Aircraft

De Havilland Tiger Moth 1:72 & 1:32

I was gifted a flight in a Tiger Moth some time ago, when I was young and spry. It was an amazing day out and I got to soar above the fields of Oxford on a beautiful day. Something I really loved doing. 

It was back in 2005, so at time of writing, a good 15 years ago. Wow doesn't time fly.

I made this little video of my flight. It was made back in 2005 when I didn't have the right software so sorry for the "Trial Version" text splattered over the middle but not much I could do about that. Hope you enjoy it and you should get to see some of what I experienced. 

So I decided to build a Tiger Moth but not just any Tiger Moth, I wanted a replica of the one I flew in. So I first purchased a 1:72 Scale Model and built that, painting it and marking it as per the one I flew.

Once I had built this little beauty I found a bigger scale version. It would show much more detail and I knew I would enjoy building it. So I purchased it and constructed a larger version of the Tiger Moth that I flew.

Supermarine Spitfire MK Vc 1:72

This is the first model I made once I got back into the hobby. I hadn't built model planes since I was a child but I remembered many of the old skills. I had yet to buy an airbrush but once I saw the finish on this model, I knew it was something I had to invest in.

This particular Spitfire was from the No.79 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force deployed in Merauke, New Guinea and the Pacific Theatre in October 1944. 

Fockewulf Fw 190D-9 1:72

Of course, it's not just British aircraft I like to build. I built a small Fockewulf and put that together. One of the German Air force's popular aircraft it was fun to build.

Messerschmitt BF109 G-6 1:72

One of my favourite German aircraft is the ME109. The Spitfire's main rival, the ME109 was one of the most popular German aircraft of WWII. The one I happened to build, I found out after some research, was the double chevron and bar marked ME109 and this was actually flown by Maj. Kurt Brandle of II./JG 3, Luftwaffe in 1943. I even found a picture of the pilot in question. Say hello to Kurt.

Maj. Kurt Brandle was the celebrated pilot so it was nice to know that the model I was building actually saw service.

Spitfire Mk IX 1:48

The Spitfire is an iconic aircraft and it was designed and first constructed in my home city of Southampton. Something those of us who live here are very proud of. The mark IX was came late in WWII but it was none less Iconic. 

This particular aircraft was part of No. 43 Squadron of the Royal Airforce. It was based in Klagenfurt Austria in June 1945 and flown by M George Edwards. 

Hawker Hurricane MK 1 1:48

The Hurricane was my favourite WWII aircraft and was arguably the most important aircraft in the Royal Air Force. More of them were built than the Spitfire and they fought in more theatres. 

This particular Hurricane was from the No. 32 (F) Squadron at RAF Biggin Hill and Hawkinge from July 1940.

Another great model I enjoyed building. 

Lancaster B. III 'Dambusters'

The Lancaster bomber was a huge flying fortress of a bomber. When the British Military needed to destroy a number of dams in Germany, it was the obvious choice. 

However, conventional bombs just wouldn't cut it. Bombing runs in WWII were not very accurate and a dam is a very thin building. Almost impossible to hit the conventional way .

Barnes Wallis designed a bomb that would do the job, it would bounce across the surface of the water and collide with the wall of the dam. The bomb was a barrel shape that would be spun from under the bomber, causing it to bounce once it hit the water. It was heavy and the bombers only had one shot. The Lancaster was refit and put into action. 

Arguably, this mission could of been considered a war crime by today's standards as it killed many innocent civilians, it did knock out much of Germany's production in the valleys around the Dams. Ethics aside, it is an iconic aircraft and inspired the famous movie "The Dambusters" 

Here is Barnes Wallis (left) and the pilot, Guy Gibson (right) of this particular aircraft.

And now the model. Another great Model I enjoyed building, so much detail.

PB4 Y-2 'Privateer'

Another large bomber from WWII this time an American Bomber. The PB4 was another flying fortress. This was a great model to build with many a great painting detail and I think looked fantastic once it was done.