Planes

Introduction

A brief note about my airplane collection. Most of all these planes, except for the 1:400th scale jet airliners, came from either the gift shop at the Boeing aircraft museum in Seattle, Washington, a great museum to visit I'd like to add, or from Contrails in Victoria, B.C., that, unfortunately, is no longer in business. Mr. Ray White was the owner of this shop and the reason for its demise is unclear. I can only hope that it was 100% Ray's decision to call it quits as he was a very nice person and it was always a fun shop to visit. Second, the main collection, not including the "Dragon" 1:400th scale aircraft are hand carved and painted in the Philippines and come in a variety of scales. All of the "Dragon", 1:400th scale aircraft were purchased at Comex Hobby in West Edmonton Mall. Finally, as always, a big thanks to Graham "Pacman" Tranter as he provided not only the digital camera to take the pictures but he also has designed and uploaded these pages.

The Collection

A6M5 "Zero" (Japanese Fighter WW2) (1:32nd scale)

The first of two Japanese aircraft of World War 2 in my collection. I got to admit that the Japanese built a really good fighter and one can see the classic lines in this photograph. The Zero was mainly a carrier based fighter that saw action from the beginning of the war to the final days. The A6M5 Zero had a top speed of 351 mph, and had a range of over 1100 miles.

CF105 Avro Arrow (Late 1950's Canadian Fighter)

In the late 1950's Avro Aircraft developed maybe the best fighter, at this point, the world had ever seen and, regrettably, a couple of years after production started, the project was cancelled and all prototypes were destroyed. Why? There are a lot of theories but no real answers with the official reason given was that the project was too costly, many disagree with this explanation. The model I have is based on the third prototype built. Classic lines and a great paint scheme make this a great model. This aircraft had only flown 12 times for just over 13 hours before it was scrapped. Estimates for the Arrow was a top speed of 1,325 mph. and a range of 500 to 600 miles. I don't actually know the scale of this aircraft, it looks too big to be 1:72nd scale but too small to be 1:48th scale. 1:64th scale possibly?

Messerschmidt Bf109E (German Fighter WW2) (1:32nd scale)

This model depicts a Bf109E flown by one of the most famous pilots of not only Germany but of the entire World War 2 air war, Adolf Galland, which he flew in and around the fall of 1940. I really like the black, dark grey and light grey camouflage which is contrasted by the bright yellow on the cowling and rudder. A very impressive plane that had a top speed of 348 mph. but was hampered by a range of only 410 miles.

Douglas DC-3 (United States airliner) (1:72nd scale)

It seems strange that the first time I had ever seen these types of models, being a World War 2 airplane lover, that I would make my first purchase a Douglas DC-3 but after debating for over an hour, the DC-3 was the plane I did like the most. What a classic airplane, even after almost seventy years after the first DC-3 was built, you can still, on occasion, see one at an airport in flying condition. What a testament to a rugged, reliable airplane.

Lockheed Electra (United States airliner) (1:72nd scale)

I liked the propeller driven airlines of the 30's, 40's and 50's and wanting to keep in the 1:72nd scale, decided to buy the Electra. I wouldn't say I was disappointed with the model but I like my DC-3 and the Martin 404 better. The Electra is a fine looking plane but it is bigger in size than the other two that are very close in size. The Electra must have been a very big propeller plane. It also marked the pinnacle of propeller airlines as the jets were soon to makes the Electra obsolete.

F4U Corsair (United States Fighter WW2) (1:32nd scale)

There is no mistaking a F4U Corsair. With its gull shaped wings, it had to be one of the most distinct airplanes during World War 2. An incredibly fast airplane able to fly at well over 400 mph., it could also carry a large bomb load. First flown by the Marines and then the Navy, the Corsair fought through the last half of World War 2 and then into the Korean War in the early 50's. The United States, with planes like the Corsair, also stared building planes with the range needed to fight in the Pacific as the Corsair had a range in excess of 1000 miles.

