April 2021 Gunn Warbirds (1 Viewer)

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW338 KI-84 Hayate 'Kamikaze Variant'


The Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate, known as “Frank” in Allied jargon, was one of the best IJAAF (Imperial Japanese Army Air Force) fighters during the final year of the Pacific war. Featuring an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear, this all-metal cantilever low-wing monoplane with an elegant body, was the successor to the previous Nakajima fighters, the Ki-43 Hayabusa and Ki-44 Shoki.


The Ki-84 proved its value fighting in China and the Philippines, although the highest number of these machines were lost there too. When in the hands of an experienced pilot, it was a good match for the best of Allied fighter aircraft. After the war a small number of Ki-84s served with the Chinese air forces, taking part in the civil war of 1945-1949.


The Nakajima Ki-84 was the fastest single-engine fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in World War II. It marked the evolution of the series of fighters produced by Nakajima starting with the Ki-27 Nate, and continuing with the Ki-43 Oscar and Ki-44 Tojo. It outperformed the F6F Hellcat, P-51 Mustang and P-47 Thunderbolt. It was a powerful high-altitude fighter that combined the nimbleness of the Ki-43 with the heavy firepower of the Ki-44. It was used to intercept B-29 Superfortresse’s and was armed with two 12.7 mm machine guns above the cowling and two 20 mm cannons located in the wings. It made its inaugural flight in April 1943 and from the drawing board to the production line was only ten months. Total production was 3,382 aircraft


The Ki-84 was designed to replace the Ki-43 Oscar which was just entering service at the time. The new requirement called for an aircraft that would match the performance of any Allied fighter. This called for greater power and maneuverability than the Ki-43 and unlike previous aircraft, such as the famous Mitsubishi Zero, it would have armor protection for the pilot and would be equipped with self-sealing tanks.


In late August of 1944, the Ki84 first entered combat over China with the 22nd Air Regiment (this Regiment had been involved in the testing/training period of the new fighter). Initial results were excellent, catching the American Army Air Force pilots completely off guard.


We have only 5 of these 1/30 scale models priced at $550 plus shipping.
This is the Ki-84, flown by Gunso Takano, 57th Shimbu-tai.

Shinbu-Tai translates as “Special Attack” units or better known in the West as Kamikaze units. On 25 May 1945, 10 x Ki 84's piloted by 57th Shinbu- tai, including Takano attacked allied ships west of Okinawa Island, none returned.


All figures shown are for scale comparison purposes only.











That's all for this month, we sincerely hope you enjoy the pictures and would love to hear from you if any of these magnificent models appeal to you. They are all now on our website www.tomgunn.co.uk and can be paid for upfront or over an extended monthly period. All Gunn Club members qualify for a 10% discount on the website listed price, joining is free so well worth registering.


We hope everyone is staying safe and taking care in these troubled times, which are hopefully coming to an end soon for everyone.


Best wishes The Gunn Team

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW327 F105 Thunderchief

The Republic F-105 Thunderchief was an American supersonic fighter-bomber used by the United States Air Force. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War; it was the only American aircraft to have been removed from combat due to high loss rates. It was originally designed as a single-seat, nuclear-attack aircraft; a two-seat Wild Weasel version was later developed for the specialized Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) role against surface-to-air missile sites. The F-105 was commonly known as the "Thud" by its crews.


As a follow-on to the Mach 1 capable North American F-100 Super Sabre, the F-105 was also armed with missiles and a rotary cannon; however, its design was tailored to high-speed low-altitude penetration carrying a single nuclear weapon internally. First flown in 1955, the Thunderchief entered service in 1958. The single-engine F-105 could deliver a greater bomb load than some American heavy bombers of World War II such as the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator. The F-105 was one of the primary attack aircraft of the Vietnam War; over 20,000 Thunderchief sorties were flown, with 382 aircraft lost including 62 operational (non-combat) losses (out of the 833 produced). Although less agile than smaller MiG fighters, USAF F-105s were credited with 27.5 kills.


When the Thunderchief entered service it was the largest single-seat, single-engine combat aircraft in history, weighing approximately 50,000 pounds (23,000 kg). It could exceed the speed of sound at sea level and reach Mach 2 at high altitude. The F-105 could carry up to 14,000 lb (6,400 kg) of bombs and missiles.


The F-105 became the dominant attack aircraft early in the Vietnam War. The F-105 could carry more than twice the bomb load farther and faster than the F-100, which was used mostly in South Vietnam. In a foreshadowing of its Wild Weasel role, the first F-105D combat mission of the war involved an attack on 14 August 1964 against an anti-aircraft artillery site on Plaine des Jarres. This mission was carried out by aircraft of the 36th TFS, 6441st Tactical Fighter Wing deployed from Yokota Air Base, Japan to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. The first Thunderchief lost in the war also occurred during this mission, although the pilot managed to return the aircraft to Korat. The first strike mission took place on 13 January 1965 with the destruction of the Ben Ken bridge in Laos. In early 1965 additional F-105 squadrons were deployed to Korat and Takhli air bases in Thailand. At the start of Operation Rolling Thunder in March 1965, large numbers of F-105Ds were shipped to these bases to participate in intense bombing missions.


Our model is one of those aircraft based in Thailand with the 562nd TFS in 1965, taking part in numerous air to ground bombing missions during the Vietnam war until replaced by the F-4 Phantom.


