November warbirds (1 Viewer)

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW494 F-104 Starfighter 'Luftwaffe'

The F-104 Starfighter had a revolutionary design, with short razor-sharp wings and was the first aircraft to be able to maintain Mach 2 not just in short bursts but during routine flying if required. Earning the plane the nickname "The Missile With A Man In It" it was used by over 15 countries and with over 2,500 built, the last F-104 Starfighter was decommissioned in Italy in 2004.

Designed in the 1950s in the aftermath of the Korean War, where fighters such as the F-86 were unable to claim or out manoeuvre the MIG-15. Lockheed proposed a new fighter meeting the needs of high speed, supersonic level flight, great range and the ability to climb to meet the threat of attacking Russian bombers and fighters. With the capability to carry a multitude of armament, which the Starfighter could, from an internal cannon , through to air to air missiles and nuclear ordinance delivery. The new wing design meant they were so thin, only 0.016 thin [0.41mm], the leading edges had to covered with felt strips to stop personal being injured during construction and maintenance. The USAF first took delivery of 258 Starfighters in 1958, the Starfighter was retired by the US Air National Guard in 1975.

Starfighters also served with a multitude of air forces around the world including Germany, Canada, Pakistan, Spain and Taiwan.
Our latest 1/30 scale F104 Starfighter represents one of the aircraft purchased by the Luftwaffe and flew with JG.32 'Bavaria' and is depicted as it would have appeared in 1983.
We have only 1 x 1/30 scale Starfighters available priced at $850 plus postage.

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












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 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.

Best wishes The Gunn Team

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW478 Breda Lince

The Breda Ba.88 Lince ("Lynx") was a ground-attack aircraft used by the Italian Regia Aeronautica during World War II. Its streamlined design and retractable undercarriage were advanced for the time, and after its debut in 1937 the aircraft established several world speed records. The aircraft was powered by two Piaggio P.XI air-cooled radial engines. They were of the same type as used in other projects such as the Re.2000, and drove two three-blade, constant-speed 3.2 m (10.4 ft) diameter Breda propellers. The engine nacelles also carried the two main undercarriage units. The aircraft had a twin tail to provide the dorsal 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Breda-SAFAT machine gun with a better field of fire.

The aircraft had three nose-mounted 12.7 mm (0.5 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns with 400, 450 and 400 rounds of ammunition respectively. A 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Breda machine gun (with 250-500 rounds) with a high arc of fire, was fitted in the rear cockpit and controlled by a complex motorised electrical system. A modern "San Giorgio" reflector gunsight was fitted, and there was also provision to mount a 20 mm cannon instead of the central machine gun in the nose. The payload was three bombs of 50 kg (110 lb), 100 and 250 kg (220 and 550 lb), or a Nardi dispenser for 119 2 kg (4.4 lb) bomblets. Together these weapons gave the Ba.88 impressive armament for its time.

The Ba.88 had all the design specifications to be a very effective heavy fighter-bomber. It had a slim, streamlined shape (noted by all aviation observers), a rugged structure, heavy firepower, long range and high speed, with the same horsepower of medium bombers such as the Br.20 (but at 9 tonnes/10 tons vs. 5 tonnes/6 tons). Despite its promising beginning, the addition of military equipment in the production series aircraft resulted in high wing loading and detrimental aerodynamic effects with a corresponding loss of performance.
Two Gruppi (Groups) were equipped with the Breda Ba.88 in June 1940, operating initially from Sardinia against the main airfield of Corsica, with 12 aircraft on 16 June 1940 and three on 19 June 1940. The crews soon found that the Bredas were underpowered and lacked agility, but the lack of fighter opposition resulted in them being able to perform their missions without losses.

Later 64 aircraft became operational serving 7º Gruppo in the North African Theatre with 19º Gruppo stationed in Sardinia, but their performance remained extremely poor resulting in 7º Gruppo being grounded from the end of June until September, when the Italian offensive against British forces started. The Italians were unable to rectify the underpowered engine supply and this caused the type to be withdrawn from active service, for such an outstanding aircraft this was an inauspicious end to its career.

Our 1/30 scale model represents one flown in the North African theatre during WW2. We have 3 available at $1,100 plus shipping. The cost of this item is a little higher than our normal twin engine modes because of the intricate paint pattern, which was something of a challenge to apply.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW472 Fairey Firefly

The Fairey Firefly was a WW2 era carrier borne aircraft fighter and anti submarine aircraft operated by the Fleet Air Arm.

Development of the Firefly can be traced back to pair of specifications issued by the British Air Ministry in 1938, calling for new naval fighter designs. Designed to the contemporary FAA concept of a two-seat fleet reconnaissance/fighter, the pilot and observer were positioned at separate stations. In flight, the Firefly was superior in terms of both performance and firepower to its predecessor, the Fairey Fulmar. Due to a protracted development, the type only entered operational service towards the end of the conflict, at which point it was no longer competitive as a fighter. The limitations of a single engine in a relatively heavy airframe reduced its performance, but the Firefly proved to be a fairly sturdy, long-ranged, and docile aircraft during carrier operations.

