WOW333 Dornier Do.217 with Henschel Hs.293 Guided Bomb
The Dornier Do.217 was designed as a Luftwaffe bomber during World War II and came about as a more powerful development of the Dornier Do.17 also known as the Fliegender Bleistift ("flying pencil"). Designed between 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bomber, but not meant to be capable of the longer-range missions envisioned for the larger Heinkel He.177, the Dornier 217's design was refined during 1939 and production began in late 1940. It entered service in early 1941 and by the beginning of 1942 was available in significant numbers.
The Dornier 217 had a much larger bomb load capacity and had a much greater range than the Dornier 17. In later variants, dive bombing and maritime strike capabilities using glide bombs were experimented with considerable success being achieved. Early Do. 217 variants were more powerful than the contemporary Heinkel He.111 & Junkers Ju.88, having a greater speed, range and bomb load. The Do. 217 served on all fronts in all roles. On the Eastern Front and Western fronts, it operated as a strategic and torpedo bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. It also performed tactical operations, either direct ground assault or anti-shipping strikes. The Do 217 was also converted to the night fighter role and and saw considerable action in the Defence of the Reich campaign until late in the war.
The type also served in anti-shipping units in the Mediterranean, attacking Allied convoys and naval units. In 1943 the Do. 217 was the first aircraft to deploy a precision guided missile in combat, when Fritz X radio-guided bombs sank the Italian battleship Roma in the Mediterranean. Our Dornier 217 is fitted with the Henschel 293 guided bomb, a particularly successful munition that was responsible for sinking or damaging thousands of tons of Allied shipping. Its success was somewhat negated towards the end of the war by the Allies developing radio jamming equipment that interfered with the radio transmission of the bomb.
Our 1/30 scale Model is limited to 3 in number and is priced at $1100 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 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.
The PBY was originally designed to be a patrol bomber, an aircraft with a long operational range intended to locate and attack enemy transport ships at sea in order to disrupt enemy supply lines. With a mind to a potential conflict in the Pacific, where troops would require resupply over great distances, the US Navy in the 1930s invested millions of dollars in developing long-range flying boats for this purpose. Flying Boats had the advantage of not requiring runways and in effect having the entire ocean available for landing if required.
Although slow and ungainly, Catalinas distinguished themselves in World War II, Allied forces used them successfully in a wide variety of roles for which the aircraft was never intended. PBYs are remembered for their rescue role, in which they saved the lives of thousands of aircrew downed over water. Catalina airmen called their aircraft the "Cat" on combat missions and "Dumbo" on air sea rescue missions.
The Catalina scored the U.S. Navy's first verifiable air-to-air "kill" of a Japanese airplane in the Pacific War. On December 10 1941, the Japanese attacked the Cavite yard in the Philippines. Numerous U.S. ships and submarines were damaged or destroyed by bombs and bomb fragments. While flying to safety during the raid on Cavite, Lieutenant Harmon T. Utter's PBY was attacked by three Japanese Zero's. Chief Boatswain Earl D. Payne, Utter's bow gunner shot down one, thus scoring the U.S. Navy's first kill. Utter as a commander, would later go on to coordinate the carrier air strikes that lead to the destruction of the Japanese battleship Yamato.
Our 1/32 scale all wood hand carved model with full interior is VP-44, the one that spotted the Japanese fleet approaching Midway in 1942, radioed the position of the Japanese fleet and helped determine the course of the battle that was ultimately an American victory. For those of you interested in the dimensions the wingspan is around 100cm and the fuselage is some 60cm in length, so a big bird. We had a total of five of these super looking models in stock, priced at $1400 plus postage. Four models have already sold on pre-order and therefore if you require the last one please let us know sooner rather than later.
The Zero was a long-range fighter aircraft manufactured by the Mitsubishi Aircraft Company and operated by the Japanese navy from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was designated as the Mitsubishi Navy Type 0 carrier fighter. The A6M was usually referred to by its pilots as the Reisen (零戦, zero fighter), "0" being the last digit of the imperial year 2600 (1940) when it entered service with the Imperial Navy. The official Allied reporting name was "Zeke" although the name "Zero" was used colloquially by the Allies as well.
