Shuttleworth to Restore DH.88 Comet After Incident, Project Page Launched
Following an incident at Shuttlworth’s Flying Proms Air Show on August 15 that resulted in significant damage, The Shuttleworth Trust has announced their intention to restore their de Havilland DH.88 Comet back to airworthy condition.
The DH.88 was a remarkably sleek British two-seat, twin-engine racing aircraft designed by A. E. Hagg specifically for the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race from England to Australia. Built largely of wood with retractable landing gear, enclosed tandem cockpits, variable-pitch propellers, and two 230 hp Gipsy Six R engines, it represented an unusually advanced high-speed design for its day. Shuttleworth’s example, “Grosvenor House (G-ACSS),” is the very aircraft that won the roughly 11,300-mile race in 70 hours 54 minutes, helping make the DH.88 an enduring icon of 1930s aviation and an important influence on later de Havilland designs.
The aircraft rolled over on landing at the event and the pilot was extracted and sent to the hospital, being discharged soon after. Shuttleworth has launched a new, dedicated project page where you can stay up to date on the Comet’s progression.
(via Shuttleworth Photo: Airwolfhound from Hertfordshire, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
How The Fairey Fulmar Became The Fleet Air Arm’s Unlikely Hero
Coming soon from The Crowood Press and author Matthew Willis is Fairey Fulmar: The Fleet Air Arm’s Unlikely Hero, billed as “the remarkable story of how a make-do fighter proved itself indispensable in the harshest theatres of war.”
Fairey Fulmar –The Fleet Air Arm’s Unlikely Hero charts, for the first time, the full history of the Fairey Fulmar naval fighter. A hastily converted light bomber, rejected by the RAF and increasingly obsolete against Messerschmitts and Zeroes, somehow the Fulmar became the top-scoring Royal Navy fighter aircraft of World War II. This first comprehensive study of the Fulmar’s design, development and operational service.
The 176 page, hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release set for February 9, 2027.
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First Look: Test Build of Mdesign’s Upcoming 1/32 LVG B.II
Mdesign has released test build images of their soon to be released L.V.G. B.II in 1/32 scale.
The B.II was an early German two-seat, unarmed reconnaissance biplane of the First World War, developed from the pre-war L.V.G. B.I and entering service in 1915. It used a 120 hp Mercedes D.II inline engine and incorporated an upper-wing cutout to improve the pilot’s upward visibility; although it performed scouting and reconnaissance work early in the war, the lack of defensive armament soon made it obsolete at the front, so it was employed chiefly as a trainer.
As of this writing details are limited, although the kit will reportedly include masks and decals with options for a second variant manufactured by Otto and armed with a Madsen machine gun. Check out additional images below.
Continue reading First Look: Test Build of Mdesign’s Upcoming 1/32 LVG B.II
1966 Cessna 172H For Sale: “3/26 Annual, Flies Great”
A 1966 Cessna 172H has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):
1966 Cessna 172H N2461L. As about 5400 airframe total hours and 615 hrs on the engine since last overhaul in 2003. Times will change as this is flown regularly. It had an annual inspection completed in March 2026. Starts, runs, and flys great! Based in Pacoima, CA at KWHP. Equipment: Continental O300D, King KX155 nav/com, Stratus transponder w/ ADSB out, Portable iFly GPS, IFR capable, buoy last pitot-static check was for VFR
The aircraft is currently available for US $72,000 although bids are also being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos and details.
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Eduard Releases New Weekend Edition Bf 109F-4 Model Kit
Included in Eduard’s new August releases is this Bf 109F-4 model kit in 1/72 scale.
The Bf 109F-4 was a refined 1941 version of Germany’s main WWII fighter, prized for its clean aerodynamics, strong climb, and responsive handling. Powered by a Daimler-Benz DB 601E engine, it carried a 20 mm cannon firing through the propeller hub and two 7.92 mm machine guns, serving widely on the Eastern Front, over the Channel, and in the Mediterranean.
Eduard’s new offering (7478) is a Weekend Edition kit featuring Eduard plastic parts and decals with marking options for four aircraft.
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Mooney M20K 305 Rocket Conversion For Sale: “STC S/N 001, Cheap”
A Mooney M20K 305 Rocket conversion has been spotted for sale.
