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Special Hobby Releases Marking Options for Upcoming 1/32 Tempest Mk. VI

Special Hobby has released the marking options for their upcoming 1/32 Hawker Tempest Mk. VI.

“The Tempest Mk. VI was a Tempest V airframe modified to accept the 2,340hp Sabre V engine. Externally similar to the Tempest V, the Mk.VI featured wing root air intakes similar to those installed on the Tempest II.The Sabre V´s higher power output made it necessary to have this extra cooling which was especially important since the Tempest VI had been selected to be the standard RAF fighter for service in the Middle East.”

The new kit (SH32055) is reportedly based on the company’s new tool Tempest Mk.V released in 2016 and will reportedly feature four livery options, including NX201 and NX135 of 6 Squadron RAF NX126 of 249 Squadron RAF and NX179 of 213 Squadron.

The kit is currently slated for release in April. Click below to check out the newly released livery profiles.

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Eduard Releases New Details on Upcoming New Tool Fw 190A-5 Light Fighter

Eduard has released new details on its upcoming new tool Fw 190A-5 Light Fighter model kit in 1/48 scale.

The offering will be released as a ProfiPACk edition kit containing new tool sprues and five marking options representing the classic fighter/JaBo variants. The decals were “carefully selected with regard to the armament variant (two-cannon wing), which is an important difference between this and the Fw 190A-5 kit of the previous generation.”

Liveries represent W/N 0152 594 flown by Maj. Hermann Graf, W/N 0157 298 flown by Maj. Josef Priller, W/N 1501 flown by Oblt. Walter Nowotny, W/N 538 of 6/Schl.G 1 and an A-5 flown by Oblt. Rolf Strohal of Stab I./JG 1.

The kit (82143) is currently slated for release in March. Click below to check out additional images.

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Hawker Sea Fury WG655 Returns to the Air Following Re-Engineering

Earlier today, the Fighter Collection’s Hawker Sea Fury T-20 WG655/G-CHFP returned to the air for a series of three test flights following a period of re-engineering.

This particular machine was built by Hawker in 1951 and delivered to 781 Squadron. In 1957 it was converted to a target towing configuration and sold to the German Ministry of Defence. It was withdrawn from service in 1976 and ferried to Royal Navy Historic Flight in Yeovilton before being refinished at Royal Navy Air Yard Fleetlands. In 1990, WG655 suffered an engine failure shortly after takeoff, resulting in a wheels-up forced landing and collision with a tree. In 1993, the remains were acquired by Chuck Greenhill of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Restoration was begun by Tim McCarter and his crew and finished by Sanders Aeronautics in California. The aircraft returned to the air in 2005 and was sold to the Fighter Collection at Duxford in 2008.

The recent effort included the installation of a P&W R2800 engine in place of the conventional Bristol powerplant. Future plans, including possible participation at the Flying Legends event this summer, have not yet been announced.

Click below to check out photos of today’s flights.

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SL721, One of the World’s Most Original Airworthy Spitfires, Finds New Home in Europe

Supermarine Spitfire XVI SL721, formerly operated by Vintage Wings of Canada in Ottawa, has been sold to an enthusiast and will be making its way to a new home in Belgium.

As previously reported, SL721 was built in August 1945 and delivered to the RAF, where it became the personal aircraft of Air Chief Marshall Sir James Milne Robb, a WW1 pilot who served as Commander-In-Chief – Air Forces Europe following WW2. The Packard Merlin 266/R55-powered machine was sold in 1967 and transported to the US, where it would stay until 2002, when it was acquired by Vintage Wings of Canada. Today it is considered one of the most original airworthy Spitfires in the world.

Details regarding a home base and future plans are reportedly forthcoming.

(via Belgian Aviation Preservation Association and Platinum Fighter Sales Photo: Ahunt via Wikimedia Commons)

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Eduard to Release New 1/48 He 280 Model Kit

Eduard is planning to release a new Heinkel He 280 ProfiPACK edition model kit in 1/48 scale.

