August 2021 Thomas Gunn Warbirds (1 Viewer)

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW346 Westland Wessex RAF Variant

The Westland Wessex was a British-built turbine-powered development of the Sikorsky H-34. It was developed and produced under licence by Westland Aircraft (later Westland Helicopters). One of the main changes from Sikorsky’s H-34 was the replacement of the piston-engine powerplant with a turboshaft engine. Early models were powered by a single Napier Gazelle engine, while later builds used a pair of de Havilland Gnome engines.


The Wessex was initially produced for the Royal Navy (RN) and later for the Royal Air Force (RAF); a limited number of civilian aircraft were also produced, as well as some export sales. The Wessex operated as an anti-submarine warfare and utility helicopter; it is perhaps best recognised for its use as a search and rescue (SAR) helicopter. The type entered operational service in 1961, and had a service life in excess of 40 years before being retired from British service. The Wessex saw service in Brunei where it was used to ferry troops during the Indonesian crisis and then later in the Falklands war where around 55 machines took part in the conflict.


Our 1/32 scale machine is one flown by the Royal Air Force and operated our of Cyprus and Northern Ireland during it career.
The K&C figures, TG mat and oil drums are shown for scale reference purposes only and are not included. We only have 1 model available priced at $1350 plus shipping.











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 5% discount on the website listed price, joining is free so well worth registering.
Our figures for September are arriving tomorrow, therefore we should be able to get our figures newsletter out early September.


Best wishes The Gunn Team

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW349 Messerschmitt Me 110


The Messerschmitt Bf 110 was a twin engine heavy fighter armed with 2 x 20mm cannons, 4 x 7.92mm machine guns at the front and 1 x MG fitted to the rear for defence. The Bf 110 served with success in the early stages of the war during the Polish and France campaigns but was hopelessly outclassed by the RAF’s fighters during the Battle of Britain where it served as a long range bomber escort. Redeployed as a night fighter in the west the Bf 110 was well suited to this role, especially when flown by aces like Major Schnaufer who claimed 121 victories solely in this type of aircraft.


In other theatres such as the Balkans and the Russian front, the 110 soldiered on as a ground attack/fighter bomber and performed admirably. A 37mm cannon could also be fitted under the belly of the Bf 110 which made this a formidably armed aircraft when used in the ground attack or bomber interceptor role. The 110 was also adopted by Italy, Romania and Hungary amongst others with over 6000 aircraft being produced during its operational career.


Our 1/30 scale model comes in the markings of a machine flown by ZG 76 during the battle of Britain who then relocated with their Me 110's to take part in the Crete campaign. The model comes with distinctive sharks teeth markings, underwing fuel tanks and bombs. The figures, mats and vehicles are shown for scale comparison purposes and are not included. We have a limited edition of 3 models in these markings priced at $899 plus shipping.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW344 Kawasaki Ki-45 'Nick'


The Ki-45 was built in response to the European development of twin engined fighters like the Me-110 and De Havilland Mosquito.


Originally designed as a long range escort fighter for bombers, the type often fell prey to more nimble single engine fighters. However the Nick found its niche as a night fighter where it was armed with upward firing guns, one unit claiming eight B-29's on their first mission in the defence of Japan. The Nick was also utilised in Kamikaze missions, the most famous being when the USS Dickerson was hit by two Nicks, resulting in a number of casualties and the scuttling of the ship.


We have 5 of these 1/30 scale models (3 sold already) priced at $850 plus shipping. All K&C/TG figures shown are for scale comparison purposes only. The rear facing machine gun was not often used on night time missions and is also removable on our model.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW341 B-29 Superfortress


The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was one of the most famous and formidable bombing aircraft of the Second World War. During the War, these bombers were primarily used in the Pacific theatre. The first Boeing B-29 bomber entered service in the US Army Air Force in September 1943 and the last B-29 retired from service in September 1960. Over the years, a total of 1620 B-29 aircraft were built by Boeing at its Wichita, Kansas plant. Powered by four Wright R-3550 'Star-Engines', an enormous load of remotely controlled ammunition, fuel, bombs and a pressurized compartment for a crew of 13 could be carried as far as 6000 miles and as high as 30,000 feet at a maximum speed of 357 mph.


Our particular 1/32 scale wooden model comes in the markings of Miss Dina Might. For those of you who remember the Airfix model kits she was the subject of one of their 1/72 scale model kits back in the golden days.
We have 2 of these models (1 sold already) priced at $2000 plus shipping. All the K&C/JJD/TG figures shown are for scale comparison purposes only and are not included. This is a fixed wing variant whereas our last version had detachable wings.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

Dear all, welcome to our August 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.


A big thank you to Mark Dyer with his assistance in the research and development of these models, it really has been invaluable.


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

 

[MLH13]

Another stellar showing of TGM aircraft! This new B-29 is awfully tempting. I have the TGM Fu-Kemal-Tu B-29 and it is the centerpiece of my collection. An absolute work of art and definitely worth the cost IMO.

Mark

 

[Mrgudz]

Love the look of that ME110 - Like Mark I’m finding this very tempting.