The Zero is considered to have been the most capable carrier based fighter in the world when it was introduced early in WW2, combining excellent maneuverability and very long range, it was also frequently used as a land-based fighter.
In early combat operations, the Zero gained a reputation as a worthy opponent during a dog-fight, achieving an outstanding kill ratio of 12 to 1. However by mid-1942 a combination of new tactics and the introduction of better equipment enabled Allied pilots to engage the Zero on generally equal terms.
By 1943, due to inherent design weaknesses, such as a lack of hydraulic ailerons and rudder rendering it extremely unmaneuverable at high speeds and an inability to equip it with a more powerful engine, the Zero gradually became less effective against newer Allied fighters. By 1944 with opposing Allied fighters approaching its levels of maneuverability and consistently exceeding its firepower, armour and speed, the A6M had largely become outdated as a fighter aircraft.
However as design delays and production difficulties hampered the introduction of newer Japanese aircraft models, the Zero continued to serve in a front-line role until the end of WW2. During the final phases, it was also adapted for use in Kamikaze operations.
Japan produced more Zeros than any other model of combat aircraft during the war.
Our 1/30 scale model is one flown by Petty officer Takeo Tanimizu when he was based at Kagoshima Naval Air Station, Japan, in June 1945. Takeo Tanimizu was said to have shot down 32 enemy aircraft in the Pacific theatre during his career.
We have 3 Zero's in stock, priced at $650 plus shipping. Comes with free sample of RS061B Japanese officer whilst stocks last. The K&C figures shown are not included with any of our aircraft and are shown for scale reference purposes only.
The Supermarine Spitfire was a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, using several wing configurations, it was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft. It was also the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the war.
The Spitfire was designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works, which operated as a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong from 1928. Mitchell pushed the Spitfire’s distinctive elliptical wing designed by Beverley Shenstone to have the thinnest possible cross-section, giving the aircraft a higher top speed than several contemporary fighters, including the Hawker Hurricane. Mitchell continued to refine the design until his death in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith took over as chief designer, overseeing the Spitfire’s development through its multitude of variants.
During the Battle of Britain, from July to October 1940, the public perceived the Spitfire to be the main RAF fighter, though the more numerous Hurricane shouldered a greater proportion of the burden against Nazi Germany’s air force, the Luftwaffe. However Spitfire units had a lower attrition rate and a higher victory-to-loss ratio than those flying Hurricanes because of the fighter’s superior performance. During the Battle, Spitfires were generally tasked with engaging Luftwaffe fighters-mainly Messerschmitt Bf 109E series aircraft-which were a close match for them, whereas the Hurricanes were used to engage the slower German bombers.
This variant of the Spitfire was one flown by Ace James 'Ginger' Lacey DFM & Bar an RAF pilot with 28 victories to his name. Lacey was the second highest scoring RAF pilot of the war, behind Eric Lock who unlike Lacey did not survive the war. Lacey was one of the few RAF pilots to see active service from the very first day of combat until the last day of combat with the Japanese surrender in 1945.
This 1/30 scale model is limited to 3 in number and is priced at $650 plus shipping. Comes with free sample of RAF005 pilot relaxing in deckchair, all other figures from K&C are for scale reference purposes only.
Dear all welcome to our February 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.
All our aircraft now come with their own stands and can be displayed in flying mode if required.
A big thank you to Doctor Mark Dyer who once again helped with the research for some of these great looking models.
Me too, I don’t collect WW2 and don’t have space for these bad boys but they look amazing. Maybe one day I will get something iconic like a Zero or Spitfire. They both have such beautiful lines.
[FONT=arial, helvetica neue, helvetica, sans-serif]A quick update from yesterdays news as a couple of things incorrect due to all the excitement of getting the letter out.
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The Spitfire and Zero should have been priced at $550 plus shipping not $650. UK/EU price also amended to reflect this.
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