engineering from down the road at Rotary farm,Hatch,Bedford.
The model was built from the Merit 1=48th scale kit,this was later re-introduced by Impact products and was available for many years in its new form,it is probably still available ?
Rigging wires are nylon monofilament,silver dope is represented with good old Woolworths silver paint.
Just visualise it chasing a pre-war sports car down that road ! there was still the element of fun attached to flying in the thirties,that was if you could get away with it ! that was exactly what happened to Bader,his luck ran out.
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Ford Trimotor.
Nicknamed the 'Tin Goose' because of its corrugated alloy construction this is one of those famous machines that helped pave the way in air travel,this particular aeroplane was the only one of its kind operated by the R.A.F starting life as NC440K a factory model 5AT-170,after coming to the UK as G-ACAE on the outbreak of war she was impressed into the Royal Air Force taking up the serial X5000 in April 1940,one may ask what on earth they wanted with such a machine even back then ? well my research has shown that she was used in the Scottish Highlands on communications duties,as no colour scheme has ever come to light or phoographs of her in service colours,I had to make an educated guess at her markings,this is what I think she would have looked like way back in 1940,I do not think the scheme would have been far out ?
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Lockheed F-94C Starfire.
Lockheed F-94C Starfire.
Within six months of its formation,in the Autumn of 1947,the United States Air Force advised Lockheed of an urgent requirement for a two seat all-weather fighter.Successful use of the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star,and the T-33 trainer derived from it,led to the suggestion that a fighter could be based on the T-33 to meet the U.S.A.F request.The close relationship can be gauged by the fact that a modified F-80 served as the prototype for the T-33,and the same aircraft then became one of the two Lockheed YF-94 Starfire prototypes.It differed by having a fuselage lengthened to house fire control radar,and modified to accept the more powerful Alliison J33-A-33 Turbojet with an afterburning thrust of 6,000 lb.
The aircraft was flown a mere 12 months from the initiation of the idea during 1949,and despite the two protypes being beset with powerplant problems the advanced aircraft entered service in December of that year.So the U.S.A.F acquired its first turbojet all weather fighter quicker than would have been possible in any other way.
Production of this fine machine totalled 854 aircraft in three main versions,and these gave a decade of valuable service,serving first with the U.S Air Force in Korea,and remaining in service with the Air National Guard as lates as 1959.
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Avro Avian Monoplane.
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Gloster Javelin.
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Arado Ar.234.
Arado Ar.234.
The Arado AR.234 Blitz was the worlds first jet powered bomber,despite the fact that the original intentions were for it to be a fast reconnaisance aircraft.Work on the Arado AR.234 began in 1940 and was the result of a design study called E.370,the protype emerged in 1943,a shoulder wing design with two engines underslung beneath the wings,the fuselage cross section was so narrow that the undercarriage could not retract into it,the outcome was a jettisonable take off trolley,and retractable skids which the aircraft could return to earth.
There were considerable delays with the new Jumo 004B-0 engines which were finally delivered in February of 1943,meanwhile taxying tests were carried out culminating in the first flight in mid June,the third prototype had rocket assisted take off bottles ( RATOG )gear fitted together with a pressurised cockpit and early ejector seat.The engines were gradually uprated from 1,852 lbs to 1,962 lbs but the seventh machine in the 'A' series crashed after an engine fire killing the chief Arado test pilot Flugkapitan Selle.
The 'B' series had a conventional landing gear fitted,to alleviate the problems of not being able to move the AR.2324A around without fitting the launch trolley,the aircraft suffered thrust control problems and the BMW 003A-1 was fitted into the later 'B' series.
Operational evaluation took place over France in the reconnaisance role,during this time they defied interception.The bomber version became operational experimentally in the Stabstraffel of KG.76 on night fighter operations.
The AR.234C was fitted with four BMW003A-1 engines in 1944 and is the one shown here in model form.
The Frog kit came complete with a FZG 76 Flying Bomb model, and represented a projected plan to piggy back the bomb and launch them over populated cities at night.
Max speed 460 mph at 20,000 feet,she could climb to that height in 18 minutes.
Max range with bomb load 1,013 miles.
A truly awesome machine for its time which if developed earlier could have easily changed the path of WW.2.
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Douglas Skynight.
Douglas Skynight.
The Douglas Skynight was developed as a direct U.S.Navy requirement for a turbojet powered carrier based night fighter.
