Avia Mini III - December 1997
CORGI AVIATION ARCHIVE
Corgi are spreading their activities into many fields of diecast model collecting. The good news is that they have embarked on a range of historic aircraft, from the 1948 to 1963 period, nicely diecast and beautifully finished. The bad news, for collectors in 'standard' 1:200 scale, is that they are 1:144 scale. They make a more impressive 'lump' in 1:144 scale, of course, and Corgi no doubt will argue that they are creating their own collectors' scale, intended mainly for Corgi fans rather than necessarily for already committed 1:200 scale enthusiasts. In their other ranges, however, they keep fairly closely to standard scales, 1:43 cars, 1:50 trucks and buses and 1:76 buses. The new series is called the CORGI AVIATION ARCHIVE COLLECTION. Here are the 1998 first half year releases, month of release after each listing. The Canadian-built Lancaster Mk X is an unusual choice, instead of the perhaps more predictable choice of a Lancastrian.
47301 Avro Lancaster, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight JAN 1998
47101 Douglas C-47A Skytrain USAF Berlin Airlift JAN
47201 Avro York, Skyways, Berlin Airlift, FEB
47102 Douglas DC-3 American Airlines, First Commercial DC-3, FEB
47401 Avro Lancaster Mk X-PP, Trans Canada Airlines MAR
47501 Lockheed Constellation, TWA MAR
47103 Douglas C47A, Aer Lingus APR
47502 Lockheed Constellation, Qantas, 50th Anniv. Sydney to London Inaugural flight APR
47202 Avro York, BOAC MAY
47503 Lockheed Constellation, Air India, 50th Anniv.London to Bombav MAY
47104 Douglas Dakota (DC-3), BEA JUN
47504 Lockheed Constellation, KLM JUN
PACIFIC MINIATURES, by Arthur Reed
Arthur is Editor of Air Mail, the magazine of Saab Aircraft AB. Reproduction by permission of Saab Aircraft AB . TPacific Miniatures (PacMin) has a 50 year history as an aviation model maker, today incorporating cutting edge technologies such as Computer Aided Design (CAD), rapid prototyping, computer graphics and use of composite materials in tooling and moulding. Just as Saab Aircraft has had to implement computerised manufacturing systems, just-in-time inventory manage-ment, and a dedication to continual process improvement to meet market demands, so has PacMin. To remain competitive and continue to provide value added products and services to customers like Saab Aircraft, PacMin has had to develop from a business largely comprised of artisans creating colourfully decorated aircraft models by hand. Now, creativity and technology are held in equally high esteem. PacMin produced models reach back to the classic Boeing and Douglas transports and continues up to today's Boeing 777, MD-11, Airbus 340 and, of course, the sleek Saab 2000 jetprop. Today, PacMin employs 80 people between its two manufacturing facilities in Fullerton, California and Birmingham, England. The company concentrates almost exclusively on civil and military aircraft models. Its customers include many airframe manufacturers like Saab, air carriers and leasing companies. The models are highly valued by the customers of Saab Aircraft of America Inc. (SAAI) and used for design of new liveries, marketing and promotion premium incentives, proof of concepts and training aids. Whereas PacMin used to just be a model maker, SAAI finds it cost effective to use the company to develop preliminary liveries on pre-owned Saab 340s destined for new operators in North and South America. PacMin provides SAAI with computer renderings of liveries for proofing and promotional purposes. The same computer data is used to produce desktop or lobby display models. PacMin also produces cutaway models to show interior passenger and freight configurations. The company has been able to utilise its computer graphics to generate additional visual impact to the model interiors. SAAI has become a partner with PacMin, helping Saab to achieve marketing objectives. PacMin works very closely with SAAI to produce highly accurate scale models for its Saab 340 and Saab 2000 operators. The entire manufacturing process, from start to finish, is quite lengthy. The process includes utilising data from a CAD system similar to the CATIA system used by Saab Aircraft. The CAD files are used to machine prototype parts from composite materials. The prototype parts are then sent to airframe manufacturers for critique and approval. Once completed, the tools or moulds are loaded into a hydraulic press and injected with two component liquid structural polyurethane materials. The parts are removed from the moulds and undergo numerous operations including initial sanding, assembly, application of a base coat of primer and final sanding with fine wet sandpaper to produce a smooth surface for finish paint. Prior to moving the model to the customising area, the order engineer has programmed all critical details of the paint scheme into the main computer database. Electronic art is generated to produce water slide decals in a climate controlled silkscreen printing facility. The silkscreen process can involve as many as 20 colours and take many days. The proper presentation of an airline livery is very critical to SAAI. After transfer to the customising department, the fuselage, wings, engines and tail portions are masked off and painted according to the order programme. Paint lines are polished and the decal for the specific livery is applied. The model is then washed and touched up before the final coat of clear polyurethane is applied over the entire model. During the final stages, the model is assembled on a base, inspected and packed in die cut foam for shipment to SAAI and other customers. PacMin has responded very quickly to meet SAAI's requirements for models and art renderings. 