For those of you looking for some new WW1 items I have pleasure in announcing the arrival of a Hansa Brandenburg and an Albatros seaplane shortly. We can take pre-orders on these items now for anybody interested.
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.
WOW307 Heinkel He 111 The Heinkel He 111 was designed by Siegfried and Walter Gunter in 1934 ostensibly as a civilian passenger liner, but in reality the aircraft was intended to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium bomber. The mainly glazed Plexiglas nose of the He 111 gave it a very distinctive and easily recognisable look, almost akin to a giant wasp or bee.
During the early stages of the war the He 111 performed well but like many German aircraft, its weak defensive armament was exploited by the RAF during the battle of Britain. Casualties amongst bomber crews were particularly high but with no suitable replacement the He 111 soldiered on until the end of the war as a strategic bomber, transport aircraft, glider tug and was even used as an experimental variant to launch the V1 flying bomb whilst airborne.
Various airforces operated the He 111 including the Spanish, Romania, Turkey and China amongst others. The last ones were retired by the Spanish in the 1970’s who made a licence built variant, with some of these featuring in the 1969 film ‘The Battle of Britain’ directed by Guy Hamilton.
The He 111 was over 59ft in length with a wingspan of 74ft, this makes for a very impressive looking model in 1/30 scale as the attached photos will testify. Armament consisted of 7 x 7.92mm machine guns with a 2000 Kilo bomb load carried internally, further ordnance could be carried externally.
Our latest version comes in the markings of 1H+JA flown by KG 26, a unique looking bird with 2 sets of German crosses on the upper wings flown ostensibly to avoid friendly fire. However this made the aircraft somewhat easier to spot by the enemy, namely the RAF which was rather unfortunate for her and her crew. Intercepted by Spitfires, 1H+JA has the honour of the first German aircraft during WW2 to be shot down over the UK, whilst carrying out a reconnaissance mission in October 1939. Two of her crew were killed during the attack with the other two surviving members badly wounded, the pilot managed to crash land the aircraft relatively intact just outside Edinburgh.
Priced at $1200 plus $200 shipping with 1 model now available in stock.
The Grumman Avenger was a Naval and Marine torpedo bomber developed by Grumman, first entering service in 1942. Whilst the Douglas Devastator had been the main torpedo bomber for the US Navy in the 1930’s, the Navy decided it needed a more potent bomber with a greater range and larger payload. By late 1941 Grumman had developed the Avenger into a production type and unveiled it to the public on December 7th 1941, the same day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour. The Avenger carried a crew of three, had a revolving rear gunners turret and folding wings to facilitate ease of storage aboard carriers. The Avenger first saw combat at Midway and although it did not fare well initially, went onto become one of the most potent torpedo bombers of WW2. It was also supplied to several other air forces around the world, with production reaching 9800 units in total.
This particular model was flown by perhaps the most famous man to fly an Avenger in WWII, the late former President of the United States George H.W. Bush. Mr Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts on the 12th of June 1924 to Prescott and Dorothy Bush. He was raised in an affluent family that found fortune in the oil business. At 18 he rebelled against his parents and enlisted in the navy during world war II and become the youngest Navy pilot at the time flying thousands of combat hours in the Avenger. Bush flew his first combat mission in May 1944, bombing Japanese-held Wake Island, and was promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) on August 1, 1944. During an attack on a Japanese installation in Chichijima, Bush's aircraft successfully attacked several targets, but was downed by enemy fire. Though both of Bush's fellow crew members died, Bush successfully bailed out from the aircraft and was rescued by the USS Finback. Several of the aviators shot down during the attack were captured and executed. Bush's near-death experience shaped him profoundly, leading him to ask, "Why had I been spared and what did God have for me? He was later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his role in the mission. This avenger has the markings of Lt. George Bush and his wife Barbara's name painted on the sides.
Priced at $899 plus $100 shipping with 3 Planes available worldwide. Also comes with free pilot figure USA013.
The Junkers 88 was one of the Luftwaffe’s most flexible aircraft during WW2. Initially classed as a ‘fast bomber’ this twin engine aircraft went onto fulfill various other roles including; torpedo bomber, dive bomber, night fighter and towards the end of the war as the ‘Mistel’ guided flying bomb.
The Ju.88 first flew in 1936 and achieved a top speed of 360 MPH, something unheard of for a bomber in those days. Although only 12 aircraft were available to the Luftwaffe at the start of the Polish campaign by the end of the war over 16,000 had been manufactured. A crew of a Ju.88 had the distinction of being the last enemy soldiers to fight on British soil at the Battle of Graveney Marsh, when after crash landing the crew decided to remove the machine guns from the aircraft and set up a defensive position round the aircraft. The London Irish Rifles came under sustained fire from the crew but were eventually encouraged to surrender when faced with insurmountable odds.
This new version of the Ju 88 started off in the standard two tone green Luftwaffe camouflage pattern. It was then transferred to the Mediterranean where it received a desert and green mottle pattern colour scheme. Some time later it was resprayed in a late war Mediterranean mottle scheme and the Wellenmuster wave pattern was applied to the top and bottom. Our model shows the aircraft in its later stage just before the Wellenmuster was applied over the upper surfaces but had already been applied to the lower surfaces, creating something of a unique looking bird. Comes with 2 x torpedoes fitted for anti shipping duties and free Italian sentry as per photos.
Priced at $899 plus $150 shipping with only 1 plane available in stock.
Dear all welcome to our October 2020 Aircraft newsletter featuring some exciting new products. All our hand carved Mahogany aircraft take in the region of 6-9 months 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 all of these models.
Great new plans. I have the first H111 and it is excellent. Like the float plane and i think the pilots were nor only brave to fight but also to put their lives in the hands in theses wood and string plains.
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