Hobby Master December Preorder News

Hobby Master News from www.diecastairplane.com Here's the preorder lineup for December release with a new signed P-51 Mustang, a DC-4 from the Berlin Airlift and some new Jeeps.
url	photo	Item Name	MSRP	Sale Price
HA7904		Boeing 218 P-12 Prototype, Robert Short, 1932 (1:48)	72.95	64.95
HA7714a		P-51D Mustang Maj. Donald Strait, 356th Fighter Group "Jersey Jerk" (1:48) - Signature Edition Limited to 500	115	99.95
HA7714b		P-51D Mustang Maj. Donald Strait, 356th Fighter Group "Jersey Jerk" (1:48)	74.95	67.95
HA1417		A-4KU Skyhawk Free Kuwait Air Force, Gulf War, 1991 (1:72)	62.95	54.95
HA3702		CF-101B Voodoo No. 416 Squadron, RCAF (1:72)	87.95	77.95
HA1965		F-4N Phantom II VF-161 "Chargers" CAG Bird, USS Midway, 1977 (1:72)	79.95	69.95
HA3309		F-5E Tiger II Republic of China (Taiwan) Air Force (1:72)	65.95	59.95
HA3504		F/A-18D Hornet VMFA(AW)-242 "Bats" (1:72)	79.95	69.95
HA2805		F-22 Raptor 43rd FS, 325th FW, Tyndall Air Force Base, 2006 (1:72)	87.95	77.95
HA3009		F-111E Aardvark 79th Tactical Fighter Squadron, USAF, Tiger Meet 1991 (1:72)	89.95	79.95
HA3402		Mitsubishi F-1 8 Squadron, 3rd Air Wing, Japan Air Self-Defense Force (1:72)	74.95	67.95
HA2707		Mitsubishi XF-2B Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Gifu Air Show, 2007 (1:72)	77.95	69.95
HL5005		Canadian Pacific DC-6B ~ CF-CZE (1:200)	69.95	62.95
HL6006		Czech Airlines Airbus A310-300 (1:200)	99.95	89.95
HL2014		Berlin Airlift Douglas C-54 Skymaster "Candy Bomber" (1:200)	66.95	59.95
HL7003		BOAC Douglas DC-7C, 1957 (1:200)	67.95	59.95
HL9003		Northwest Orient Airlines Lockheed L-1049E Super Constellation (1:200)	72.95	64.95
HG1303		Light Utility Car "Tilly" North Africa, 1940-41 (1:48)	39.95	34.95
HG4305		Sd.Kfz. 234/1 Pz.Aufkl.Abt.4, 4th Panzer Division, Poland, 1945 (1:72)	31.95	27.95
HG4209		Willys MB Jeep "Follow Me" Airfield Jeep, USAAF, Iowa (1:72)	29.95	26.95
HG4210		Willys MB Jeep Royal Air Force (1:72)	29.95	26.95

Road Trip - Canadian Air and Space Museum, Ottawa, Canada

Canadian Aviation Museum, Ottawa, Canada

I'm home and back to work. It was a great trip, but it sure feels good to be back. I did end up a bit frustrated by how few museums we got to see for all the driving we did, but my son and I had a great time together and just driving around this great country was eye opening for him.

The last stop on the trip was the Canadian Aviation Museum. This Museum is not as big as I thought it would be. It is one main building and we covered the entire collection in a couple of hours. We could have spent more time there, but after being on the road for 29 days, Shelby and I were also feeling travel weary and had a hard time remembering where we've been in the last month.

Canadian Air and Space Museum Website
Link to Steve's Pictures

But, of course, the great thing about the museum is that the collection is uniquely Canadian. Here I can see aircraft that have a lot of cross breeding between the US and Britain such as an Avro Lancaster, or a Canadian made Mustang IV. The close ties with American designs built in Canadian factories are well documented. And there are aircraft unique to Canadian Aviation, such as the Avro CF-105 (forward fuselage only)  and the Norseman. These are planes one doesn't find elsewhere. 