340 and 2000 models are now produced in 1:50, 1:20 and 1:10 scales. PacMin, which has worked with SAAI since 1988, is also developing the tools for producing 1:72 Saab 340s and Saab 2000s.News Items by Ron Crawford, quoted from Miniature Aircraft Quarterly, by permission:
HAI FROM AUSTRIA
Peter Krtina has three new resin releases in his Hai Aircraft series. Those are the Arado Ar 195, Boeing KC-135 (with a choice of three motors in the kit), and one of the Black Sea Ekranoplanes. Write to Dr Peter Krtina, Jettmargasse 11 Haus 9, A-1232 Vienna, Austria.HELMET AIRCRAFT NEWS
The newest Helmet Aircraft by Dennis Knight are pewter models of Curtiss P-26 Mohawk, and P-40 Tomahawk and War-hawk. Dennis also has released modified Cant 1007 single and twin tail and De Havilland Albatross HBM models with pewter landing gear and propellers. In preparation are MiG-21, F-104, Avenger, FW 200C, A-4 Skyhawk, and F-16C Falcon-Lawn Dart. Contact Dennis Knight, Helmet Aircraft, Fairview House, Gadbrook Road, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7AH, UK.AERO CRAFTS
A pewter Zeke 21, Spitfire XIV (Griffon), Focke-Wulf FW 190A, and two seater Sea Fury, all in wheels down form, are the latest goodies from Leighton Fletcher at Aero Crafts. Additional Spitfire variants are next, and we keep hoping for the Typhoon. These models are highly detailed and require only the cementing of the prop.
I failed subtlety, so when you write to Aero Crafts, 57, Denny View, Portishead, Bristol BS 20 8BT, UK, remember to clamour for the Typhoon.NORFOLK DECALS
The Norfolk Group has four new decal sheets, WWII Regia Aeronautica, Luftwaffe, USAAF, and Japanese. These sheets are professionally printed and offer a nice gradation of sizes. You can get those from Chris Sayer, Kett Hall, Wymondham College, Wymondham, Norfolk NR 18 9SX, UK.CHECK 6 AIRCRAFT
Check 6 (Norman Bricklebank, 82 Birchdene Drive, Thamesmead, London SE28 8RP) is a firm which serves many wargamers. They are just starting a range of white metal aircraft, so sign up for their mailing list. The first couple of types will be a Skyhawk and a couple of early MiG jets.LANGTON MINIATURES
Rod Langton now offers a whole series of First World War naval aircraft, including the enormous Felixstowe Flying Boat, Short 184, Friedrichshafen FF 49C, and Rumpler 6B1. The Langton Miniatures kits come boxed with decals, a fret of photoetched struts and rigging, and very comprehensive instructions. They look complex but are actually quite simple to build. Langton also produces an assortment of 1:200 WWI small craft and RNAS vehicles. The address is Langton Miniatures, North Treandal, Ladock, Truro, Cornwall, TR2 4QQ, UK.SASQUATCH MODELS
Airliner enthusiasts should request a copy of Dean Slaybaugh's Sasquatch Models catalogue. In there you'll find new goodies like a 1:200 NAMC YS-11 resin kit and a 737-300 and 737-400 by Pals Flight in New Zealand.. His address is 6230 SE McNary Road, Milwaukie, Oregon 97267, USA.PANCHENKO MODELS
Alex Panchenko (PO Box 5069, West Hills, California 91308) has added more 1:200 display models to his line. Those are the IL-114, IL-86, IL-76, Tu-334, and Yak-42LL. These are handmade wooden models.TOMMY ATKINS
Tommy Atkins (C A Atkins, 17 Ashbourne Avenue, Bridlington, Yorks. YO16 4PE) has announced white metal or pewter kits of the Short Scylla-Kent, Short Rangoon-Calcutta, Handley-Page Hastings, and B-24 Liberator.FANJET PRODUCTIONS
Fanjet Productions, PO Box 216, Riverdale, Maryland , USA 20738-0216 has announced a resin Airbus 310.MICRO MODELS NEWS, by Mark Meates
The obsolete diecast Vickers Viscount from the old Micro range will soon re-appear. The die is slowly becoming operational. There is still a problem with the undercarriage as the original wheels were 'quite unsightly' (not my term). We are pursuing a couple of options, including a display stand.SIKU AIRCRAFT
Among the many letters we have had from our readers following publication of Avia Mini I and II have been a number requesting one-make histories of various toy and model aircraft ranges. A name that cropped up repeatedly was that of Siku, so with the aid of Jonathan Morley of Sieper Werke GmbH, to whom we express our grateful thanks, here is a brief history of Siku aircraft.