G4M3 "Betty" (Japanese Bomber WW 2) (1:48th scale)

This is another plane that I wasn't even looking for but once I saw it, there was no doubt that this was the plane I was leaving with. I really like the looks of this plane and it is hard to find any Japanese aircraft from WW2 that are this well done. With a range of almost 2700 miles and a top speed of almost 300 mph., this plane, unfortunately, for those who flew in them was highly vulnerable to fighter attack. I've never seen a "Betty" bomber with twin guns in the tail position and if I had to place where this plane would be stationed it would be in Rubaul, New Britain, 1943. If anybody would like to correct this theory I would appreciate it.

Martin 404 (United States 1950's airliner) (1:72nd scale)

In an attempt to compete with the DC-3, Martin started producing the 404 in the early 1950's. 103 were built mostly going to T.W.A. and Eastern airlines. Forty passengers could fly with the comforts of air conditioning and a pressurized cabin at a cruising speed of 280 mph. and a range of almost 1100 miles. This is a nice model and looks good in my collection along side of my Douglas DC-3.

Supermarine Spitfire MkVB (British fighter WW 2) (1:32nd scale)

What more needs to be told about the Spitfire, arguably the most famous airplane to be used in WW2. A sleek, beautiful fighter. I remember having a debate about getting this Spitfire of the Hurricane that I found in Contrails, as I could only get one home and afford one, I think I choose wisely.

North American P-51D Mustang (United States Fighter WW2) (1:32nd scale)

It amazes me seeing the P-51 Mustang and my Corsair sitting besides my other 1:32nd scale airplanes, there is no doubt about, the U.S. built some incredibly large fighters and I don't even have a model of a P-47 Thunderbolt, an even larger airplane than these two. A pilot had to feel confident flying and fighting in the P-51. A plane with a top speed of 437 mph., and a range of over 2000 miles it had to have made the bomber crew's they escorted feel safer and more confident too. This model depicts a Mustang flown by Col. John Landers, a veteran of both the Pacific and European fronts. Col. Landers shot down 14 1/2 aircraft flying not only in Mustangs but also in P-40's and P38's. His "kill" totals on this model account for these air victories but also for enemy aircraft he destroyed on the ground.

Fokker Dr.1 Tri-plane (German Fighter WW1) (1:24th scale)

I'm not a big fan or expert on airplanes of World War 1 but I do like the Fokker Tri-plane. This is my only World War 1 model as well as the biggest scale model I own. It must of taken a lot of courage to climb into the cockpit of any early fighter of this era where I imagine a pilots skill was paramount over any technological features of his aircraft.

Curtis P-40 Warhawk (United States Fighter WW2) (1:72nd scale)

What a great airplane, a Flying Tiger. You gotta love those teeth. The Fying Tigers were an American volunteer air group that fought the Japanese, in China before, and after, the U.S. entered World War 2. This model depicts a plane used before the U.S. entered the war as by the Nationalist Chinese markings on the side of the fuselage and above and below the wings. This is the last model I bought and it is a personal favorite.

Dragon 1:400 scale airlines of Canadian based airlines (-1-, -2-, -3-)

Not much to add but airline manufacturers from Boeing, Airbus and Lockheed are represented. Current as well as past airlines also make up my collection from Air Canada, Tango and Westjet, that still fly today, to Canadian Airlines, Ward Air, C.P. Air and Canada 3000 which no longer grace our skies. My personal favorite is the Air Canada Lockheed L-1011 Tri Star. I've got a couple of other Dragon L-1011's as well as a couple made by Herpes at a 1:500th scale.

I hope you enjoyed looking and reading about my collection. I hope all the information is accurate as I got most of my facts and figures from either books or off the internet. I aim to continue to collect these types of planes and maybe my next page will deal with my "Dragon's" of other airlines of the world.

Thanks again..

Jeff