The He 280 was the first turbojet-powered fighter aircraft in the world, however, it was plagued with engine problems and only nine examples of the type were built before the project was cancelled.

The new kit (8068) will reportedly include options for machines powered by either HeS 8a or Jumo 004 engines, as well as pre-painted photo etched parts, paint masks and markings for three aircraft (although the ones shown are provisional).

The new kit is currently slated for release in April. Click below to see more.

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“Ultra Rare” WW2 MiG-3 Offered For Sale

Please Note: This is an archived post. The information presented here may not be current and the associated listing may no longer be active.

An “ultra rare” MiG-3 Soviet WW2 fighter / interceptor has hit the market.

The aircraft (S/N 4958) was reportedly built in 1941 and experienced a forced landing near Murmansk in December of that year. After the wreck was discovered in 2000, it was recovered and restored by Rusavia of Moscow.

The machine was test flown in 2005 “using parts salvaged and restored together with a compete Mikulin Am-38 engine ex Il-2.” It is currently painted in Soviet AF colors and is said to be fitted with an Allison V-12 engine “for easier operations.”

It appears that the price is available on application. For additional information click here.

(via Historic and Classic Aircraft Sales Photo: Alan Wilson via Wikimedia Commons)

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F4U-7 Corsair Performs First Engine, Taxi Tests in New AU-1 Livery [Video]

Flying Colors Aviation of Benton Harbor, Michigan has reported the first run up and taxi tests for an F4U-7 Corsair which they recently refinished.

The aircraft appears to be B/N 133714, which was once on display at the USMC Museum in Quantico and flew in the TV series Baa Baa Black Sheep. It now wears the colors of AU-1 B/N 129378 (pictured above) flown by Marine Corps pilot Lt. Col. John F. “Jack” Bolt, who served in WW2 and the Korean War and earned ace status in both conflicts.

The aircraft will reportedly by departing soon, although an exact date and time had not been announced at the time of this writing. Click below to check out a photo of the repainted machine and a video of the recent engine test.

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First Look: MustHave Models’ Upcoming 1/32 Nieuport-Delage NiD.29

French model manufacturer MustHave Models has released the first images of their upcoming Nieuport-Delage NiD.29 resin model kit in an impressive 1/32 scale.

Designed and built by Nieuport-Delage for the French Air Force, the Hispano-Suiza -powered NiD.29 performed its maiden flight in 1918 but wasn’t ordered into production until 1920. It was the fastest service fighter in the world at the time and went on to serve in numerous countries. It was also used for racing and set eight world speed records while also winning the 1920 Gordon Bennett Trophy and the 1922 Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe competition.

Little is known about the upcoming kit at this point, although it is said to be “coming soon.” Click below to check out additional images.

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Udvar-Hazy to Host British Warbird Fly-In Commemorating RAF Centennial

In order to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force, the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia will be hosting a fly-in featuring a number of British warbirds.

“The Great British Fly-In” will reportedly feature more than ten former RAF aircraft that are either currently on display at the museum or will be flown in for one-day-only event. In addition to Spitfires, a B-25 Mitchell and a P-51 Mustang, the fly-in will feature talks by RAF officers and museum experts, presentations about the museum’s newly acquired Sopwith Camel (featured in The Flying Machine #6), interactive STEM demonstrations and performances from the RAF Band and drill displays from the Queens Colour Squadron.

The event is currently scheduled to take place at the museum on April 15th from 10am-4pm. Admission is free, although parking will cost $15. Click here for additional information.

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Lone Star Models Releases New 1/48 Felixstowe F.2A Model Kit

Lone Star Models has released a new a resin and metal model kit of the Felixstowe F.2A WW1 flying boat in 1/48 scale.

The kit (LSM 480606) reportedly offers “very good attention to detail and accuracy” and includes parts for a beaching trolley as well as early or late versions of the type.

Click below to check out the product page and kit images.

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