Richard Sieper launched his new company in Germany into the raging inflation of 1921, building a foundry in Lüdenscheid. First production was of aluminium cutlery, but once a toolmaker's workshop was added, the company was able to make many other products, tobacco tins, tin matchboxes, ashtrays and so on. By 1933 production had expanded into badges and belt buckles, a patent for an alloy buckle being a key factor. Alloy uniform buttons with an oxidised finish led to experimental production in plastics.
Thereafter, injection moulded products such as badges, plaques and figurines formed the basis of future production. During the Second World War, in 1943 a second factory was opened 100km distant, in Hilchebach, where buttons were made in the post-war period, but new specialist plastic products including bathroom furniture are made there.
At the Lüdenscheid plant, plastic combs and advertising items were made, leading to the Sieper Kunstoff (plastic) name, shortened in 1950 to Siku, which was registered as the new trade name. The same year toy production began, with farm animals and a toy aquarium, followed by a wide range of cheap toys and gift ware. This in turn developed into a toy car range, which by 1958 became the main product of the company, with over 100 plastic vehicles and 400 accessories. Now we come to the aircraft. In 1959 twenty different subjects were launched in 1:250 scale. These proved very popular and were good sellers; in fact this was their undoing! In 1964 production of the aircraft range had to be terminated. As the Siku management now say,
'The reason for this decision is almost unbelievable today: Lack of a sufficient work force!'In 1963 the model car range switched from plastic to diecast zinc alloy and developed into the range which still exists today.
In 1984 Siku took over Wiking's 1:87 plastic range, so they are also the inheritors of the old Wiking aircraft tradition. Today Siku is a market leader around the world for diecast model vehicles, with three factories in Germany and one in Poland. There are 820 employees and with 75 years in business behind them, Siku have lots of plans for the future. These plans however, do not include resurrecting the Siku plastic aircraft, unfortunately.
The original range consisted of these models:Siku aircraft
List supplied by Sieper Werke GmbHF1B Sud-Aviation Caravelle
F4A Lockheed L1649A, Super Constellation
F3B/A Boeing 707
F5B De Havilland Comet 4
F6A Dornier Do 27
F6B Dornier Do 27S
F7A Tupolev Tu-104
F9A/B Douglas DC-7 Seven Seas
F10A F-100 Super Sabre
F11A Lockheed F104 Starfighter F12B Convair 440 Metropolitan
F13A Convair B-58
F14A Sikorsky S-58
F15A Nord 250 Noratlas
F16 Fokker F27 Friendship
F17B Viscount 814
F18B Lockheed L-188 Electra
F19A Douglas DC-8
F21A Martin P6M-2
F27A Boeing B-52 StratofortressTOOTSIETOYS
The origins of the Tootsietoy company lie in the two firms of Strombecker, the oldest US toy company, dating back to 1896, and Dowst Bros, who published the National Laundry Journal. Dowst also made laundry items, including the indispensable Victorian collar button. Samuel Dowst was the first to use a machine designed to produce printers' lead type to make other castings, in his case collar buttons, followed by jewellery and trinkets. The first toy car was a Ford T, in 1906, the first aeroplane a Bleriot type in 1910. In 1926 Dowst absorbed the competing Cosmo firm, becoming by far the largest toy diecast company on the US market. Tootsietoys got their name from a Dowst grandchild called Toots, a little girl whose name was originally applied to dolls house furniture, and later to all diecast products. In 1961 Dowst bought Strombeck-Becker, a leading maker of electric and plastic toys, and the Strombecker name was thereafter applied to the new combine. We will here only look at the Tootsietoy diecast aircraft:TOOTSIETOY AIRCRAFT
106 Low wing monoplane 1932NOTE: Some sources seem to confuse the 717 and 125 castings, the single fin design with Douglas wing plan-form being described as Electra, the twin fin design as Douglas DC-2. We have been unable to check if this is a problem with the maker's designation. Comments from readers welcomed.
