More Plane News!

[Keith Hardy]

This is the incredible work of David Glen, Cambridge England. It is a 1/5th scale Supermarine Spitfire MKI and has taken 11 years.

There are over 19,000 proper scale rivets.

He is now working on a 1/5th scale P51-D.

How about that...breathtaking.

[Keith Hardy]

And more.......

[John Christian]

The detail is unbelievable !!!

Shows what a beautiful aircraft the Spitfire is (not forgetting, as well, the Hurricane)

[Dave Bilyk]

Incredible realism and attention to detail, what a craftsman.

[Dimi]

Just think what sort of job and finish this chap could do if he set his mind to building a reconstruction of a real GT 40
Dimi

[Keith Hardy]

You have to know that I am not able to draw a straight line, but I admire people that can. I taught myself to build race engines and there was nothing better in the world than driving a car that you had put together with an engine you had hand built and winning trophies with it. It was the very best feeling in the world bar none but nothing comes close to my heartfelt admiration for the skills and dedication of guys like this who can build these kind of things from scratch. From scratch!

Imagine.......

[Marcus]

That Spitfire is a stunning piece of craftmanship!

How about buying a 1:1 replica of the Focke Wulf 190,
just in case some money is burning a hole into your pocket...

Flug Werk GmbH - Focke Wulf 190 -

[ChrisL]

I'm with you Keith. I can't help feeling though that the world is a little cheated that such a talent didn't put his hand to building a full replica. I can't imagine that it would take any more time to do

[Keith Hardy]

Originally Posted by marcus

That Spitfire is a stunning piece of craftmanship!

How about buying a 1:1 replica of the Focke Wulf 190,
just in case some money is burning a hole into your pocket...

Flug Werk GmbH - Focke Wulf 190 -

Very nice Marcus and what a fantastic plane it was, very quick and agile

My Dad shot 2 down near Southampton a few years ago.......he never liked airplanes much....he reckoned that "they were out to get him"

[Marcus]

Thank you Keith. Your father must have been an exceptional pilot.
When confronted with pilots like him, many German fighters ended up like this:

Me 109 - D-FWME - eine fliegende Legende

(Above pics show a freshly restored ME 109 after having crashed at an air show. Pity, innit?)

Like so often, I think this Focke Wulf became rather outdated when the already fantastic Spitfire was upgraded to become the MK IX Version with the latest of the RR Merlin 60 Series engine.

That was until the first jet fighters left their marks in air combat.
One of those can also be purchased as a replica, see

Me262 Replica Test Flight Video

This replica has modern GE jet engines since the original BMW and Junkers engines had to be replaced every 25 operational hours!

So in its time the ME 262 was quite advanced. And costly, at that...

[Keith Hardy]

No, not a pilot Marcus - an anti-aircraft rocket artillery battery commander! (the rockets were very hush hush at the time....) I think they posed more of a threat to the operators than to the planes, but if you were ever caught in a "box"....Goodbye! A proximity weapon designed for use in a single barrage of 12 per launch I believe.

I told you - he hated planes.....

And you know, it was the FW 190 that frightened the life out of the RAF because it was a much better plane than the Spitfire out of the box especially with it's injected motor.

So, that's when they started developing the Spit and eventually, it became the MK IX, which some would say was the last "true" Spit. All the following MK's up to XXIV I think, were deemed to be a totally different airplane really especially with the RR Gryphon engines.... although they do look similar.

Those are nice looking and very expensive replicas Marcus. It would be good to see them in the flesh so-to-speak....

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

That Spitfire is simply incredible.

..and he was too right in not painting the plane..to leave the natural metal color alive.

Simply stunning, is a rare example of extreme modelling, in the same way..our gt40s can be (u have a kit..then..go on modelling 1:1 scale...eheh).

Planes are wonderful, I suggest u all to visit the stunning Duxford Imperial war museum, they have a section where they show the restore program of the many aircraft they have to refurbish.
Think the "replica planes" are really better (and surely safer) than the real things (the 262 has the new T38 engines from GE if I am not wrong..)remeber I saw there a Gloster Gladiator..and original was only the Naca oil roundel.
They also show the Spit Mk.XIV, with the "original" engine near the plane.
A block of rust.

Paolo

[Keith Hardy]

David Glen apparently was a volunteer at Duxford helping to restore the full size planes.....

[Ron Earp]

Or 1:1 flying Me262s as Paolo suggestions! Plenty of video to watch on the site and I think one or two are still unsold, and not complete.

Stormbirds

[Marcus]

Oops, sorry Keith, in that case your father must have been an exceptional commander!

Ron, I´ve heard the same about one 262 for sale.
In contrast to that, all 16 FW190 replicas are sold out. Think they were either sold as a complete airframe (fuselage, wings, rudders) or stage build (avionics, engine, fuel system, hydraulics etc.). To my knowledge, the airframe was sold for 500.000 Euros, complete aircraft IRO 1 Million Euros.
Just wondering if Paul Allen (Cofounder Microsoft) got one of the 262`s.
He is known to buy almost anything that`s got to do with WW 2 Warbirds,
his collection must be amazing. Whenever an old (preferably German) fighter
gets recovered (in Russian swamps) he is said to place his usually breathtaking bid.

YouTube - Wreck of a Focke-Wulf 190

[Marcus]

Oops, sorry Keith, in that case your father must have been an exceptional commander!

Ron, I´ve heard the same about one 262 for sale.
In contrast to that, all 16 FW190 replicas are sold out. Think they were either sold as a complete airframe (fuselage, wings, rudders) or stage build (avionics, engine, fuel system, hydraulics etc.). To my knowledge, the airframe was sold for 500.000 Euros, complete aircraft IRO 1 Million Euros.
Just wondering if Paul Allen (Cofounder Microsoft) got one of the 262`s.
He is known to buy almost anything that`s got to do with WW 2 Warbirds,
his collection must be amazing. Whenever an old (preferably German) fighter
gets recovered (in Russian swamps) he is said to place his usually breathtaking bid.

YouTube - Wreck of a Focke-Wulf 190

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

...and looking those nice models/real planes I feel sad and NUT today..cause hardly working on an UGLY italian plane of the '30s (now I wanna test your knowledge in those..its an Italian "Caproni Ca.102"...think we are 2 in the world knowing this ugly.. ).
When u are payed to build models u also have to accept works on planes u really dont like (I love Kelly Johnson shapes..and in general AMERICAN planes...damn...never understood why all racers from 1927 Schneider Cup were converted into something good for war, only italy didnt..we had Mc.72 and mc.52,remained only racers, it is EXACTLY as today Ferrari.).
Also reading italian missions u see its always a matter of courage (with fiat engines,we were able to assembly here the daimler benz db605...and loose 80hp cause shitty materials and quality assembly... )

I am having a full immersion in Alfa Romeo and fiat avaizione masterpieces...and more I learn..more I love OTHER ones

Even Mussolini lost a son in a too stupid plane crash over Pisa, during the test of Piaggio P.108 (our "wannabee" B-29,always too forward in technology and art..and with the worst engines available...).

Think if any of u pilot will look at the crash and at how stupid that was...u always will look at italian planes ONLY via internet,cause dangerous also when parked on the groun.

have to assembly soon an F-14....damn....

Paolo (today desperado...)