The Panavia Tornado Air Defence Variant (ADV) was a long-range, twin-engine interceptor version of the swing-wing Panavia Tornado. The aircraft’s first flight was on 27th October 1979, and it entered service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1986. It was also previously operated by the Italian Air Force (AMI) and the Royal Saudi Air […]
Bell P-39 Airacobra, Twenty-Two Model Arrivals from Hobbymaster and Century Wings !
The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service when the United States entered World War II. The P-39 was used by the Soviet Air Force, which scored the highest number of individual kills attributed to any U.S. fighter type in the Eastern European theatre. Other major users of the […]
English Electric Lightning, New Corgi Aviation Archive Catalogue and Hobbymaster Updates !
The English Electric Lightning is a supersonic fighter aircraft of the Cold War era. It was designed, developed, and manufactured by English Electric, which was subsequently absorbed by the newly formed British Aircraft Corporation. It was then marketed as the BAC Lightning. The Lightning was the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft. The Lightning was […]
German Luftwaffe Ace Helmut Wick, Updated Photos and Latest Xmas Dispatch Dates.
Major Helmut Paul Emil Wick (5th August 1915 – 28th November 1940) was a German Luftwaffe ace and the fourth recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade, the Oak Leaves, was awarded by the Third Reich to recognise extreme […]
75th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Model Arrivals Next week and Offers of the week !
The attack on Pearl Harbor, also known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor, the Hawaii Operation or Operation AI by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, and Operation Z during planning, was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory, on the morning of […]
Heinkel He 219 Uhu (“Eagle-Owl”) ,Hobbymaster News, plus Corgi updates.
The Heinkel He 219 Uhu (“Eagle-Owl”) was a night fighter that served with the German Luftwaffe in the later stages of World War II. A relatively sophisticated design, the He 219 possessed a variety of innovations, including Lichtenstein SN-2 advanced VHF-band intercept radar, also used on the Ju 88G and Bf 110G night fighters. It […]
The Hawker Hunter, Latest Hobbymaster Updates and Black Friday Deals !
The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet aircraft developed in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary roles with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and […]
The Short Stirling, New Corgi Model Announcement and Arrivals.
The Stirling was designed by Short Brothers to meet an Air Ministry specification from 1936. When the preferred design from Supermarine had to be abandoned, the Stirling was ordered for the RAF. It entered service in early 1941 but had a relatively brief operational career as a bomber, being relegated to second line duties from […]
Douglas A-1 Skyraider, New Hobbymaster Announcements and Updated Photos.
The Douglas A-1 Skyraider (formerly AD) is an American single-seat attack aircraft that saw service between the late 1940s and early 1980s. The Skyraider had a remarkably long and successful career; it became a piston-powered, propeller-driven anachronism in the jet age, and was nicknamed “Spad”, after the French World War I fighter. It was operated […]
McDonnell F-101 Voodoo and latest Corgi Aviation Archive Arrivals !
The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was a supersonic jet fighter which served the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Initially designed by McDonnell Aircraft as a long-range bomber escort (known as a penetration fighter) for the Strategic Air Command (SAC), the Voodoo was instead developed as a nuclear-armed fighter-bomber for […]
The Grumman TBF Avenger, and New Model Arrivals at Flying Tigers.
The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval aviation services around the world. The Avenger entered U.S. service in 1942, and first saw action during the Battle of […]
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog) , Hobbymaster New Photo Updates and Signed Hurricanes !
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single seat, twin turbofan engine, straight wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic for the United States Air Force. Commonly referred to by its nicknames “Warthog” or “Hog”, its official name comes from the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, a fighter particularly effective at close air support. The A-10 was […]
Northrop F-5 Tiger, Latest Hobbymaster and Oxford Diecast Model Photos
The Northrop F-5A and F-5B Freedom Fighter and the F-5E and F-5F Tiger II are part of a supersonic light fighter family, initially designed in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation. Being smaller and simpler than contemporaries such as the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, the F-5 cost less to both procure and operate, making […]
The Convair F-106 Delta Dart, Updated Photos and New Oxford Diecast Releases.
The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft of the United States Air Force from the 1960s through the 1980s. Designed as the so-called “Ultimate Interceptor”, it proved to be the last dedicated interceptor in U.S. Air Force service to date. It was gradually retired during the 1980s, with the QF-106 drone […]
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 Foxbat, and Hobbymaster Latest Announcements.
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (NATO reporting name: Foxbat) is a supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft that was among the fastest military aircraft to enter service. It was designed by the Soviet Union’s Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau primarily using stainless steel; one of the few combat aircraft to do so. It was the last plane designed by Mikhail Gurevich […]
Hermann Graf Luftwaffe Ace,New Model Announcements and updated photos.
