That's all for this month and actually for this year, all models available will soon be on our website www.tomgunn.co.uk or can be reserved by emailing us at welcome@gunnclub.co.uk.
Please note we offer a 3 to 6 month deferred payment scheme on all our models, drop us a line if you wish to take advantage of this.
The Piaggio P.108 bomber was an Italian four-engine heavy bomber that saw service with the Italian Air Force during WW2. The prototype first flew on 24 November 1939 and it entered service in 1941. It was one of a handful of Italian combat aircraft that could match the best bombers being manufactured by the Allies. Four versions of the P.108 were designed, but only one, the P.108B bomber, was produced in any quantity before the armistice. The other variants included the P.108A anti-ship aircraft with a 102 mm (4 in) gun, the P.108C, an airlianer with an extended wingspan and re-modelled fuselage capable of carrying 32 passengers, and the P.108T transport version designed specifically for military use. Only one P.108A and 24 P.108Bs were built. The combined total number of all versions (and prototypes) was at least 39, almost certainly more than 44. Most of the P.108Cs were subsequently modified for use as transport aircraft and could accommodate up to sixty passengers. Nine P.108 Ts were used by Luftwaffe transport units until the end of the war.
The defensive armament of the first P.108 series consisted of eight Breda SAFAT machine guns. One Breda "O" 12.7 mm (.5 in) with 450 rounds was fitted in the nose, and a Breda "G9" 12.7 mm (.5 in) in a retractable ventral turret, with 400-450 rounds per gun. In addition to these two fully hydraulically powered turrets, there were two 7.7 mm (.303 in) guns in the flanks, with 500 rounds per gun. The wing armament consisted of two remote-controlled, hydraulically powered Breda "Z" turrets with 600 rounds per gun in the outer-engine wing nacelles, linked to one of the two cupolas in the fuselage "hump", with an operator in each. The wing turrets represented the most innovative aspect of the P.108's technology.
The P.108 had a large bomb bay which was capable of carrying 3,500 kg (7,700 lbs) of bombs. Depending on the target - these were uploaded either as:
The bomb bay was located centrally in the fuselage, and divided longitudinally into three sections which prevented it from carrying heavier bombs like the 800 kg (1,800 lb) types. This was a considerable limitation, whereas the SM.82 was capable of accommodating larger loads (being able to be used both in transport and the bomber role). However in the torpedo-bomber configuration, three torpedoes could be carried under the belly and the wings which easily surpassed most other bombers of the period.
The P.108 saw active service in the Mediterranean theatre and also on the Russian Front with the Luftwaffe. We have five x 1/32 scale Piaggio bombers available priced at $1650 pus postage. This model measures 100cm wide by approximately 71cm long.
The Kawanishi H8K was a flying boat used by the Japanese Navy during WW2 for maritime patrol duties. The Allied reporting name for the type was "Emily".
The Kawanishi H8K was a large, four-engine aircraft designed for long range and extended endurance on patrols or bombing missions typically flown alone over the pacific ocean. The prototype first flew in January 1941, and H8K1s made their first combat sortie in March 1942. The robust H8K2 "Emily" flying boat was also fitted with powerful defensive armament, for which Allied pilots had substantial respect wherever this aircraft was encountered in the Pacific Theatre. Aircraft historian René Francillon called the H8K "the most outstanding water-based combat aircraft of the Second World War."
The H8K entered production in 1941 and first saw operational use on the night of 4 March 1942 in a second raid on Pearl Harbour. Since the target lay out of range for the flying boats, this audacious plan involved a refuelling by submarine, some 900 km (560 mi) north-west of Hawaii, en route. Two Emily planes attempted to bomb Pearl Harbour but, due to poor visibility, did not accomplish any significant damage. Six days after the second Pearl Harbor raid, one of the Emilys was sent on a daylight photo-reconnaissance mission of Midway Atoll. It was intercepted by radar-directed Brewster Buffalo fighters of Marine Fighting Squadron 221 and shot down. All aboard were killed, including Lt. Hashizume Hisao, the lead pilot of the second Pearl Harbor raid.
We have three 1/32 scale Emily seaplanes available priced at $2000 each plus shipping. This very large model measures approximately 117cm wide by 88cm long. Comes with two detachable trolleys for display purposes.
