That's all for this month and this year for our aircraft, 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. All these aircraft are ready for dispatch as of today.
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American designed twin engined tandem rotor helicopter manufactured by Boeing. The CH-47 is among the heaviest lifting helicopters in the West. Its name derives from the native American Indian Chinook tribe. By February 1966 the US army had 161 of these aircraft in its inventory, just in time for the Vietnam conflict.
The most spectacular mission in Vietnam for the Chinook was the placing of artillery batteries in perilous mountain positions inaccessible by any other means, and then keeping them resupplied with large quantities of ammunition. The 1st Cavalry Division found that its CH-47s were limited to a 7,000-pound (3,200 kg) payload when operating in the mountains, but could carry an additional 1,000 pounds (450 kg) when operating near the coast. The early Chinook design was limited by its rotor system which did not permit full use of the installed power and users were anxious for an improved version which would upgrade this system.
As with any new piece of equipment, the Chinook presented a major problem of "customer education". Commanders and crew chiefs had to be constantly alert that eager soldiers did not overload the temptingly large cargo compartment. It would be some time before troops would be experts at using sling loads. The Chinook soon proved to be such an invaluable aircraft for artillery movement and heavy logistics that it was seldom used as an assault troop carrier. Some of the Chinook fleet was used for casualty evacuation and due to the very heavy demand for the helicopters, they were usually overburdened with wounded. Perhaps the most cost effective use of the Chinook was the recovery of other downed aircraft. The CH-47s in Vietnam were generally armed with a single 7.62 mm M60 machine gun on a pintle mount on either side of the aircraft. Dust filters were also added to improve engine reliability. At its peak employment in Vietnam, 22 Chinook units were in operation. Of the 750 Chinook helicopters in the U.S. and South Vietnam fleets, about 200 were lost in combat or wartime operational accidents. The U.S. Army CH-47s supported the Australian army as and when required during their service in Vietnam.
The Chinook still operates today in various upgraded formats and has been one of the most successful helicopter designs of all time.
Our 1/32 scale Chinook in these markings is a limited run of 5 models worldwide. Comes with free NAM001 sentry figure as per the photos. Priced at $1500/£1200 plus shipping depending on your location.
The Harrier informally referred to as the Harrier Jump Jet, is a family of jet-powered attack aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations (V/STOL). Named after a bird of prey, it was originally developed by British manufacturer Hawker Siddeley in the 1960s. The Harrier emerged as the only truly successful V/STOL design of the many attempted during that era, despite being a subsonic aircraft, unlike most of its competitors. It was conceived to operate from improvised bases, such as car parks or forest clearings, without requiring large and vulnerable air bases. Later the design was adapted for use from aircraft carriers and has been adopted by several naval air forces including Spain, India and the United States.
The Harrier made its combat debut during the Falklands war in 1982, our 1/32 scale Harrier in muted colour scheme and markings is one flown by Lt Cdr Dave Braithwaite amongst others of 809 Sqn, flying from HMS Invincible in 1982.
Harrier pilots were informed they were up against odd of 4-1 versus the Argentinian jets, which were much faster at higher altitudes. However due to the high level of training and low level flying tactics adopted by the Royal Navy and RAF Harriers, they were able to significantly reverse these odds and scored some notable successes, with something like 40 Argentine aircraft succumbing to British Naval and air fire. This being said the Argentinians were fighting at the extreme edge of their range and delivered some heavy blows to the Royal Navy’s ships, 6 of them being sunk during the course of the 1982 conflict.
This is a limited edition model of 3 pieces worldwide and the price is $799/£699 plus postage which will vary depending on your location.
In the late 1970’s The Argentine air force bought 39 Nesher type aircraft from Israel, upgraded and renamed them ‘Dagger’s where they operated against Chile and then the United Kingdom in the 1982 Falklands war.
Although the Dagger was superior in speed to the British Harrier jump jets it operated against, it was also operating at the extreme edge of its operational range. This coupled with low level flying tactics developed by the British and with the help of new Sidewinder missiles procured from the United States, gave the British a surprising advantage. A total of 9 Daggers were lost in air combat and a further 2 were shot down by RN sea to air missiles. At the conclusion of the conflict the British Naval Commander Sandy Woodward stated the Argentine air force had fought extremely well and he had great admiration for them.
This 1/32 scale model is in the markings of the Argentine air force and depicts an aircraft flown by Captain Dimeglio San Julian during the Falklands war. This is a limited edition of 2 models only worldwide. The price for this model is $799/£699 plus postage.