107 High wing monoplane
119 Low wing monoplane fighter US Army 1936
125 Lockheed 'Electra' EAL 1937
717 Douglas DC-2 TWA, 1935
718 Waco C series biplane US Army 'Navy Bomber'
719 Crusader twin engine twin boom
720 Flying Gyro
721 Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter
728 Twin engined transport 1941
1030 Dirigible Airship USN Los Angeles
4482 Bleriot-type monoplane 1910
4649 Ford Trimotor 1930 (orig. in set)
4650 Biplane seaplane 1926, radial eng.
4659 Autogyro 1934
4660 Aero-Dawn 1928, radial engine.
4675 Wings seaplane 1929, radial eng.
DC4 Super Mainliner (Douglas DC-4 twin-fin airliner)
Flying boat Coastguard 1950s
Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star
Bell Helicopter 1970s
Navy Jet (NA Sabre)
Twin Engine Airliner (10 window low wing) Convair 240?
Beech Bonanza, butterfly tail
Ryan (NA) Navion
Low wing monoplane (aka 'Piper Cub')
Navy Jet (Douglas F-6?)
Lockheed F-94 Starfire
Stratocruiser Airliner, four engine
Chance Vought Cutlass
There were also various comic strip spacecraft of Buck Rogers, and sets in which combinations of toys were issued.
MIDGET SERIES- one inch long replicas of four aircraft, made in 1936-41.Further Reading: Tootsietoys, World's First Diecast Models,by J Wieland and Dr E Force, pub. Motorbooks Int., 1980. Collector's Guide to Tootsietoys, by D E Richter, pub. Collector Books (Schroeder), 1991.
SCHOWANEK AIRCRAFT, by Leo Tack, Antwerp, Belgium
Here is a list of 1:200 Schowanek aircraft made in Germany in the 1960s. The list is complete, as far as I can ascertain.
GERMANY(If any readers have pictures of these models we can use, please send them to us for future publication. Ed.)
100 Do 27
101 Transall
125 Nord NoratlasFRANCE
126 Mystere IVA
127 Vautour II
128 MH Broussard
129 Fouga Magister
130 SO Djinn helicopter
131 Alouette helicopter
132 Mirage III C
133 Mirage IV A
134 Breguet AtlanticITALY
150 Piaggio P 149 D
151 Fiat G 91GREAT BRITAIN
200 Avro Vulcan
201 Blackburn Beverley
202 English ElectricCanberra
203 Fairey Gannet
204 Gloster Javelin
205 Gloster Meteor
206 HP Hastings
207 HP Victor
208 Hawker Sea Hawk
209 Hawker Hunter
210 Hunting Pembroke
211 Percival Provost
212 Supermarine Swift
213 Vickers Valiant B 1
214 Bristol 173 helicopter
215 Bristol Sycamore 171 'copter
216 Saro W14 Skeeter helicopter
217 English Electric Lightning
218 AW Argosy C 1CANADA
250 Canuck
251 F 86 Mk 6 SabreUSA
300 Boeing B 47
301 Boeing B 52
302 Cessna bird dog
303 Convair B 58 Hustler
304 Convair F 102A Delta Dagger
305 DHC L20 Beaver
306 DHC Otter
307 Douglas B 66 Destroyer
308 Douglas Globemaster
309 Fairchild C 119 G
310 Fairchild C 123 B
311 Grumman Albatross
312 Lockheed F 104A Starfighter
313 Lockheed C 130B Hercules
314 Martin B 57
315 McDonnell F 101A Voodoo
316 NA F 86K Sabre
317 NA F 100C Super Sabre
318 Republic F 84 Thunderstreak
319 Republic RF 84F Thunderflash
320 Bell 47G 2 helicopter
321 Sikorsky S 55 helicopter
322 H 21 Work Horse helicopter
323 Hiller 12C helicopter
324 Sikorsky S 58 helicopter
325 NA T 6C Texan
326 Lockheed T 33 Shooting Star
327 C 133A Cargomaster
328 Boeing C 135 Stratolifter
329 McDonnell Phantom II
330 Republic F 105 ThunderchiefUSSR
400 Mig 15
401 Mig 17
402 Mig 19
403 Yak 12
404 Yak 24
405 Yak 25
406 Tu 16 Badger
407 Tu 20 Bear
408 Tu 37 Bison
409 Il 14 Crate
410 An 2V Colt
411 An 4 Camp
412 Mi 1 Hare helicopter
413 Il 28 Beagle
414 Mi 4 Hound helicopter
417 Hock helicopter
418 Blinder
419 Camel
420 Cat
421 Cleat
422 Coot
423 Cub
424 Fishbed C
425 Flipper
426 Fishpot
427 Fitter
428 Fiddler
429 Firebar
SCHABAK 1997 RANGE
