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.
The Henschel Hs 123 was a single-seat biplane dive bomber and close-support attack aircraft flown by the German Luftwaffe during the Spanish Civil War and World War II. It proved to be robust, durable and effective especially in the severe conditions found on the Russian front. It continued to see front-line service until 1944, only to be withdrawn due to a lack of serviceable airframes and spare parts, production having ended in 1940.
The Hs 123 was intended to replace the Heinkel He 50 biplane reconnaissance and dive bomber as well as acting as a "stop-gap" measure until the Junkers Ju 87 became available. As such, production was limited and no upgrades were considered, although an improved version, the Hs 123B, was developed by Henschel in 1938. A proposal to fit the aircraft with a more powerful 716 kW (960 hp) "K"-variant of its BMW 132 engine did not proceed beyond the prototype stage, the Hs 123 V5. The V6 prototype fitted with a similar powerplant and featuring a sliding cockpit hood was intended to serve as the Hs 123C prototype.
Five aircraft were deployed to Spain as a part of the Legion Condor, intended to be used as tactical bombers. In their intended role, the Hs 123s proved to be somewhat of a failure, hampered by their small bomb capacity and short range. Instead, the Hs 123s based in Seville were used for ground support, a role in which their range was not such a detriment, and where the ability to accurately place munitions was more important than carrying a large load. The combat evaluation of the Hs 123 demonstrated a remarkable resiliency in close-support missions, proving able to absorb a great deal of punishment including direct hits on the airframe and engine. The Nationalists in Spain were impressed with the Hs 123's performance in battle, purchasing the entire evaluation flight and ordering an additional 11 aircraft from Germany. The Spanish Hs 123s were known as "Angelito" (dear angel or little angel), and at least one Hs 123 was in service with the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force) after 1945.
At the outbreak of hostilities, the surviving Hs 123s assigned to II. (Schl)/LG 2, were committed to action in the Polish Campaign. This single unit proved to be particularly effective. Screaming over the heads of enemy troops, the Hs 123s delivered their bombs with devastating accuracy. A frightening aspect of an Hs 123 attack was the staccato noise of its engine that a pilot could manipulate by changing rpm to create "gunfire-like" bursts. The Hs 123 proved rugged and able to take a lot of damage and still keep on flying. Operating from primitive bases close to the front lines, the type was considered by ground crews to be easy to maintain and reliable in field conditions.
Operating in the Low Countries campaigns that followed the Henschel proved itself well but was precluded from the Battle of Britain due to its short range. It did however perform well in the Greek and Balkan campaigns before it’s pilots and aircraft were transferred to the Eastern front under the command of SG1 in June 1941, there they fought with great skill against Soviet ground and air forces. The greatest tribute to the Hs 123 usefulness came in January 1943 when Generaloberst Wolfram von Richthofen, then commander-in-chief of Luftflotte 4, asked whether production of the Hs 123 could be restarted because the Hs 123 performed well in a theatre where mud, snow, rain and ice took a heavy toll on the serviceability of more advanced aircraft. However the Henschel factory had already dismantled all tools and jigs in 1940.
After taking part in the Battle of Kursk, SG 1 returned to Crimea, and there during late spring 1944, they finally gave up the aircraft that had served all over Europe from Spain to Leningrad. 7./SG 1 traded its last Hs 123s in mid-1944, for Ju 87s, a type that was to have replaced it back in 1937.
Our 1/32 scale model measures 31.5cm (12.6 inches) and 23.5cm (9.4 inches) long and comes with the 2 x pilots and fuel drums as per the pictures and is priced at $650 plus shipping with a limited run of only 2 models available. The colour scheme is typical for a Luftwaffe machine and is based on an aircraft operating out of Greece in the April 1941 campaign.
The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter aircraft primarily used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Second World War. The Tempest, originally known as the Typhoon II, was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, intended to address the Typhoon's unexpected deterioration in performance at high altitude by replacing its wing with a thinner laminar flow design. Since it had diverged considerably from the Typhoon, it was renamed Tempest. The Tempest emerged as one of the most powerful fighters of World War II and was the fastest single-engine propeller-driven aircraft of the war at low altitude.
Upon entering service in 1944, the Tempest was used as a low-level interceptor, particularly against the V-1 flying bomb threat and as a ground attack platform, in which it supported major events such as Operation Market Garden. Later, it successfully targeted the rail infrastructure in Germany and Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground, as well as countering such attacks by German fighters.
