April Warbirds (1 Viewer)

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW308 Hawker Hurricane 'Stanford Tuck'


The Hawker Hurricane was a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s/40s that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the RAF. It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by the Supermarine Spitfire's role during Battle of Britain in 1940, however the Hurricane inflicted 60 percent of the losses sustained by the Luftwaffe in this engagement, and fought in all the major theatres of the Second World War.


In June 1936, the Hurricane went into production for the Air Ministry; it entered squadron service on 25 December 1937. Its manufacture and maintenance was eased by using conventional construction methods so that squadrons could perform many major repairs without external support. The Hurricane was rapidly procured prior to the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, when the RAF had 18 Hurricane-equipped squadrons in service.


The Hurricane was developed through several versions, into bomber-interceptors, fighter-bombers, and ground support aircraft as well as fighters. Versions designed for the Royal Navy known as the Sea Hurricane had modifications enabling operation from ships. Some were converted as catapult-launched convoy escorts. By the end of production in July 1944, 14,487 Hurricanes had been completed in Britain, Canada, Belgium and Yugoslavia.


Our Hurricane is flown by RAF ace Robert Roland Stanford-Tuck, DSO, DFC & Two Bars, AFC (1 July 1916 – 5 May 1987) was a British fighter pilot, flying ace and test pilot. Tuck joined the RAF in 1935 and first engaged in combat during the Battle of France, over Dunkirk, claiming his first victories. In September 1940 he was promoted to squadron leader and commanded a Hawker Hurricane squadron. On 28 January 1942, he was hit by anti-aircraft fire, was forced to land in France, and was taken prisoner. At the time of his capture, Tuck had claimed 29 enemy aircraft destroyed, two shared destroyed, six probably destroyed, six damaged and one shared damaged.


We have a limited edition of five 1/30 scale hand carved Mahogany aircraft available with a price of $599 plus shipping. Comes with free sample of RAF005 pilot whilst stocks last.

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.


Best wishes The Gunn Team

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW299 Nakajima Ki-84 ‘Frank’


The Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate was a single-seat fighter flown by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service in the last two years of World War II. The Allied reporting name was “Frank”; the Japanese Army designation was Army Type 4 Fighter. The Ki-84 is generally considered the best Japanese fighter to operate in large numbers during the conflict. The aircraft boasted high speeds and excellent maneuverability with an armament (up to two 30 mm and two 20 mm cannon) that gave it formidable firepower. The Ki-84’s performance matched that of any single-engine Allied fighter it faced, and its operational ceiling enabled it to intercept high-flying B-29 Superfortress bombers. Pilots and crews in the field learned to take care with the plane’s high-maintenance Nakajima Homare engine and a landing gear prone to buckling. The difficulties of Japan’s situation late in the war took a toll on the aircraft’s field performance as manufacturing defects multiplied, quality fuel proved difficult to procure and experienced pilots grew scarce. Nevertheless a well maintained Ki-84 was Japan’s fastest fighter. A total of 3,514 aircraft were built.


The first major operational involvement was during the battle of Leyte at the end of 1944, and from that moment until the end of the Pacific war the Ki-84 was deployed wherever the action was intense. The 22nd Sentai re-equipped with production Hayates. Though it lacked sufficient high-altitude performance, it performed well at medium and low levels. Seeing action against the USAAF 14th Air Force, it quickly gained a reputation as a combat aircraft to be reckoned with. Fighter-bomber models also entered service. On April 15 1945, 11 Hayates attacked US airfields on Okinawa, destroying many aircraft on the ground.


In the final year of the war the Ki-84, the Ki-100 (essentially a radial-engined version of the inline-powered Kawasaki Ki-61) and Kawanishi’s N1K2-J were the three Japanese fighters best suited to combat the newer Allied fighters.


Our striking silver Nakajima Ki-84 was flown by Cpt Isamu Ono who commanded the 29th Sentai in from January 1945 until the end of the war.


This 1/30 scale model is priced at $599 plus shipping. Free RS061A Figure is included with this warbird, all other figures are shown for illustration purposes only. This is a limited run of five models worldwide.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW298 Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden Kai ‘George’


Despite some early setbacks in design, the Kawanishi “Shiden” (or “violet lightning” codenamed “George” by the Allies), was an exemplary fighter that was capable of going head-to-head with even the fabled American F6F Hellcat series. Operating from land-bases, the Shiden featured a powerful engine, streamlined fuselage and potent armament display that provided Japanese forces with a fast and heavy-hitter in the latter stages of the Pacific War. Despite their successes the system was only fielded in 1,400 examples, limiting their reach and overall potential to an extent.