In 1935, the RLM (Reich Aviation Ministry) invited several aviation companies to submit design proposals that would compete for the production contract for a new aircraft design suitable for liaison, army co-operation and medical evacuation. This resulted in the Me Bf 163 and the Siebel Si 201 competing against the Fieseler Fi 156 Storch entry. Conceived by chief designer Reinhold Mewes, Fieseler's design had a far better short take off and landing performance. A fixed slat ran along the entire length of the leading edge of the long wings, while a hinged and slotted set of control surfaces ran along the entire length of trailing edge. This was inspired by earlier 1930s Junkers Doppelflügel, "double-wing" aircraft wing control surface design concepts. For the Fi 156, this setup along each wing panel's trailing edge was split nearly 50/50 between the inboard-located flaps and outboard-located ailerons, which, in turn, included trim tabs devices over half of each aileron's trailing edge length.
The long legs of the main landing gear contained oil-and-spring shock absorbers that had a travel of 40 cm (15-3/4 inches), allowing the aircraft to land on comparatively rough and uneven surfaces; this was combined with a "pre-travel" distance of 20 cm, before the oleos began damping the landing gear shock. In flight, the main landing gear legs hung down, giving the aircraft the appearance of a long-legged, big-winged bird, hence its nickname, Storch. With its very low landing speed, the Storch often appeared to land vertically, or even backwards in strong winds from directly ahead. About 2900 Storch were manufactured by the Germans with various other countries including Russia and France also producing the Storch.
Our 1/32 scale Desert version of the Storch comes in a sand and grey mottled camouflage pattern and is limited to 3 pieces in this version. Priced at $799/£699 plus postage depending on your location. All of our Storches come with a free mat as per the photos, the excellent K&C figures are shown for scale purposes only and are not included but can be purchased direct through K&C themselves or one of their dealers.
A winter and hospital variant are also available in very small numbers and are shown below. We have had two of the Storche's made that were used in the Gran Sasso rescue mission of Mussolini. Both of these were made for customers but if you fancy one let us know and we can custom order one for you, or put you on the short list in case we get a cancellation.
The Fiat BR.20 Cicogna or Stork was a low-wing twin-engine medium bomber developed and manufactured by Fiat. It holds the distinction of being the first all-metal bomber to enter Italian service and was regarded as one of the most modern medium bombers in the world at the time. The primary mission of the aircraft was to perform medium-range bombing runs. The plane was provided with a large number of design features that were very advanced for its time: the aircraft was capable of a maximum speed in excess of 400 km/h (250 mph) and a relatively high cruise speed of 320 km/h (200 mph), being as fast as the better of its international competitors, such as the Tupolev SB light bomber.
The BR.20 has its origins in a request by the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) issued during 1934 for a new medium bomber capable of high speeds, long range, and satisfactory payload, reliability, and flight characteristics compared to other contemporaries. During summer 1937 the BR.20 received its baptism of fire when a number were operated by the Aviazione Legionaria during the Spanish Civil War; the BR-20 came to form the backbone of Nationalist bombing operations, along with the German-built Heinkel He 111. It was also used in combat during the late 1930s with relative success by the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It was given the combat name ‘Ruth’ by the Allies.
The BR.20 was produced from the mid-1930s until the end of the Second World War. More than 500 were produced before the end of the war. The BR.20 also saw action over Great Britain, North Africa, Malta and the Soviet Union during its career. It had a 5 man crew and was considered effective for its time, but was vulnerable to modern fighters like the Spitfire and Hurricane which it frequently came into contact with. The Cigona was nearly 55ft long with a 71 feet wingspan making this a comparable size aircraft with the German Heinkel 111, as such its a relatively large 1/32 scale Mahogany model.
This particular 1/32 scale version comes in Japanese markings and is limited to 2 pieces worldwide.
Priced at $1050/£899 plus postage depending on your location.
Dear all welcome to our December 2019 Aircraft newsletter featuring some exciting new products. All our hand carved Mahogany aircraft take in the region of 60 hours 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.
We have had some restocks in very limited numbers of the Bolton Paul Defiant, it should be appearing on our website www.tomgunn.co.uk soon or if you cannot wait drop us an email to welcome@gunnclub.co.uk so we can register your interest. Also as well as the Desert Storch mentioned in the notes below, we have a limited number of hospital and winter variants available whilst stocks last.
For those of you who wish to spread your budget, 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 todays 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.
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