Witty Wings announces a Eurofighter Typhoon.

Merit International has announced that Witty Wings will kick off their 2014 Program with their release of a 1/72 Scale Eurofighter. Three versions are in the works. The canards could do with significantly more anhedral which will hopefully be addressed prior to release.

https://www.facebook.com/MeritIntlLtd

First pics AA33419 Westland Sea King HU5 HMS Gannet.

SniperUK has posted first pics and initial impression of the new Sea King HU5 HMS Gannet on DAF.

First pics, I will wait until I have it here before I comment fully but initially I think the red is too orange and the grey slightly to dark as it should match the Lynx.

Corgi 1/72 scale Vulcan 'first shots'!!!

Shuttle has just posted some very interesting photos of the new 1/72 Corgi Vulcan on DAF.

Here are some very 'hot off the press' photos of the 'first shot' of the Vulcan. The Corgi team have had this sprayed white to highlight any moulding defects. This is also fitted out as 617 Squadron aircraft (note the missile) and I hope to get some photos of the XH558 'first shot' very soon.

Any feedback will be passed on.

 Shuttle

Australia Day with 76 Sqn. RAAF

The Rathmines PBY 5A Catalina “Our Girl” – From Ebay to Australia.

So you're wanting a PBY Catalina for a memorial display, do you just pop down to the local airport and hopefully find one on sale? No. You try Ebay and find one over 16,000km away to buy….. 

This is how the Australian based Rathmines Catalina Memorial Park Assoc Inc ended up with a static PBY-5A Catalina in early 2013 for its future museum where it intends to honour and recognize the heroism of the RAAF Catalina crews in WW2.

http://www.warbirdsnews.com/aircradft-restorations/rathmines-pby-5a-catalina-our-girl-ebay-australia.html#more-9903

Lockheed P-38 Lightning 75th Anniversary.

27 January 1939 saw the maiden flight of Lockheed’s latest design, the Lightning. 

Despite being overshadowed throughout World War Two by the likes of the Spitfire and Mustang, the Lightning would prove to be a crucial element in the Allies’ success in the European, Mediterranean and Asia-Pacific theatres. 

Whilst widely overlooked when assessing the key aircraft which won the war for the Allies, the P-38 was certainly a machine that had the credentials to garner such an accolade.

Kieran Lear reported on the P-38 Lightning’s 75th anniversary for GAR.

http://globalaviationresource.com/v2/2014/01/27/aviation-feature-lockheed-p-38-lightning-75th-anniversary/

Pre-production photos HA7725 Swiss P-51D Mustang.

Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series HA7725 P-51D Mustang J-2061, FISt 16, Swiss Air Force, September 1949.

Pre-production photos HA3350 F-5F Tiger II "Sundowners".

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series HA3350 F-5F Tiger II 840456/AF 100, VFC-111 Sundowners, Naval Station Key West, Florida, 2008.

Pre-production photos HA9105 B-24D Liberator "SCREAMIN" MIMI".

Hobby Master 1/144 Air Power Series HA9105 B-24D Liberator "SCREAMIN' MIMI" 42-40997, 565th BS, 389th BG, Norfolk, UK, 1943.

Pre-production photos HA1116 F6F-5 Hellcat "White 71".

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series HA1116 F6F-5 Hellcat "White 71", VF-20, USS Enterprise, October 1944.

Pre-production photos HA1115 F6F-5 Hellcat "Paper Doll"

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series HA1115 F6F-5 Hellcat White 7 "Paper Doll", VF-27 USS Princeton, 24 October 1944.

Time-lapse video: Uncovering a Thunderbolt.

STARS and STRIPES reported that on Saturday January18th, 2014 a group of 22 volunteers and WWII hobbyists excavated the wreck of an American P-47 Thunderbolt. Alexander Schneider, an amateur historian and metal detecting enthusiast, said he stumbled on the site by accident in the summer of 2009.

At press time not much is known of the crashed fighter. Matthew Millham of the Star and Stripes reports that the crash site is less than 10 miles southwest of Darmstadt, a city all but destroyed by Allied bombing during the war. Other cities in the area were targeted in the bombing campaign as well, and numerous Allied and German aircraft were shot down or crashed in the fighting.

http://www.warbirdsnews.com/wwii-events/uncovering-p-47-thunderbolt-crashed-germany-wwii.html#more-9838

French Navy Rafale in action.

The American aircraft carrier USS Truman is currently closely co-operating with French Carrier Charles De Gaulle in the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet AOR (Area of Responsibility – Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean).

But, whereas you can find plenty of material about all the U.S. flattops, images and videos shot by French naval aviators are a bit rarer.

http://theaviationist.com/2014/01/21/video-french-navy-planes/

Typhoon - a ride with the best: The Science Museum, London.

Typhoon...a ride with the best' -- Experience the thrills of flying backseat in the RAF's Typhoon frontline jet fighter. This film features highlights of an ultra-low level mission over the stunning scenery of the Lake District and the Welsh valleys.

http://theaviationist.com/2014/01/19/typhoon-mach-loop/

F-15E Strike Eagle Compressor Stall on take off

The following footage was shot by Ben Ramsay and his brother on Jan. 15, 2014, at RAF Lakenheath, UK.

It shows a local based F-15E Strike Eagle on take off from British base suffering a dramatic compressor stall/surge.

http://theaviationist.com/2014/01/22/f-15e-compressor-stall/

German Tornado crashes, pilot rescued from tree branches.

On January 16, a Tornado fighter bomber belonging to the German Air Force crashed south-east of Laubach, not far from Büchel airbase in central western Germany.

Both the pilot and the navigator (a WSO – weapons system officer in the American mil aviation jargon) ejected from the plane with minor injuries; one of them was rescued while hanging from a tree.

http://theaviationist.com/2014/01/19/buchel-tornado-down/

Eurofighter Typhoon flies with Taurus 350 radar-evading cruise missiles.

On Jan. 15, Airbus Defence and Space started the testing campaign of the Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role combat plane with Taurus air-launched stand-off precision missiles.

The first flight took place at the Manching Military Air Systems Center, north of Munich, and involved Instrumented Production Aircraft 7 (IPA7), flown by Eurofighter Project Pilot Chris Worning.

Taurus KEPD 350 is a German/Swedish missile that is manufactured by Taurus Systems GmbH, a partnership between MBDA Germany and Saab Dynamics. The missile has a range of +500 kilometres (300 mi), a speed of Mach 0.8-0.9 and stealth features.

http://theaviationist.com/2014/01/16/eurofighter-taurus-flight/

Falcon Models FA721101 USAF T-38A Talon Edwards AFB

Falcon models 1/72 scale FA721101 USAF T-38A Talon, 445 FLTS Edwards AFB. Initial observation is that exhaust nozzles are pretty basic and reminiscent of the F-5 not T-38, wing and horizontal tail leading and trailing edges very over scale.

Final product photos FA721102 USAF T-38A "THUNDERBIRDS" 1974

Falcon Models 1/72 scale FA721102 USAF Northrop T-38A Talon "Thunderbirds" 1974.