November 2019 Warbirds Release (1 Viewer)

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW271 Nakajima B5N Kate 'Silver'


The Japanese B5N bomber was substantially faster and more capable than its Allied counterparts, the American Douglas TBD Devastator monoplane (the U.S. Navy's first all-metal, carrier-borne monoplane of any type with retracting gear), and the British Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Albacore torpedo biplanes, however it was nearing obsolescence by 1941. Nevertheless, the B5N operated throughout the whole war, due to the delayed development of its successor, the B6N.
In the early part of the Pacific War, flown by well-trained IJN aircrews and as part of well-coordinated attacks, the B5N achieved particular successes at the battles of Pearl Harbour, Coral Sea, Midway, and Santa Cruz Islands.


The B5N soon saw combat, first in the Sino-Japanese War, where combat experience revealed several weaknesses in the original B5N1 production model. These were mainly concerned with the lack of protection that the design offered its crew and its fuel tanks. Keen to maintain the high performance of the type, the Navy was reluctant to add weight in the form of armour, and instead looked to obtaining a faster version of the aircraft in the hopes of outrunning enemy fighters. The B5N2 was given a much more powerful engine, Nakajima's own Sakae Model 11, the 14 cylinder twin-row radial, as used in the initial models of the Mitsubishi A6M fighter and various modifications were made to streamline it. Although its performance was only marginally better, its weaknesses remained un-remedied for the remainder of the war.
This striking aircraft is in the markings of one flown by Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, general air commander for the 1st carrier division at Pearl Harbour in December 1941.
Please note the figures shown are for scale purposes and are not included with this model.


The cost for this 1/32 scale model is $999 plus shipping. This is a limited run of 5 models worldwide.











That's all for this month 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.
Please note there will be no figure release this month, instead we will have a late November/early December combined release in order that all orders can be dispatched in good time before Christmas.


Best wishes The Gunn Team

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW267 B-24 Liberator 'Pisces'


The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models designated as various LB-30s, in the Land Bomber design category.


The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) took delivery of its first B-24As in mid-1941. Over the next three years, B-24 squadrons deployed to all theatres of the war: African, European, China-Burma-India, the Anti-submarine Campaign and the Pacific Theatre. In the Pacific to simplify logistics and to take advantage of its longer range, the B-24 (and its twin, the U.S. Navy PB4Y) was the chosen standard heavy bomber. By mid-1943, the shorter-range B-17 was phased out. The Liberators which had served early in the war in the Pacific continued their efforts from the Philippines, Australia, Guadalcanal, Hawaii, and Midway Island.


So vital was the need for long-range operations, that at first USAAF used the type as transports. The sole B-24 in Hawaii was destroyed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. It had been sent to the Central Pacific for a very long-range reconnaissance mission that was preempted by the Japanese attack.


The first USAAF Liberators to carry out combat missions were 12 repossessed LB-30s deployed to Java with the 11th Bombardment Squadron (7th Bombardment Group) that flew their first combat mission in mid-January. Two were shot up by Japanese fighters, but both managed to land safely. One was written off due to battle damage and the other crash-landed on a beach.


US-based B-24s entered combat service in 1942 when on 6 June, four B-24s from Hawaii staging through Midway Island attempted an attack on Wake Island, but were unable to find it. The B-24 came to dominate the heavy bombardment role in the Pacific, because compared to the B-17 the B-24 was faster, had longer range, and could carry a ton more of bombs.


Our Liberator is in the markings of the 834th Squadron, which was known as the Zodiac Squadron, as all the 12 B-24's had different signs of the zodiac painted on their noses. The original artwork was done by Cpl Phil Brinkman.
None of the Zodiac birds were lost during the 49 missions the 486th flew before transitioning to the Fortresses.


The figures shown are for scale purposes only and are not included with this item.


Priced at $1500 PLUS shipping depending on your location.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW266 Lancaster 'I'm Easy'


The Avro Lancaster was a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling. All three aircraft being four-engined heavy bombers adopted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the same wartime era. Our Lancaster depicts I'm Easy at the start of her wartime career with 9 Sqn from RAF Bardney, she took part in many of the RAF's night time bombing campaigns against Germany during WW2.


This 1/32 scale aeroplane comes with a free display MAT018 as per the newsletter photos. The figures displayed are for scale purposes only and are a mixture of King & Country and Thomas Gunn, these are shown for scale purposes only and are not included.


Priced at $1500 plus shipping which will depend on your location. This is a limited run of 3 models worldwide.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW254 Pfalz D.XIII


The Pfalz D.XII was a German fighter aircraft built by Pfalz Flugzeugwerke. Designed by Rudolph Gehringer as a successor to the Pfalz D.III, the D.XII entered service in significant numbers near the end of the First World War. It was the last Pfalz aircraft to see widespread service. Though the Pfalz D.XII was an effective fighter aircraft, it was overshadowed by the highly successful Fokker D.VII.
Our late war 1/30 scale model comes in a lozenge pattern camouflage pattern in the markings of an aircraft with Jasta 49 in 1918.

The price for this limited edition release of 10 models is $475 plus shipping which will depend on your location.


This model comes with a free figure of GW083A German sentry with AA machine gun. The other John Jenkins and TG figures are shown for scale purposes and are not included.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

Dear all welcome to our November 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.


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 us on welcome@gunnclub.co.uk.


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