The figures and accessories shown are for scale comparison only and are not included.
On January 25, 1945, Messerschmitt proposed the P.1107/I jet-powered bomber. The P.1107/I was designed using experiences from the company's earlier Me 264 bomber, and was to be powered by two BMW 018 turbojet engines mounted in pods under the wings. The steel and duralumin fuselage was to have been taken from the Me 264, while the wings were to be constructed of wood. Landing gear was to consist of two large diameter main wheels which retracted into the fuselage and twin nose wheels.
Fuel tanks were to be carried in the mid fuselage and wings. The pressurized, heated cabin would have housed the crew, as well as the radio and radar equipment. Offensive armament was to be a bomb load of 4,000 kg carried in the fuselage, no defensive armament was proposed as the bomber was expected to be able to outfly all Allied opposition. Later on, the design would be refined as the P.1107/II. This variant was of all metal construction and powered by four Heinkel HeS 011 engines located in the wing roots. A V-tail was to have been fitted and hard points fitted for external bombs. The prototype of the P.1107/II was in the early stages of construction when the war ended.
A third smaller version with two crew and a reduced wingspan/length and V tail was also proposed as a fighter bomber. Only 1 blueprint has been found of this variant and this last version is the subject of our 1/30 scale model, she measures 38cm long by 36cm wide.
We have five Mahogany P.1107/III fighter/bombers available in a striking 1946 green and violet camouflage scheme, priced at $750 plus postage.
The figures and accessories shown are for scale comparison purposes only.
The Heinkel He 162 Volksjäger ("People's Fighter") was a German single-engine, jet-powered fighter fielded by the Luftwaffe in WW2. Developed under the Emergency Fighter Programme, it was designed and built quickly and made primarily of wood as metals were in very short supply and prioritised for other aircraft. Volksjäger was the RLM's official name for the government design program competition won by the He 162 design. Other names given to the plane include Salamander, which was the codename of its wing-construction program, and Spatz ("Sparrow"), which was the name given to the plane by the Heinkel aviation firm.
The aircraft was notable for its small size; although almost the same length as a Bf 109, its wing was much shorter at 7.2 metres (24 ft) vs. 9.9 metres (32 ft) for the 109. Its most distinctive feature was its top-mounted engine, which combined with the aircraft's ground-hugging undercarriage allowed the engine to be easily accessed for maintenance. This made bailing out of the aircraft without hitting the engine very difficult, and the He 162 is thus also notable as the first single-engine aircraft to mount an ejection seat in an operational setting. The small aircraft size left little room for fuel, which combined with the inefficient engine resulted in very low endurance of approximately 20 minutes time airborne, it also only had room to mount two cannons, making it quite underarmed for the late wartime era.
A series of fatal accidents during testing required a series of refinements that delayed the program, but the aircraft eventually emerged in January 1945 as an excellent light fighter. Although production lines were set up and deliveries began, the state of Germany by that time made the effort pointless. Of just less than 1,000 examples on the assembly lines, only about 120 were delivered to the airfields and most of those never flew, usually due to shortages of parts, fuel, and pilots. Small numbers were used in development squadrons and these ultimately saw combat in a few cases during April 1945, yet the He 162 also proved to be quite dangerous to its own pilots as its tiny fuel load led to a number of aircraft crashing off field, while additional losses were attributed to structural failure.
Production was still ongoing when the war ended in May 1945. Numerous aircraft were captured by the Allied forces along with ample supplies of parts from the production lines. Eric 'Winkle Brown flew one just after the war and considered it a first-rate aircraft with few vices. Several He 162s have been preserved in museum collections around the world.
Our Mahogany 1/30 scale Heinkel comes with exposed engine detail, we have five available at the moment. Each model is priced at $750 plus postage to whichever exotic location you live in.
This model measures approximately 32cm long by 24cm wide.
The figures and accessories shown are for scale comparison purposes only.
The Messerschmitt P.1101 was a single-seat jet fighter project of WW2 and developed as part of the 15 July 1944 Emergency Fighter Programme, which sought a second generation of jet fighters for the Third Reich. A prominent feature of the P.1101 prototype was that the swept angle of the wings which could be changed before flight, a feature further developed after the war on the Bell X-F and Grumman Jaguar.