The Kawanishi design bureau had already been at work on a versatile floatplane and saw an opportunity to extend that design into a land-based variant. Using the same developed airframe, the N1K1-J was born from the existing N1K1 floatplane and featured an all-new Nakajima radial piston engine along with a newly engineered landing gear system. The prototype N1K1-J premiered in late 1942 with production beginning the following year.
Kawanishi produced a very slender almost featureless, design making for one streamlined airframe. Wings were low-mounted monoplanes just under and forward of the high-mounted cockpit, offering up good visibility. The engine was well forward of the cockpit and featured a large propeller hub and fitted engine cowling. All vertical and horizontal surfaces were curved and straight-edged, no doubt adding to the performance capabilities of the system. Power was derived from a single Nakajima NK9H Homare 21 radial piston engine producing an impressive 1,990 horsepower. Performance statistics reported a top speed of up to 363 miles per hour, a service ceiling of nearly 20,000 feet and an operational range of up to 890 miles. Armament consisted of a pair of 7.7mm Type 97 machine guns in the nose engine cowling and an additional 4 x 20mm cannons in the wings. Later models would feature provisions for external underwing bomb racks, adding to the already impressive armament array of this aircraft.


Entry into the war for the Shiden initially produced some mixed results as the powerplant proved to be in need of some more attention. Additionally, with new design elements on existing airframes come new problems, such being the case with the landing gear system. On the combat side of things however the Shiden design never failed, proving to be more than a match for its American counterparts. The base N1K1-J series was produced in three follow-up variants that addressed different armament arrangements and bomb loads. An “improved” N1K1-J model was formed in the N1K1-2 series and addressed the aforementioned engine and landing issues along with other subtle design elements. By war’s end, the Shiden had already made its mark as at the very least one of the top three Japanese fighters of the war.
Our warbird is flown by Naoshi Kanno. Kanno enrolled in the Japanese Navy Academy in December 1938, graduating in February 1943 in the 70th class. Upon completion of flight school he was assigned to the front lines in April 1943, joining the 343rd Naval Air Group, quickly becoming a squadron commander (buntai leader) and by July 1944, leading (as the hikotai leader) the 306th Squadron of the 201st Naval Air Group. He gained the reputation as a rebellious but skillful fighter pilot and was credited with 25 victories. He was killed in action on 1st August 1945 in the vicinity of Yakushima at the controls of his aircraft.


This hand carved warbird is 1/30 scale and is priced at $599 plus shipping. This model comes with a free sample of RS057 marching soldier. All other figures are shown for illustration purposes only. We only have four samples available in stock of this warbird.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW295 Fokker Dr.I ‘Werner Steinhauser’


The Fokker Dr.1 was built by Fokker- Flugzeuwerke and entered service in the spring of 1918. It was inspired by Anthony Fokker viewing a captured Sopwith Triplane in April 1917. Upon his return to the Schwerin factory Fokker instructed Reinhold Platz to design a German version of the Triplane. Platz responded with an initial design called the V.4 which was deemed initially unsuitable but from this design the V.5 was developed. The first 2 of 3 initial prototypes were sent to Belgium to be combat evaluated, with Richoften scoring 2 victories in one of these before Kurt Wolff took over the evaluation process. Wolff was killed whilst flying his on 15th September with Werner Voss also killed a few days later flying his Triplane prototype. However Richoften declared the Fokker Triplane superior to the British variant and it was put into immediate production. The Dr.1 was popular with its pilots but it was prone to tipping over whilst landing, had a cramped cockpit and was slower than some Allied aircraft. The top wing also had a tendency to shed itself at high speeds, this was later found out to be due to poor materials and workmanship, it was also found that the upper wing carried a higher lift coefficient than the lower wing, at high speeds, this could be as much as 2.5 times the lower wing. Because of these failures only 320 Triplane were built before being replaced by the Fokker D. V11, arguably one of the best fighters of WW1.


Compared with the Albatros and Pfalz fighters, the Dr.I offered exceptional maneuverability. Though the ailerons were not very effective, the rudder and elevator controls were light and powerful. Rapid turns, especially to the right, were facilitated by the triplane’s marked directional instability. Vizefeldwebel Franz Hemer of Jasta 6 said, “The triplane was my favorite fighting machine because it had such wonderful flying qualities. I could let myself stunt – looping and rolling – and could avoid an enemy by diving with perfect safety.


Our warbird is flown by German ace Werner Steinhauser who was born in Konigsburg 20th June 1893. After downing a balloon with FA(A) 261, Steinhäuser joined Jasta 11 at the end of 1917. He was wounded in action and forced to land on 17 March 1918, just five days after scoring a victory over a Bristol F.2b. Having scored ten victories, he was killed in action when his Fokker DR.I was shot down over Neuilly on the 26th June 1918. Steinhauser flew two Triplanes, his first version was painted in a green colour, the later variant was painted brown.


This warbird is 1/30 scale and is priced at $399 plus shipping. A replica of Steinhauser’s last Triplane has been constructed and fly’s regularly at air displays today. This model comes with a free CLUB041 Figure or similar whilst stocks last. The other figures and mat shown are for illustration purposes only. A total of seven models are available worldwide with no more to follow please note.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

Dear all welcome to our April 2020 Aircraft newsletter featuring some exciting new products. All our hand carved Mahogany aircraft take in the region of 180 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.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

Just to let you know we only have 1 x Hurricane left, no more are planned so if of interest please let us know soon!

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

Just to let you know we only have 1 x Hurricane left, no more are planned so if of interest please let us know soon!

I am happy to say all the Hurricanes have now sold out, thank you for your support.