The Fairey Firefly served in the Second World War as a fleet fighter. During the post war era, it was soon superseded in the fighter role by the arrival of more modern jet aircraft, thus the Firefly was adapted to perform in other roles, including strike operations and anti-submarine warfare. In these capacities, it remained a mainstay of the FAA until the mid-1950s. Both British and Australian Fireflies routinely performed ground–attack operations from various aircraft carriers during the Korean War. In foreign service, the type was in operation with the naval air arms of Australia, Canada, India and the Netherlands. As late as 1962, Dutch Fireflies were used to carry out attack sorties against Indonesian infiltrators in Dutch New Guinea.

Our hand carved 1/30 scale model is one flown in the Korean war with only 1 available. The price for this model is $999 plus postage.

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

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW464 Mitsubishi Type 100 Dinah

The Mitsubishi Type 100 reconnaissance aircraft (Dinah as known by the Allies) was borne from a request by the Japanese army in December 1937 in their search for a replacement for the Mitsubishi Ki-15 observation aircraft.

The new design resulted in a twin engine low wing monoplane with a retractable undercarriage. The fuselage was extremely narrow in order to streamline the design and maximise speed, with the crew separated by a fuel tank placed in the middle of them. Further fuel tanks were situated in the thin wings, both inboard and outboard of the engines, giving a total fuel capacity of 1,490 litres (328 imperial gallons).

Initial tests showed the Dinah to be slower than the Army's initial requirement of 600 KMPH, however as the type was still faster than the Army's latest fighter, the Nakajima Ki-43 and the Navy's A6 Zero, an initial production batch was ordered with improvements in speed requested.

During the early stages of the war the Dinah was immune to Allied fighter interception, but the army realised improvements would need to be made to outpace the Spitfire and Lightning. This was done by removing the rear defensive machine gun and replacing the engines with a more powerful variant. These final improvements made the Dinah a hard bird to kill and successes were few and far between for Allied pilots trying to down one.

As the war progressed some Dinah's were converted to night-fighters with forward and upwards firing cannon in order to counter the B-29 Superfortress threat.

Something like 1700 Dinah's were manufactured but with only one survives to this day and is on display in the UK at RAF Cosford. We have a total of 1 x Dinah available priced at $999 plus postage.

The K&C figures and TG accessories are shown for display purposes only and are not included.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

WOW417 De Havilland Tiger Moth

The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth was a single-engined, biplane, light aircraft. It was developed principally to be used by private touring customers as well as for pilot instruction for both military and civilian operators. Designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. On 26 October 1931, the first ‘true’ Tiger Moth, the prototype E6, conducted its maiden flight at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgeware, London and shortly after construction of the first 35 production aircraft for the Royal Air Force RAF, began including, two float-equipped seaplanes.

It was operated by the RAF and over 40 other national operators, entering service in 1932 with the RAF as a primary trainer aircraft. In addition to the type’s principal use for training, the Second World War had RAF Tiger Moths operating in other capacities, including maritime surveillance and defensive anti-invasion preparations; some aircraft were even outfitted to function as armed light bombers.

In late 1939, owing to a shortage of maritime patrol aircraft, 6 Tiger Moth flights were operated by RAF Coastal Command, known as “scarecrow patrols”. Operating in pairs, they were armed only with a Very Flare Pistol. The intention was to force any U-boats to dive; one aircraft would then remain in the vicinity while the other would search for a naval patrol vessel that could be led back to the spot. They were not radio-equipped, each aircraft also carried a pair of homing pigeons in a wicker basket to call for help in case of a crashed landing at sea.

RAF Command deemed the production of the Tiger Moth so important it nearly prevented the prototype de Havilland Mosquito from being built due to a lack of surplus manufacturing capability at the time.

The price for this 1/30 scale hand carved Mahogany aircraft model is $650 plus $100 shipping. We have 1 available only.

The K&C figures and other accessories are for illustration purposes and are not included in the price.

 

[Gunn Miniatures]

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Dear all, welcome to our November 2021 Aircraft newsletter featuring a new selection of our latest warbirds. Some of our older Warbirds are on sale, check out the website www.tomgunn.co.uk if you want to snap up a warbird at a bargain price!

A big thank you to Mark Dyer with his assistance in the research and development of these models, it really has been invaluable. We could not do it without you Mark!

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

 

[Obee]

WOW417 De Havilland Tiger Moth

The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth was a single-engined, biplane, light aircraft. It was developed principally to be used by private touring customers as well as for pilot instruction for both military and civilian operators. Designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. On 26 October 1931, the first ‘true’ Tiger Moth, the prototype E6, conducted its maiden flight at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgeware, London and shortly after construction of the first 35 production aircraft for the Royal Air Force RAF, began including, two float-equipped seaplanes.

This is the only biplane I have flown in, as a joy flight here in Perth.

It was the at the last end of the 20th century, Nov 2000 and so it was my 50th birthday present.

Riding in the front seat, leather helmet and goggles, with the wind in my face, just like a WW1 pilot

Great fun,

John

 

[Panzer ace]

The Starfighter is incredible.

 

[NZGary]

I got the Tiger Moth many years ago from TG. Really liked it, get it while you can I say!