Pre-production pictures of the new Hobby Master Mitsubishi T-2 CCV Testbed.

The Mitsubishi T-2 was chosen by the Technical Research and Development 

Institute(TRDI) of the Japan Defense Agency to test new technology. The 

aircraft selected was the third T-2 manufactured; serial 29-5103 c/n 003. It 

would be the test bed for the CCV (Control Configuration Vehicle) studies. 

Fixed canards were mounted on the intakes just in front of the wings with a 

movable canard under the fuselage. The objective was to study airflow to see 

if such a configuration could improve maneuverability.

Pre-production pictures of the new Hobby Master RAAF F-111C No.1 Sqn.

The RAAF ordered 24 F-111Cs that had serials A8-125 to A8-148. On September 4 

1968 the RAAF was handed the first F-111C but the advanced wing sweep 

mechanism had problems. It wasn’t until 1973 when the problem was solved 
and RAAF acceptance was given. 

The 24 aircraft were delivered in 4 flights with the first flight arriving at 

Amberley on June 1, 1973. The lead aircraft was A8-125 flown by Group Captain 

J.W. Newham and Wing Commander T.C. Owen. A8-148, the last aircraft arrived 
on December 4, 1973. 

The aircraft was in service with 1 Squadron and then transferred to 6 Squadron. 

A8-148’s last live ordnance drop took place on May 12-13, 2010. The aircraft was 

retired on December 3, 2010 and there is a chance it may be heading for 

preservation.

Final production pictures of the McDonnell CF-101B Voodoo.

The only major foreign operator of the Voodoo was the Royal Canadian Air 
Force (RCAF) that acquired 56 CF-101B and 10 CF-101F. 416 Fighter Squadron 
formed in November 1941 and became the “Lynx” All-Weather Fighter Squadron 
in February 1957. 

In January 1962 416 AWFS moved to Bagotville, Quebec and in November 1962 

they moved to CFB Chatham, New Brunswick for 22 years. Former USAF Voodoo 

57-382 entered Canadian service as CF-101B c/n 560 serial 101045 in May 1971 

until September 1984. 

At the end of 1984 the Voodoos were replaced by CF-18 Hornets and the 416 

became a TFS and were the world's last front-line unit flying Voodoos.

Final production pictures of the Free Kuwait Air Force A-4KU.

In 1976 Kuwait purchased 30 A-4KU and 6 TA-4KU aircraft and operated them until 1997. The Skyhawks entered service with Nos. 9 and 25 Squadrons. When Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait some of the A-4KUs were able to get airborne and actually attacked the advancing forces but weren’t able to halt the aggression. Once the Kuwait airfields were taken over the A-4KUs were flown to Saudi Arabia where the crews and equipment were integrated into the Royal Saudi Air Force operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. 

During the time they Kuwait aircraft were in Saudi Arabia they became known as the Free Kuwait Air Force and carried out 1,361 sorties with a loss of only 1 aircraft. After Desert Storm the A-4KUs were eventually replaced by F/A-18C/D Hornets. After Desert Storm 20 A-4KU and 3 TA-4KUs were sold to the Brazilian Navy for use on their aircraft carrier Minas Gerais. One of the A-4KUs was aircraft 809 had BuNo.160188 c/n 14556 and it went to the Brazilian Navy as AF-1 serial N-1005.

Illustration of how the new Hobby Master F4U Corsair wing works.

Here are the latest images from Hobby Master illustrating how the wing on their new F4U Corsair works.

Pictures of the new Corgi Stirling from Todd in California.

No.4, a fellow forum member, has kindly agreed to share pictures of his newly arrived Stirling.


Initial impressions are very good although there are a few niggles in terms of details like the tiny oval windows ahead of the cockpit, tail guns, yellow practice bombs and particularly the low stance. 

I really like the look of the model, it clearly shows the awesome size of this aircraft, long fuselage and stubby wings. The colours and insignia look pretty good too. All we need now is a comparison with the Lancaster and Halifax.

Thank you very much no4mkit, awesome pictures. Nice to be first to have your pics up too. Good on you mate!!!

On the Collectors Front.

There have been a few models arriving or passing through customs at present. Models not already allocated will be available on Bid or Buy.

From Hobby Master we have:
F-102A Delta Dagger, USAF 525th FIS Fighting Bulldogs
F/A-18C Hornet, USN VA-81 Sunliners, AA401, USS Saratoga

F-5N VF-111 Sundowners

From Corgi:

Boulton  Paul Defiant - RAF 141 Sqn, Cock o' North A-4F Skyhawk, USN VA-212 Rampant Raiders, NP300, USS Hancock  Harrier GR.Mk 3 Diecast Model, RAF No.4 Sqn, RAF Gutersloh, Germany, 1992 Ju 87B Stuka Diecast Model, Luftwaffe 2./StG 3, Derna, Libya, 1941  P-47D Thunderbolt, USAAF 218th FG, 19th FS, "Miss Mary Lou"  P-40E Warhawk, "Texas Longhorn", John Landers  P-40E Warhawk, "Typhoon McGoon", Clyde Kinsley  Nimrod MR.Mk 1, RAF Kinloss Wing, RAF Kinloss, Scotland, 1977  From SkyMax: STRIKEMASTER Mk 80A VIPER TEAM G-VPER ROYAL SAUDI AIR FORCE From Oxford: Kitty Hawk MkI A  Neville Duke 1943 From Sun Star: F-117 Stealth Fighter - USAF 410TS "PALMDALE" From Atlas: Lockheed P-38 Lightning & Fw190D-9 Mosquito FB.VI & Ki 61 Tony Zero & F4U Corsair P-40 & Bf109

The Corgi Short Stirling has landed!!!

The Corgi Short Stirling has arrived!!! Collectors on die-cast aviation forums are indicating that they have received shipping confirmation for the new model. Many retailers have indicated that the model has been sold out on pre-order  ages ago. 

I've also contacted my supplier and he has indicated that D9D should be receiving its Stirlings in January. The models have already been allocated. The only pictures available seem to have been pulled by the retailer already due to his allocation being sold out.

These pictures are courtesy of the Flying Mule.

Pre-production pictures of the new Hobby Master F4U Corsair!!!

As many of you are aware Hobby Master is doing an F4U Corsair in 1/48 scale. Truth be told, I'm rather looking forward to it. Hobby Master has some pre-production pictures available with the list of features.

Features:

1/48 scale pre-finished.
Straight wing section can be removed and replaced with a section 
that makes it look like the wings are folded, no hinges.
Die-cast metal with a minimum of plastic.
Professionally painted.
All markings pad applied for superb results.
Canopy slides open.
Comes with a pilot that can be removed.
Comes with display stand.
Landing gear is fully retractable and can be displayed up or down.
Extremely sought after by collectors.

Wings and Wheels Show, additional photos by Shane Swartz.

Shane is continually updating his album as the photographs are processed. Here are his latest updates.

Eness Photography Wheels of the Wings and Wheels Airshow.

Neil Shannon also took a good few pictures capturing the drama on the 4x4 course as well as the high speed runs along the taxiway where we were positioned on the crowd line for the airshow.

Gotta say that '67 Mustang looked and sounded fantastic!!!