The type emerged as a cantilever mid wing monoplane of all metal construction,the wings incorporating hydraulic folding for storage on carriers,the circular section fuselage mounted hydraulically operated speed brakes,provided side by side accomodation for the pilot and radar operator.An unusual feature of this aircraft was an escape tunnel,extending from the rear of the cabin to the underside of the fuselage.Powerplant was two Westinghouse J34-WE-24 Turbojets,these were mounted on the lower edges of the forward fuselage,just beneath the wing roots.
The first prototype made its first flight in 1948,but while Douglas were still testing the aircraft an order for 20 aircraft was received under the designation F3D-1,the first of these were flown in 1950 and the type was filtering into service a year later.A improved Skynight under the designation F3D-2 was to enter service with a total of 237 units being made by Douglas,this had autopilot and updated avionics equipment.
The Skynight saw extensive service in Korea,this all weather fighter accounting for the majority of the victories scored by the U.S.Navy and Marine Corps.The type was re-designated the F-10A & F-10B with the introduction of the Tri-service designation system in September 1962,the aircraft soldiered on as ECM machines in Vietnam until 1969.
This model was made from a rare Matchbox kit of the type,many years before I remember battling with the smaller 1=96th scale offering made by Comet.
It represents an important but relatively forgotton jet fighter which served well in service.
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North American Twin Mustang.
North American Twin Mustang.
Although the P-51 had demonstrated exceptional range for a fighter,being able to escort from England bomber squadrons operating to the farthest targets in the Third Reich and over Czechoslovakia,northern Italy and Poland,even greater range capability was required in the Pacific theatre.
This led to the development of the North American P-82 Twin Mustang protype,which joined two P-51 fighters by eliminating one port and one starboard wing and both tailplanes,uniting the two components with a parallel chord wing and a new tailplane with elevator,the revised main landing gear comprised a single unit on each fuselage.Testing of the three prototypes led to a USAAF order for 500 P-82B fighters but only 20 had been built by the time that the war had ended.
Twin Mustangs operated by the US 5th Air Force were among the first US aircraft to operate over Korea.One flown by a pilot of the 68th Fighter ( All-Weather) Squadron,destroyed the first enemy aircraft in the Korean war.
Max Speed 461 mph at 21,000 feet,service ceiling 39,000 feet,range 2,240 miles.
About the model-Just like the real machine my model was made by grafting together two examples of the Airfix P-51 Mustang kit,this entailed making the centre wing from 4 laminations of plastikard,which was scraped and sanded to shape,likewise the tailplane which was also plastikard sheet.
The model has been photographd straight out of its storage box,so the dust and marks are for real and I did not clean her up in any way,prefering to keep her original.
No doubt today there are kits for the Twin Mustang,but back then the selection was pretty poor,and you just had to make do with what you had got,so it was two weeks pocket money on two seperate weeks to buy two Mustang kits !
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Lockheed Hudson.
The first American built aircraft to be used operationally by the RAF during World War 2,the Lockheed Hudson stemmed from urgent British requirements in early 1938 for a maritime patrol/navigational trainer aircraft.Faced with the problem of producing these aircraft as quickly as possible,Lockheed proposed a militarised version of the Lockheed 14 Super Electra,as then enviasaged the new aircraft was generally similar to the Lockheed 14-WF62,except for the introduction of a new fuselage that incorporated a nose and dorsal gun turret,a bomb bay in the centre fuselage,and a navigators position within the fuselage,to the rear of the wing trailing edge,however as the British Purchasing commission were seeking a maritime reconnaisance aircraft rather than a bomber,this configuration was not accepted.The BPC suggested that the navigator should be positioned closer to the pilot ,and on the following day Lockheed produced a mock up accomodating him in a glazed nose section.This proved good enough to provide contract negotations to begin leading to an order in late June 1938 for 200 B14L aircraft as the type was then designated by Lockheed,there was a provision in the contract that 250 would be accepted provided that total was delivered before the end of December 1939.A total of 2,941 were built being supplied to the U.S.Army and RAF Lease-lend contracts,besides being in service with British and Commonwealth air forces,some aircraft went to the Chinese air force,Portuguses Naval air arm and British Overseas Airways Corporation.
Max Speed:246 mph,Service ceiling:25,000 feet,Range:1,960 miles
Built from the old Airfix kit plus a few missing replacement parts donated by another wreck,not a bad model for its age.
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