According to the listing, N305PF is the first production 1981 Mooney M20K 305 Rocket conversion (STC serial 0001), a historically significant 305-hp TSIO-520NB-powered speed machine with long-range fuel, speed brakes, upswept wingtips, leather interior, and King KFC 200 autopilot; it previously won the Production Modified class in the 1997 Great Cross Country Air Race. The aircraft has 7,640 hours total time, 969 SMOH, and 439 hours since prop overhaul, but suffered a fuel-starvation, gear-up field landing after suspected fuel-tank sealant contamination; damage is reportedly limited to a bent three-blade McCauley prop, two broken fin antennas, and slight deformation of two belly formers, with no reported wing, gear, control-surface, cowling, tail, or major structural damage.
The aircraft is located in Howell, Michigan and is currently available for US $49,950, although bids are also being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos and details.
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Eduard Releases Limited Edition, Dual Combo Fw 190A-8 and Fw 190D-9 Kit
Among Eduard’s new releases for August is a new limited edition, dual combo Fw 190A-8 and Fw 190D-9 kit in 1/48 scale.
The Fw 190A-8 was the principal late-war radial-engine “Anton,” entering production in 1944 with a BMW 801D-2 air-cooled engine, heavier protection and armament—normally two 13 mm MG 131 machine guns plus four 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon—and provisions for bombs, rockets, drop tanks, or high-altitude boost equipment; it was widely used in bomber interception, fighter, and fighter-bomber roles. The Fw 190D-9, the “long-nosed Dora,” was an aerodynamic, liquid-cooled Jumo 213-powered development intended to remedy the A-series’ declining high-altitude performance: its lengthened nose and revised rear fuselage housed a substantially more powerful engine, giving better climb and speed—about 430 mph under favorable conditions—while retaining a relatively lighter standard armament of two 13 mm MG 131s and two 20 mm MG 151/20s. In short, the A-8 was the rugged, heavily armed radial-engine workhorse, while the D-9 was the faster, higher-performing late-war interceptor and air-superiority variant.
The new kit (WILDE SAU Episode Three: Until the Fall of the Empire / 11199) includes Eduard plastic parts, pre-painted PE parts, painting mask, resin wheels and Eduard decals with marking options for 11 aircraft. The kit is focused on aircraft from JG 300, JG 301 and NJGr. 11.
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1946 Ercoupe For Sale: “In Annual, Runs Good”
A 1946 Ercoupe has been spotted for sale. Details are limited, although the listing states that the aircraft runs good and is in annual.
The aircraft is located in Parma, Idaho and is currently available for US $17,900 although offers are also being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos.
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Eduard Releases New P-40K Warhawk (Short Tail) With PE Details, Six Liveries
Eduard has released a new ProfiPACK Edition P-40K Warhawk (Short Tail) model kit in 1/48 scale.
The P-40K “Short Tail” was an early-production form of Curtiss’s Allison-powered P-40K fighter, distinguished by the original short rear fuselage shared with the P-40E and a prominent dorsal fin fillet ahead of the vertical tail, added to counter the stronger engine’s directional-instability and torque effects. Powered by a 1,325-hp Allison V-1710-73, it was among the fastest P-40 variants to that point—about 370 mph at 20,000 feet. It retained the type’s rugged fighter-bomber character, typically with six .50-caliber machine guns. Beginning with the P-40K-10, Curtiss adopted the longer rear fuselage used on later P-40Fs, making the earlier K-1 and K-5 series the “short-tail” machines familiar to historians and modelers; It is also known as the Kittyhawk Mk III for Commonwealth-operated examples.
Eduard’s new release (82243) includes Eduard plastic parts, pre-painted PE parts, painting masks, and Eduard decals with six marking options.
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Early Bird Jenny For Sale: “Beautifully Built, Flies Wonderfully”
An Early Bird Jenny (reduced scale Curtiss Jenny) has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):
Jenny replica beautifully built, flies wonderfully. Continental A 75 engine runs flawlessly and low time. A great way to learn taildragger flying in this airplane. Cheap to own and fly.
The aircraft is located in Simpsonville, South Carolina and is currently available for US $14,950, although bids are also being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos and details.
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