Airfix has provided more exciting updates on their upcoming new tool DH Mosquito B Mk.XVI in 1/72 scale.

The latest news includes photos of full, completed sample builds “using both of the scheme options which will be included with the initial release from this tooling.” Liveries represent B.XVI ML963/8K-K of RAF No.571 Squadron, No.8 (Pathfinder) Group and B.XVI ML957/HS-D, RAF No.109 Squadron.

As previously reported, the kit (A04023) represents the the final major bomber variant of the type and reportedly utilizes “all the latest design and manufacturing technologies available” to the team. The company states that it “is still currently on track to make its anticipated late summer release slot.” Click below to check out additional images.

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Adrian Stewart’s new book Hurricane: The Plane That Saved Britain is touted as offering an “intensely readable, spirited and classic account” of the legendary Hawker Hurricane, describing “all the Hurricane’s roles, adventures and achievements.”

The Hawker Hurricane was flying on the outbreak of war in 1939. Six years later, having saved Britain, it was still playing a major part in the war effort. Widely remembered in its fighter role and unjustly left in the shade of the Spitfire, the Hurricane’s role was varied and pivotal: as a fighter, fighter-bomber, anti-tank aircraft and used at sea. Nor was its theatre of operations any less wide: it saw action in France from the beginning of the Phoney War to the outbreak of the Blitzkrieg, in the Battle of Britain, and then as far afield as Russia, Sumatra and Madagascar.

The book, which “recounts the exploits of the aircraft’s outstanding pilots who contributed so much towards mastery of the skies and eventual victory,” spans 344 pages and is available in both paperback and Kindle formats.

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The National Museum of the USAF in Dayton, Ohio has released a new video providing an overhead view of some of the rare aircraft housed in the collection’s storage facility.

Aircraft include a Junkers Ju 52, Fiesler Storch, T-33, etc. The museum notes that not all stored machines are seen here, as others can be found in the museum’s restoration hangars.

Click below to check out the new video.

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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 Allison V-1710-89-powered 2004 Spitfire Mk IX has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):

2004 Spitfire Mk IX Full Scale Replica, plans by Marcel Jurca Offered for Sale. This is as close as you will come to flying a real Spitfire at half the price. Get some friends together and buy this one of a kind warbird! Engine/Prop: Allison V-1710-89, Hamilton Standard DC-3 Prop (11’6″ Dia.); TT: 450 Hours; SMOH: 170 Hours; Exterior Colors: Federal Standard 595; N#: N1940K; SN: MK9EX; No Accident History; Always Hangered; Logs Completed; Avionics / Equipment / Modifications: ADS-B Out, Garmin SL40 Comms, Garmin 296 Navigation, AT-50 Transponder, 2-Place Intercoms; Priced to sell!

The aircraft is located in Prescott, Arizona and is currently available for bidding. Click here to check out the listing on eBay.

Revell has released the first test build photos for their upcoming new tool Gray Project SR-71 Blackbird in 1/48 scale.

The build follows the arrival of the first injection molding tool samples and the first series of photos focus on the J58 engines and the engine nacelles. The company states:

In some of the comments you have already asked whether the detailed engines can also be installed in the aircraft itself. Our designers did not plan this, but experienced model builders can of course accept this challenge and develop a solution themselves. The space would of course be available…

Click below to check out the newly released images.

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Aerodynamic Media, LLC is proud to announce the release of the 20th issue of The Flying Machine: Early Aero Quarterly.

Issue #20 Contents:

36 Pages – Nieuport Memorial Flyers Nieuport 23 (Part 1); Spotlight: MAM’s Rotary-Powered Fokker Dr.1; Building S.E.5a Wings; Products

The Flying Machine focuses exclusively on “aeroplanes” manufactured prior to 1920, as well as the current work of historians, builders, restorers, museums and collectors to preserve and promote interest in the early years of flight. Published in print and digital formats, The Flying Machine is offered on a pay-per-issue basis – no subscription required!

Join us as we pay tribute to early aircraft and the visionaries, geniuses and daredevils who conquered the air while producing some of the most fascinating, ingenious and beautiful machines in aviation’s short history. Click here to purchase!

Airfix has released their new tool Avro Vulcan B.2 model kit in 1/72 scale.

The offering (A12011) reportedly includes “stunning detail” with LIDAR scanned shapes as well as an optimized sprue configuration, customizable build options and two piece wings “to simplify and fortify your build.” The kit contains plastic sprues and decals with marking options for two machines: Avro Vulcan B.Mk.2 XM594, The Scampton Wing and Avro Vulcan B.Mk.2 XM602, RAF No.12 Squadron.

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A newly released DVD Inside the Spitfire Factory “follows factory owner, Peter Monk, and his crew of engineers, pilots and historians as they restore rusty remains of the iconic Second World War flying machines.”

Over the course of a year, this six-part series discovers the surprising stories of this iconic flying machine, whilst following the restoration of a particularly special aircraft, the 1943 Mark IX Spitfire. With £2 million at stake there’s no room for error and the pressure is on to deliver on time. As Peter hunts down parts and oversees construction, a large cast of characters – from pilots and engineers to historians and WWII veterans – are on hand to explore the Spitfire’s rich history and uncover its surprising stories. This is the Spitfire Factory, a place dedicated entirely to resurrecting one of the most famous aeroplanes and returning it to the skies.

The DVD reportedly runs 4hrs 30 min.

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

A Focke-Wulf Fw189, believed to be “the sole surviving example of this distinctive type” has been spotted for sale.

The project aircraft (W/N 2100) is “thought to be the fourth of ten Fw189s produced by Aero in Prague in 1941.” It was reportedly test flown that July and went on to serve as an army cooperation aircraft for two years.

“Just after 3am on the morning of the 4th May 1943 the crew – pilot Lothar Mothes; navigator/bombardier/gunner Kurt Lebrecht; and rear gunner Gunther Albrecht – took off on what would be their last mission. The aircraft was to photograph Loukhi III Airbase from an altitude of 20,000ft and then continue north up the Murmansk-Leningrad Railway. Half an hour into the sortie a radio message was received to warn they were under heavy attack by Russian Hurricanes and that was the last communication received. Lebrecht and Albrecht died as a result of their wounds, whereas Mothes survived the ordeal, and the war. Mothes made his way behind Russina lines, living of bark from trees and grubs in order to survive, and finally reunited with German soldiers having evaded Russian soldiers for two weeks. He spent nine months in hospital and convalescing as a result of the crash, but returned to his duties as a pilot, flying a further 100 missions in Fw189s. Mothes was able to be reunited with the remains of this aircraft, in 1996 at the Biggin Hill airshow. [continue reading…]