The Tempest was effective in the low-level interception role, including against newly developed jet-propelled aircraft such as the Messerschmitt Me 262. A Tempest is known to be one of the first aircraft to go into combat against the Heinkel He.162 Peoples Fighter, downing it in April 1945.
The further-developed Tempest II did not enter service until after the end of hostilities. It had several improvements, including being tropicalised for combat against Japan in South-East Asia as part of the Commonwealth Tiger Force.
Our 1/30 scale model is one of our largest fighters to date and measures 35cm (14 inches) in length and 42cm (16.8 inches) in width. She comes in the markings of a machine flown by RAF Ace Wing Commander Roland Beaumont CBE, DSO & DFC. Beaumont flew over 500 combat missions during WW2 and post war went onto become one of the greatest test pilots of the 20th century. We have 2 models left available priced at $699 plus shipping, comes with free RAF pilot relaxing in deck chair and fuel drums as per the photos.
The Fiat G.50 was Italy's first single seat monoplane all metal aeroplane. It first entered service in 1938 and saw service in the Spanish Civil War where it performed well against the Communist aircraft fielded against it. Armed with only 2 machine guns the Fiat G.50 suffered against the much more heavily armed and nimbler Hurricanes/Spitfires of the RAF during the Battle of Britain. Relocated back to the Mediterranean, the Fiat G.50 soldiered on due to the lack of a suitable replacement, but in the hands of an experienced pilot could compete with Allied adversaries like the Hurricane and P-40's. Its greatest heyday came about during the Finnish Winter War and then the Continuation War where Fiat G.50's proved worthwhile adversaries of the Soviet forces, on one day shooting down 13 out of 15 Soviet type SB bombers. The kill ratio for Fiat G.50's in this theatre was in the region of 33/1 in their favour.
Our 1/32 scale Mahogany aircraft model measures 28cm in width and 25cm in length. It is in a striking pale yellow colour and was flown by Sergente Maggiore Aldo Buvoli, an Ace credited with shooting down 4 x RAF Blenheims on a single day over Malta in 1941.
We have 1 of these aircraft available priced at $650 plus shipping. This model is supplied with a free sample of the Italian sentry figure and terrain mat as per the photos.
The Gotha 244 was the powered variant of the Gotha 242 glider. It was first issued to Luftwaffe units in Crete and later saw action in the Mediterranean theatre and then onto the Eastern front. It could easily carry up to 23 fully equipped troops or even a Kubelwagen. It could be armed with 3 machine guns for self defence if needed and was often a welcome site for the Wehrmacht's ground forces awaiting resupply on the front line. This 1/32 scale measures 76cm (30.4 ins) width and is 48cm (19.2 ins) long, its exactly the same size as our unpowered 242 glider variant. This model is hand carved from Mahogany and is limited to 3 in number. This model is supplied with the 2 x pilots and supply boxes from ACC PACK 054A as per our photos and is priced at $1400 plus shipping.
The Terrain mat shown is from the Thomas Gunn Range and is shown for display purposes only.
Dear all, welcome to our October 2021 Aircraft newsletter featuring a new selection of our latest warbirds. We started on our warbird adventure some 10 years ago, in that time we have made over 300 different varieties of models and become one of the largest manufacturers of 1/30 scale wooden aircraft models dare I say it - in the world. We have always strived to keep our prices competitive, with our WW2 single engine fighters usually selling for around $550 and this price has stayed there or thereabouts for the last 10 years. Unfortunately due to the pressures of inflation and increased shipping costs brought about by Covid, we have had to increase our prices to cover some of these costs. We know this will preclude some people from buying and others will be unaffected, however we will always try to accommodate a collector who 'has' to have a particular piece and can facilitate staged monthly payments to help them obtain a particular piece if so desired. As always we appreciate your support as it allows us to keep manufacturing these fantastic models.
A big thank you to Mark Dyer with his assistance in the research and development of these models, it really has been invaluable.
All our aircraft now come with their own stands and can be displayed in flying mode if required.
I have the winter version and it is excellent, pictures tend to understate just how good it is, underrated aircraft and the model looks so much better in the flesh. I recommend the book Combat Biplanes of WW II by Peter Smith, excellent chapter on the HS-123 in there.
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