The other item I was happy to see here was a Canadair Challenger 604. It's a little amazing to see  a plane I was a mechanic on back in the 80's as a museum piece (and it was the older 600 and 601s that I worked on). Does that make me old? (And yes, I'm looking a little scruffy after a month of camping)

There is a great bush plane exhibit as well and lots of videos to watch if one has the time. I did take the time on this run to mark the photographs with the aircraft type. One picture I particularly like is the closeup of the Pratt and Whitney medallion on the engine in the Bellanca Pacemaker. The medallion has "Canadian" stamped on it. I have one of these off an engine that was made in the US, but not the Canadian version.

We didn't get to the Sault St Marie Bush Plane Museum, or the Canadian Warbird Heritage Museum. They'll be on the next trip. Now, it's back to work.

Thanks for following my travels

Steven Howland

www.diecastairplane.com

Planes of Fame Museum, Valle, AZ - May 17, 2011 Visit

Planes of Fame Museum - Valle, Arizona

The Planes of Fame museum has two locations. The main one is in Chino, California, but there is also a small branch of the museum in Valle, Arizona. The advantage to the one in Valle is that it is only 30 minutes from the Grand Canyon, so my son, Shelby, and I were able to kill two birds with one stone and visit both the museum and the canyon in our two days here.

Link to all the pictures from Planes of Fame

Link to Planes of Fame Museum website

The museum facility in Valle is only one hangar, but many of the planes on display are in flyable condition and obviously maintained with loving care, and a lot of expense. Check out the T-28 pictures for example. It looked like you could eat of the cowling it was so shiny.

The Jennie that is on display has no canvas on the wings and fuselage and is kept that way to show the intracate and beautiful wood work and there are several other World War I vintage aircraft on display. Apparently many of the planes here have been used in Hollywood movies.



Outside there is a beautiful Pacific Air Lines Martin 404. Unfortunately it is not open to go inside it. Don't forget to walk around to the back of the museum if you visit. There is a small bone yard of vintage fighter jets that you can poke around. I've even added a couple of shots from the small terminal building next door which has a spit-polished selection of antique cars and motorcycles on display. Check out the Honda 90 actually used in Desert Storm. There is a canteen on either side of the tail rack. One is labeled water, the other, Scotch.

Shelby, my son, and I have a few family visits to make in the California Bay area in the next few days. We've been camping now for two weeks with snow in the Rockies and cold rain in Zion National Park so we are looking forward to a few days respite in a real house.

We'll be at the McMinville, Oregon museum this Thursday and I am really looking forward to seeing the Spruce Goose.

Thanks for following my travels.

Steven Howand

www.DiecastAirplane.com

Travel Blog - Combat Aircraft Museum - Topeka, KS

Combat Air Museum - Topeka, Kansas

If I might describe a museum in terms of personality, the Combat Air Museum in Topeka, Kansas gets high marks for being friendly and personal. Don, the volunteer in the gift shop and tickets sales, immediately struck up a conversation asking where we were from, telling us about the history of the museum, tidbits about the various aircraft, etc. I sort of felt like I could hang out here all day swapping stories. If I lived near Topeka, Kansas, I would clearly find my self spending a lot of time here as a volunteer.

Link to all the pictures
Link to museum website

The Combat Air Museum is not a huge museum and it doesn't have a big budget, but the range of modern aircraft is very interesting and you can get up close in a way that you can't at many museums. Many of the aircraft are on loan from the Air Force and Navy. Some are on loan from the individual owners. The Mig-15 for example is privately owned, but apparently the fellow that bought it flew it for a year, then dropped it off at the museum. He said he was lucky to still be alive after flying such a squirrelly high performance aircraft and would quit while he was ahead. So even though many aircraft are on loan, one gets the impression that they are here to stay. In fact, the museum has been offered more aircraft but doesn't have room.

The main hangar is the primary display hangar with nice display boards giving interesting details and back stories for the individual aircraft and most of the aircraft have stairways so that you can look in the cockpit. A real highlight here is the F9F panther. I don't remember seeing one of these up close before and this is not the most well known of fighter aircraft, but it has a unique shape and was a very important aircraft in its day. (See my video review of the F9F panther by Hobby Master). There are a few WW II aircraft, but the main focus is clearly on aircraft of the Korean and Vietnam War eras which is fine by me as these early jets are fascinating.