Hermann Anton Graf was born on 24th October 1912 in Engen in the Grand Duchy of Baden not far from the Swiss border, the son of Wilhelm Graf (1878–1937), a farmer, and his wife Maria, née Sailer (1877–1953). He was the third of three children, with two older brothers, Wilhelm Wilhelm (1904–1981) and Josef Wilhelm […]
Fighter Squadron 41 (VF-41) the “Black Aces”, and The Duxford Airshow: Meet the Fighters 11th September 2016
Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41) also known as the “Black Aces”, is a United States Navy strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet. They are attached to Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW-9), which are currently deployed aboard the USS John C. Stennis. Their radio call sign is […]
North American F-86 Sabre and New Model Arrivals !
The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States’ first swept wing fighter that could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high-speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War (1950–1953). Considered one of the […]
VF-142 Ghostriders , Calibre Wings Model Announcements and New Models .
VF-142 Ghostriders was a US Navy fighter squadron established on 24th August 1948 as VF-193, it was re-designated VF-142 on 15th October 1963, and disestablished on 30th April 1995. Fighter Squadron 193 (VF-193) was commissioned on 24th August 1948 and assigned to Carrier Air Group Nineteen. The squadron was equipped with the Vought F4U-4 Corsair. […]
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, New Models and August Bank Holiday Sale!
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 bombers, the Boeing entry outperformed both competitors and exceeded the air corps’ performance specifications. Although Boeing lost the contract because the prototype […]
Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader, Hobbymaster New Arrivals and Offers of the Week.
Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, FRAeS, DL (21st February 1910 – 5th September 1982) was a Royal Air Force flying ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged. […]
McDonnell Douglas F/A-18F Super Hornet, Hobbymaster New Models and Sale Offers !
The Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet and related twin-seat F/A-18F are twin-engine carrier-capable multirole fighter aircraft variants based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The F/A-18E single-seat and F/A-18F tandem-seat variants are larger and more advanced derivatives of the F/A-18C and D Hornet. The Super Hornet has an internal 20 mm M61 rotary cannon and can […]
Sundowners VF-111, Hobbymaster Updates and New to Pre-Order.
Three distinct Navy squadrons have called themselves ‘Sundowners’. The U.S. Navy frequently has given the same designation to two or more aviation units, leading to lasting confusion. Officially, the U.S. Navy does not recognize a direct lineage with disestablished squadrons if a new squadron is formed with the same designation. However, historical tradition within the […]
Fighting Falcons VF-96, Randy “Duke” Cunningham, Hobbymaster New Announcements and Updated Photos.
Fighter Squadron 96, or VF-96 Fighting Falcons was an aviation unit of the United States Navy in service from 1962 to 1975. When assigned to Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) their tail code was NG, and their radio call-sign was Showtime. Originally established as United States Naval Reserve squadron VF-791 Fighting Falcons on 20 July […]
The Folland Gnat, Latest Model Announcements and Sale Offers !
The Folland Gnat is a small, swept-wing British subsonic jet trainer and light fighter aircraft developed by Folland Aircraft for the Royal Air Force. The Gnat was designed by W.E.W. Petter as a development of the private venture Folland Midge. It first flew in 1955. Its design allowed its construction without specialised tools by countries […]
Operation Black Buck, Latest Hobbymaster Model Arrivals and Sale Offers !
During the 1982 Falklands War, Operations Black Buck 1 to Black Buck 7 were a series of seven extremely long-range ground attack missions by Royal Air Force Vulcan bombers of the RAF Waddington Wing, comprising aircraft from 44 Squadron, 50 Squadron, 101 Squadron planned against Argentine positions in the Falkland Islands, of which five […]
New Corgi Aviation Archive 2nd Half 2016 Catalogue Announcement.
Dear Newsletter Readers, There is no regular Newsletter this week due to my lap top computer screen breaking late this week, which has set me back a bit in writing it up ! However, I have been able to get the latest Corgi Aviation Archive Catalogue releases loaded up to the website today, which are all […]
The Short Sunderland Flying Boat, F22 Raptor and F35 Lightning II at RIAT and Offers of the Week.
The Short S.25 Sunderland was a British flying boat patrol bomber developed for the RAF by Short Brothers. It took its service name from the town (latterly, city) and port of Sunderland in northeast England. Based in part upon the S.23 Empire flying boat, the flagship of Imperial Airways, the S.25 was extensively re-engineered for […]
USS Nimitz and its Aircraft, Hobbymaster New Announcements, and Arrivals at Flying Tigers this week.
USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is a super-carrier of the United States Navy, and the lead ship of her class. One of the largest warships in the world, she was laid down, launched and commissioned as CVAN-68 but was re-designated CVN 68 (nuclear-powered multi-mission aircraft carrier) on 30 June 1975 as part of the fleet realignment. The […]
VF-1 Wolfpack Tomcat , New Oxford Diecast and Corgi Model Announcements.
Fighter Squadron 1 (VF-1) was a fighter squadron of the United States Navy. Originally established on 14 October 1972 it was disestablished on 30 September 1993. It was the 5th US Navy squadron to be designated VF-1. Known as the “Wolfpack” the squadron saw combat during the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm. The squadron […]