Within nine days of the 15 July 1944 issuance of design specifications for the Emergency Fighter, the Messerschmitt design bureau, under Dr. Woldemar Voigt, had formed a preliminary paper design for the P.1101. The aircraft which was developed initially had a short and wide fuselage, tricycle landing gear and mid-mounted wings with an inner sweep of 40° near the fuselage, and a shallower 26° outboard.. The single HeS 011 jet engine was to be mounted internally within the fuselage, being aspirated by two rounded intakes located on either side of the cockpit. The high tail was of a V configuration and mounted on a tapered boom which extended over and past the jet exhaust, while the cockpit was forward-mounted, with the canopy integrated into the fuselage and forming part of the rounded nose of the aircraft.
By late August 1944, the design, still in paper form, had evolved into a sleeker incarnation, with the previously stout fuselage lengthened and narrowed with a conical nose section, added in front of the cockpit. The compound sweep wing was also abandoned, with the outer wing of the Me.262 instead being adapted. The design was further developed, including a longer nose, and after wind tunnel testing of a number of wing and fuselage profiles, the decision was made to undertake the construction of a full-scale test aircraft. This finalized design and associated test data were submitted to the Construction Bureau on 10 November 1944 and the selection of production materials was begun on 4 December 1944. The proposed armament was 2 or 4 x 30mm cannons and X-4 air to air missiles.
On 28 February 1945, the RLM settled on a competing design, the Focke Wulf Ta 183, as the winner of the Emergency Fighter program. This decision was based in part on the considerable design difficulties being encountered by the Messerschmitt P.1101 design team. For example, the cannon installation was proving too crowded, the mainwheel retraction and door mechanisms were too complex, the fuselage needed a great many "strong points" to deal with loads, and the anticipated performance had fallen below RLM specifications, due to increased weight.
The P.1101 was still used for test purposes afterwards in order to see if the prototype could reach the Mach 1 speed barrier. A test flight was scheduled for June 1945 but with the end of the war the P.1101 may have even been entirely forgotten about had it not been discovered by US forces and used for publicity photos, one of which we have included below. The US tried to make the P.1101 airframe airworthy but as French forces who had arrived earlier had hidden and then refused to hand over crucial documents, the project finally passed into history.
We have five Mahogany 1/30 scale me P.1101's available priced at $750 plus shipping. This model approximately measures 27cm wide by 30cm long.
The K&C/TG figures and accessories are shown for scale comparison purposes only and are not included.
Dear all welcome to a cold and windy December here in the UK, we are very pleased to be able to offer some very exciting and unusual looking WW2 aircraft models in our latest release. Not all these aircraft are available in large quantities so grab them whilst you can. A big thank you to Dr Mark Dyer with all his help and research, he still keeps soldiering on and has kept us on the straight and narrow many a time!
All our hand carved Mahogany aircraft take a minimum of 60 man hours to make plus drying time which in real time equates to around 9 months manufacturing time, each model comes with a detailed interior and display stand.
All aircraft can be paid for upfront or over a 6 month time frame if preferred. All the smaller fighters are available here in UK for immediate dispatch, however we only have a limited amount of the heavy bomber type aircraft available for dispatch, the remainder will be shipped after Christmas from Hong Kong. Please email for details and specify if you require immediate delivery or are happy to wait.
This month we have two Luft '46 aircraft, it should be noted these two particular models are our interpretation of these 'whatif' aircraft and may not correspond exactly with the information you find on Wikepdia! There is also no need to telephone the office (as has happened previously) and tell us the war ended in 1945 - we know but thank you for going to the trouble to inform us!
Got my examples of the TGM Messerschmitt P.1101 Fighter and the Messerschmitt P.1107 Fighter Bomber yesterday
Both are fantastic models with TGM’s usual high level of craftsmanship. I’m a fan of their “Luftwaffe 1946” models as they are the only models, let alone prebuilt ones, of such aircraft in a scale larger than 1/72. It’s unusual for me to get two TGM aircraft models at once, but when they previewed both a few weeks ago, they were must-haves for me. I’ve got both the models set up in my usual vignette displays using mostly TGM products, including some of their older Luftwaffe pilots and mechanics figures.
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