August Warbirds (1 Viewer)

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW485 Junkers Ju.287 Jet Bomber

The Ju 287 was intended to provide the Luftwaffe with a bomber that could avoid interception by outrunning enemy fighters. The swept-forward wing was suggested by the project's head designer Dr. Hans Wocke as a way of providing extra lift at low airspeeds - necessary because of the poor responsiveness of early turbojet engines, at the vulnerable times of takeoff and landing. A further structural advantage of the forward-swept wing was that it would allow for a single massive bomb bay in the best location, the centre of gravity of the plane, with the main wing spar passing behind the bomb bay. The same structural requirement meant the wing could then be located at the best aerodynamic location, the centre of the fuselage. The Junkers 287 was one of the only jet aircraft ever designed with a fixed undercarriage, this concept was used as the wing box couldn't have cutouts for wheel stowage, which would reduce wing torsion box stiffness required for the forward sweep design. Later prototypes with higher power engines and higher top speed would have the undercarriage stowage in the centre fuselage sides.

Flight tests began on 16 August 1944 (pilot: Siegfried Holzbaur), with the aircraft displaying extremely good handling characteristics, as well as revealing some of the problems of the forward-swept wing under flight conditions. The most notable of these drawbacks was 'wing warping', or excessive in-flight flexing of the main spar and wing assembly. Tests suggested that the warping problem would be eliminated by concentrating greater engine mass under the wings. This technical improvement would be incorporated in the subsequent prototypes with under wing engines moved forward under leading edge as a mass balance. Several versions were underway during 1944, the final Ju 287 variant design to be mooted was a Mistel combination-plane ground attack version, comprising an unmanned explosives-packed "drone" 287 and a manned Me 262 fighter attached to the top of the bomber by a strut assembly. The cockpit of the 287 would be replaced by a massive impact-fused warhead. Takeoff and flight control of the combination would be under the direction of the 262's pilot. The 262 would disengage from the 287 drone as the Mistel neared its target, the pilot of the fighter remotely steering the 287 for the terminal phase of its strike mission.

Work on the Ju 287 programme, along with all other pending German bomber projects came to a halt in July 1944,the site was overrun by the Soviets in 1945 with the staff being sent to Russia for an extended vacation, most never returned.

This 1/30 scale model is priced at $1200 plus shipping, we have a total of 3 available. The figures and accessories are shown 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 5% discount on the website listed price, joining is free so well worth registering.

Reference our latest figure release, SS135A Officer Pointing has sold out, the winter German 'Breakfast Club' have also reached the low stock status and so have the ROM160/167 B/C versions with only a few sets left ins tock.

Best wishes The Gunn Team

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW482 Republic P-47 Thunderbolt

The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was a World War II era fighter aircraft produced by the United States between 1941 and 1945. Its primary armament was eight .50-caliber machine guns and in the fighter-bomber ground-attack role it could carry five-inch rockets or a bomb load of 2,500 pounds (1,103 kg). When fully loaded the P-47 weighed up to eight tons making it one of the heaviest fighters of the war. The P-47 was designed around the powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine which was also used by two U.S. Navy fighters, the Grumman F6F Hellcat and the Vought F4U Corsair. The Thunderbolt was effective as a short-to-medium range escort fighter in high-altitude air-to-air combat and ground attack in both the World War II European and Pacific theatres. The P-47 was one of the main United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) fighters of World War II, and served with Allied air forces including France, Britain, and Russia. Mexican and Brazilian squadrons fighting alongside the U.S. were equipped with the P-47. The armoured cockpit was relatively roomy and comfortable, offering good visibility. A modern-day U.S. ground-attack aircraft, the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, takes its name from the P-47.

Our 1/30 scale P-47D-26-RA, was flown by Lt. James R. Hopkins, 509th FS, 405th FG, 9th AF, as it would have appeared at Ophoven, Belgium, March 1945. This is definitely a large fighter aircraft, hence the price, we do not think you will be disappointed.

The price for this model is $750 plus $100 shipping with 3 available. The figures and accessories are shown for scale comparison purposes and are not included.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW481 Dornier 215 Night fighter

The Dornier Do 215 was a fast light bomber, aerial reconnaissance aircraft and later a night fighter, produced by Dornier originally for export but in the event most served in the Luftwaffe. Like its predecessor, the Dornier Do 17, it inherited the title "The Flying Pencil" because of its slim fuselage.
Series production of the Do 215 A-1 began in 1939. The order, intended for the Swedish Air Force, was halted in August 1939, due to the political situation in Europe with war seeming imminent and unstoppable. The 18 extant aircraft were embargoed and pressed into Luftwaffe service upon the outbreak of World War II.

Some modifications were made and the resulting aircraft were redesignated as Do 215 B-0through Do 215 B-5. This was the standard production version. According to official figures, a total of 105 Do 215s were produced between 1939 and 1941 by Dornier at its factory at Oberpfaffenhofen. Dornier 215's were withdrawn from service in 1944.

The night fighter variants were fitted with Lichenstein radar (the radar antennae, rear machine gun and radio antennae are detachable on our model) and were armed with 4 x machine guns and 4 x cannon in the nose, which surely would have had a devastating effect on any unlucky Allied bomber caught in its sights.
Our 1/30 scale model measures 53cm long and 60cm in width and is priced at $1200 plus postage. We only have 1 model available. This particular aircraft was flown by Paul Gildner, a 44 kill Ace who was posthumously awarded the Knights Cross after his death in 1943.

The figures and accessories are shown for scale comparison purposes only and are not included.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW480 Nakajima Ki.27 Nate

The Japanese Army’s first generation of monoplane fighter was Nakajima’s Ki-27. This type entered service in 1937, saw extensive service in China and continued into World War II.

The Nate possessed the extreme sort of maneuverability that would be typical even of more modern Japanese designs. With very light wing loading the type was nearly as maneuverable as the bi-plane it replaced (Ki-10) and almost as fast as those “more modern” foreign types. It achieved aerial superiority over China while facing mainly older western aircraft and a few newer Polikarpov I-16s. When all out war erupted between Japan and the Soviet Union in Nomonhan Mongolia during the summer of 1939, the Japanese Army again won air superiority. Even if this war went poorly for the Japanese on the ground they dominated the air until the last few weeks when the Soviets introduced some later model I-16s with pilot armor and self sealing fuel tanks.

Most of the West drew some poor conclusions from fighting in China. The Ki-27 was generally dismissed for its obsolescence by analysts who failed to consider what the next generation of Japanese designs might bring. When World War II did break out, the Ki-27 did indeed prove to be out of date; it generally performed poorly against Buffaloes in Singapore and Malaysia and P-40s over China and the Philippines. But its replacement was at hand and Nakajima’s much more capable Ki-43 Oscar (along with the Japanese Navy’s A6M Zero) shredded Allied air defenses.

There is something about 1930's fighter designs that eschew a grace and beauty that disappeared once the necessities of wartime production took precedence over everything else. Our 1/30 scale model was one that saw active service over China in 1939 and flew against Soviet forces in the Nomonhan area.

Price for this model is $695 plus postage.

The accessories and figures are shown for scale comparison purposes only and are not included.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

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Dear all, welcome to our August 2023 Aircraft newsletter featuring some very 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 and others who cannot be named with their 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.

 

[tmanthegreat]

Beautiful releases again! That KI.27 is a particularly beautiful little plane. I also thought the JU 287 was some kind of far out concept design, but then looked it up and saw it was a real prototype that actually flew!

 

[lancer]

Gorgeous aircraft. Love the Nate and the Dornier. -- Al