Another highlight is the EC-121T sitting on the ramp. It looks a bit forlorn on the outside, but it's open for walking through and inside it I feel as though I could flick a switch and it would come to life. Let's get those radar screens running, or brew a cup of coffee in the galley and sit a bit in the crew rest area while off shift. The guys and women who fly on the electronic surveillance aircraft do an unglamorous but incredibly essential and effective role.

In the second hangar you feel like you have walked into a busy maintenance facility. There are a few complete and flyable aircraft in here, like a beautifully maintained 1944 C-47, but most of the aircraft are in some state of restoration. I loved seeing the F-86 with rear half of the fuselage removed and the engine hanging out just waiting for a crew to work on it. You can see from my photos that this hangar is jam packed with wonderful aircraft. You have to be careful walking around to not hit your head on a wing tip or pitot tube, but it makes the whole experience come alive. Perhaps brushing up against the skin of these birds lets some of the history and personality rub off directly on you. In short, this place is well worth the visit.

United States Air Force Museum, Dayton, Ohio - May 10, 2011 visit

United States Air Force Museum

The United States Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio is simply amazing. I'll be the first to admit that I've never seen a museum I didn't like, but this museum stands out as one of the top museums for military aviation in the United States, and on top of that it's free!

The three hangars are divided into 4 main areas; The early years from the Wright Brothers to World War II, Aircraft of World War II, Modern Flight, and Cold War. In the hallway between the hangars are special exhibits such as one about the Berlin Airlift, and there is a small wing that is the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

There is also an iMax theater, which is a great place to sit for an hour when your feet are tired from all that walking, an outdoor exhibit area that has a replica airfield control tower from World War II and additional airplanes, plus there is a second location on the active military base that houses four presidential airplanes.

With over 400 aircraft any one day visit can only hit the highlights. This is my third visit but there is so much more to see. I've posted a selection of pictures on Flickr (here's the link). It's not the best place to take pictures, but it will give you an idea of what they have on display.

Here are two of my favorite aircraft that can be seen at this museum.

B-29 Superfortress "Bockscar"

While the Enola Gay is more well known for it's role in dropping the first atomic bomb on HIroshima Japan, Bockscar was the follow up atomic bomb drop oh Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. The B-29 is an impressive aircraft that was the culmination of bomber development in World War II and played an important part in ending the war. These B-29s outfitted for dropping atomic bombs are incredibly important at reminding us of the horrors of war. One cannot stand beside this plane and not think of the incredible bravery of out fighting troops, the difficulties of political decisions made in war time and the terrible price paid by the Japanese victims of there own governments intransigence and inability to see that the war was over long before these bombs were dropped.

Consolidated B-36 Peacemaker

Of course, the nuclear threat developed in WW II was only the beginning and once new technology is developed it can never again be shut away. So the cold war became the center of life for the generation after World War II and the race to built bigger and longer range bombers was on. Though the B-52 eventually became the best of the next generation bombers, there were several steps in between. The big aircraft of the 50's that I find the most awe inspiring is the B-36. I guess I am biased as my dad spent a year flying right seat on these behemoths and has plenty of stories to tell. Actually, though he spent a year at Loring Air Force Base in Maine, one can't say he spent a year flying. The crews would fly 24 missions (30,000 gallons of avgas on board to start the flight) and then have a week of boredom in between flights while the big 4 row, 28 cylinder R4360 engines were repaired and made ready for the next flight.

In any case this is a BIG plane and I would have loved to have seen a formation of these lumbering overhead with 6 turning and 4 burning (6 R4360's and 4 jets engines).