We have 3 of these 1/32 scale models available priced at $950 plus shipping. All figures shown are for scale comparison purposes only.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW332 A-20 Boston Havoc


The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) was an American medium bomber, attack aircraft, night intruder, night fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II.


Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for a bomber, it was ordered by France for their air force before the USAAF decided it would also meet their requirements. French DB-7s were the first to see combat; after the fall of France the bomber under the service name Boston continued with the Royal Air Force. From 1941, night fighter and intruder versions were given the service name Havoc. In 1942 USAAF A-20s saw combat in North Africa.


In 1940, the US military’s indifference to the type was overcome by improvements made for the French and British Commonwealth air forces.


The USAAC was impressed enough by the A-20A’s high power to weight ratio and easy handling characteristics. Two variants were ordered, in a tranche of more than 200 aircraft: the A-20 for high-altitude daylight bombing and the A-20A for low- and medium-altitude missions. It was intended that the high-altitude variant would be fitted with turbosupercharged Wright R-2600-7 engines; after a prototype suffered technical problems, the USAAC changed its order and an initial shipment of 123 A-20As (with less-powerful R-2600-3 engines) and 20 A-20s (R-2600-11) entered service in early 1941. A further 59 aircraft from this first order were received as P-70 night fighters, with two-stage supercharged R-2600-11 engines.




We only have 1 of these 1/32 sale models available priced at $1100 plus shipping. A total of 3 models were made but 2 have sold on pre-order, this is the last one in these 'La France Libre' markings.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

Dear all welcome to our April 2021 Aircraft newsletter featuring some exciting new products. All our hand carved Mahogany aircraft take in the region of 250 days to manufacture plus many more hours of drying time. For this reason we only make small numbers of each model and every aircraft is a unique piece.
For those of you who wish to spread your budget when buying our aircraft, please note we do accept stage payments where you can spread the cost over several months. If you require further details of any of the aircraft in today's newsletter, please email welcome@gunnclub.co.uk and ask for a quote.


All our aircraft now come with their own stands and can be displayed in flying mode if required.

WOW337 De Havilland Mosquito 'Hairless Joe'


During WWII, scarcity of strategic materials such as metals, rubber, oil, lubricant, etc, forced engineers to be more creative in order to find alternative ways of keeping armament production unabated. In an age of all-metal fighter/bomber aircraft, engineers in Great Britain, Germany, Japan, and Russian developed capable warplanes made from wood. The most famous and successful wooden warplane was the de Havilland Mosquito. It was originally designed as an unarmed bomber using non-strategic material for construction.


The Mosquito’s excellent wooden design gave it lightweight and high-speed manoeuvrability. The Mosquito excelled in all the roles that it was given to fulfil, including low- to medium-altitude fighter bomber, photo-reconnaissance, night fighter/bomber, maritime strike aircraft and transport.
The initial project was nearly cancelled due to Lord Beaverbrook’s lack of conviction for the wooden wonder, however Geoffrey de Havilland persisted and in 1941 the Mosquito was by then the fastest operational aircraft in the world.


The Mosquito was often flown in special raids, such as the attack on Amiens Prison in early 1944, and precision attacks against military intelligence, security, and police facilities (such as Gestapo headquarters). On 30 January 1943, the 10th anniversary of the Nazi’s seizure of power, a morning Mosquito attack knocked out the main Berlin broadcasting station while Hermann Goring was speaking, taking his speech off the air. The Mosquito flew with the RAF and other allied air forces operating in just about very theatre during WW2.


This bird has the markings of Russell Bannocks 'Hairless Joe' from No. 148 squadron. Bannock was born in Edmonton in 1919 and worked as a commercial pilot before the Second World War, obtaining his private pilot's license in 1938 and his commercial pilot's license in 1939. After entering the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Bannock received his pilot's wings in 1940 and was appointed as an instructor at Trenton, Ontario. Later he was posted to Royal Air Force Ferry Command from June to August 1942. In September 1942, Bannock became chief instructor with the Flying Instructor School at Arnprior in Ontario. Bannock's request for overseas service was granted in 1944 and he joined 60 OTU based in RAF High Ercall, England.


In June 1944, Bannock was then transferred to No. 418 Squadron RCAF, flying intruder missions over Europe with the de Havilland Mosquito Mk. VI fighter-bomber. He quickly proved adept at this type of operation and achieved his first of 11 victories. In October 1944 he was promoted to Wing Commander and took command of the squadron. Bannock also flew 'Diver' operations against the German V-1 "flying bombs" launched against London and southern England. On one mission he shot down four V-1s in one hour. A bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) was added for his missions against the V-1s. Bannock died in 2020 at the age of 100 years old.


We have 3 of these 1/30 scale models available priced at $599 plus shipping. All figures shown are for scale comparison purposes only.

 

[joesgis]

Such amazing works of art.... I love the one with a bomb bay, and the Japanese Kamikaze is my favorite but all are amazing. Thanks for the pics, and congrats to anyone who lands one of these beauties.

Joe

 

[Panzer ace]

The continued production of modern aircraft within the Thomas Gunn Warbirds line is great.

The 105 Thunderchief is spectacular.

 

[Mrgudz]

That Mozzie is a thing of beauty!!

 

[lancer]

That Ki-84 is gorgeous. Well done, TGM. -- Al