New Premium Diecast Warbird Line - X Plus

Diecast Warbird News from www.DiecastAirplane.com New Line: X Plus is a new, premium-level line of 1/72 and 1/144 die cast metal warbirds!   These models are the most detailed die cast aircraft ever manufactured, with a manufacturing time equating to almost three times that of other models. The company’s extensive design and manufacturing experience has allowed it to create airplane models with previously-unseen levels of quality and detail.  From panel lines that are the finest possible with today’s die cast technology to intricate painting – the Japanese F-4EJ has 75 tampo prints just on the sidewinder rack! – and a minimal use of plastic parts, these models and the craftsmanship involved will satisfy even the most discerning collector.   The first Heavy Metal products – 1/72 scale F-4 Phantoms (replicating aircraft from the 1970s) and 1/144 scale Mitsubishi Zeros (replicating Japanese fighters engaged in the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor) – begin to reveal the diversity of models that X Plus will be creating.  They’ll begin shipping in June so order soon to not miss out on the first release models.
url	photo	ItemName	Retail	Sale Price
X-Plus Models June Preorder
XP330098		F-4B Phantom II VF-111 "Sundowners," 1975 (1:72)	135.95	119.95
XP330081		F-4EJ Kai 8th Squadron, "Black Panthers," Japan Air Self-Defense Force, 2008 (1:72)	145.95	129.95
XP330012		Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero IJN Aircraft Carrier Akagi, Pearl Harbor, December, 1941 (1:144)	33.95	29.95
XP330067		Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero IJN Aircraft Carrier Kaga, Pearl Harbor, December, 1941 (1:144)	33.95	29.95
XP330029		Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero IJN Aircraft Carrier Soryu, Pearl Harbor, December, 1941 (1:144)	33.95	29.95
XP330050		Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero IJN Aircraft Carrier Hiryu, Pearl Harbor, December, 1941 (1:144)	33.95	29.95
XP330043		Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero IJN Aircraft Carrier Shokaku, Pearl Harbor, December, 1941 (1:144)	33.95	29.95
XP330074		Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero IJN Aircraft Carrier Zuikaku, Pearl Harbor, December, 1941 (1:144)	33.95	29.95

Aviation 72: New Diecast Warbird Brand

Diecast Warbird Collector News at www.DiecastAirplane.com New Preorder Items due Summer/Fall 2011 We are thrilled to bring this new range of 1/72 scale, limited edition, die cast warplane models to North America. Aviation 72 is a great addition to the growing universe of die cast airplane models and further evidence that our hobby is truly vital and flourishing – the expansion of choices is good for your customers and good for you, too, as it provides more variety, more opportunities, and more interest for collectors of all types.   Aviation 72 products, which replicate aircraft ranging from World War II’s Tiger Moth primary trainer (in which so many of “The Few” who won the Battle of Britain learned to fly) to Saab’s advanced, delta-winged Draken and Viggen Cold War-era jet fighters, are available for pre-order now and will begin shipping this summer. Perfectly compatible with existing die cast warbird collections yet made up of previously unavailable, “exotic” European aircraft types, this line – which is fully-featured with opening cockpits, optional-position landing gear and display stands – will be a wonderful resource for seasoned collectors and for new collectors alike. Plus from Falcon Models the first-ever, 1/72 scale, die cast model of an F-86D. This is a wonderful re-creation of the original, right down to the distinctive profile and nose radome.
url	photo	Item Name	MSRP	Sale Price
AV7226001		DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10 WP790, Aircraft Heritage Centre, London Colney (1:72)	44.95	39.95
AV7221001		DH.82A Tiger Moth R4922, Imperial War Museum Duxford (1:72)	44.95	39.95
AV7222001		Folland Gnat T.1 XP505, Science Museum at Wroughton, Swindon (1:72)	44.95	39.95
AV7223001		Hawker Sea Hawk FB.5 WM969, Imperial War Museum Duxford (1:72)	54.95	49.95
AV7241001		Saab J 35J Draken 35556, Linkoping-Malmen, Sweden, 2010 (1:72)	59.95	54.95
AV7242001		Saab AJS 37 Viggen F7 Wing, Swedish Air Force, International Air Tattoo, 1995 (1:72)	59.95	54.95
AV7225001		Scottish Aviation Bulldog Series 120/121 XX693, PFA Suffolk Costal Strut, Boxted, 2006 (1:72)	44.95	39.95
AV7224001		Westland Gazelle HCC.4 XW855, RAF Museum Hendon (1:72)	44.95	39.95
FA723001		F-86D Sabre 519th Air Defense Group, 75th FIS "Tiger Sharks," 1953 (1:72)	47.95	38.95
FA722005		T-33A Shooting Star Flying Training Command, Republic of China Air Force Academy (1:72)	42.95	34.95