'The biggest range of the smallest planes' continues to grow. Schabak's 1:600 range of German-made diecast aircraft had these releases for 1997:
Boeing 747-400: Air China, Mandarin AirIn Schabak's 1:500 range, head to head with Herpa Wings we have these releases:
Boeing 747SP: PanAm, American, Braniff
Boeing 777: JAL, Thai, MAS, Korean, China Southern
Boeing 737: Air Berlin Boeing 727: Viasa Venezuela
Boeing 767-300: British Airways, Air Canada, United, American, Ansett, Aeroflot, Egypt Air Boeing 757-200: TWA Airbus A319: Eurowings
MD-11: Finnair, Eva Air. Airbus A330: Northwest
Airbus A340: Air China, Air Lanka, Kuwait, China Eastern
Airbus A320: Aero Lloyd, Philippine
Airbus A321: Austrian Millennium
IL-86: Armenian Douglas DC-6: PanAm
MD-90: Edelweiss, AOM France
Canadair RJ: Air Canada BAe 146-Avro: ASA-Delta
Embraer: Comair-Delta
There are also various 'Silver Wings' releases: Delta Olympics, Braniff Calder DC-8, PanAm DC-10, American First, Ozark DC-9.
Boeing 747-400: Air New Zealand, China AirlinesSchabak are also getting into 1:250 scale:
Boeing 777: Saudi
MD-11: JAL, LTU, Finnair Santa Claus
Boeing 767-300: United
Airbus A310-300: Austrian
Boeing 747-400: Air New Zealand, China, Eva Air, Korean. Boeing 747-200: PanAm, TWA, American, Braniff, NationalIt is not clear if all of these 1:250 models are Schabak-produced.
Boeing 747-300: JAL Super Resort
Airbus A310: Lufthansa, Air France, Gulf Air, Continental, Virgin.
Airbus A330: LTU, Northwest, Aer Lingus.
Ju52: Milka
Douglas DC-3: Martinair
AIRCRAFT MODELLING IN CARD By Rod Ward
Making model aircraft from card has a long and distinguished history, from the French Epinal prints of early flying machines via the famous and well-loved Micromodels to sophisticated modern items from Germany and the Czech Republic. From time to time in avia mini we will touch on some of them, old or new, but this time we'll look at some current card models.PMI
This range mostly consists of US aircraft of the Second World War, in 1:32 scale.North American P51D MustangThey also make airships: Hindenburg 1:500, plus mooring mast and 1:200 model of passenger compartment. Macon 1:350, plus mooring mast and parasite aircraft.
Vought F4U-ID Corsair
Curtiss P40 C Flying Tiger
Republic P47D Thunderbolt
Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat
Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat
Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless
Bell P39-M Airacobra
MIGUEL CREUS
1:48 groups of three aircraft:Polikarpov I-15, Fiat CR32, Dewoitine D37.
Messerschmitt BF109, Polikarpov I-16 and Fiat G50. Me 262, Me 163 and He 162.
F-86 Sabre, MiG-15, Grumman F9F Panther
F4 Phantom, Mirage III Spanish Air Force
Casa-Northrop F5A, Ha220 Super Saeta and Casa 101 Aviojet.GELI
A large range of 1:33 scale aircraft, over 60 in total. Includes Beech Bonanza, Cessna 172, Saab Safir, Zlin Z526, Saab J29, J35, Ju52, DC-3, F4E, F5A, F-100, F-104G, F-105, Ju87, Yak-11, Me109, Fw190, Me110, MiG-19, Texan, Vigilante, Wellington, lots of subjects as you can see ...WILHELMSHAVEN
This time 1:50 scale, but another wide range, this time from Germany. Light aircraft include Bücker 181 Bestmann, Blume 502, RW3 and Piper Super Cub. Others range from Ju 87, FW 190, Ar 196, Ju 88 and other classic warbirds to F117A, F7U-3M Cutlass and B-58 Hustler. One of the largest is the Dornier Do-X, which takes ten sheets of card to assemble!OTHER RANGES:
Schreiber of Germany has one of the biggst ranges, in many scales, others are mostly 1:33 scale. they include such makers as Fly Model, Modelcard, Arsenal, GPM, JSC, Maly Modelarz and Albatros are also available, mostly coming from Poland or the Czech Republic.
This information comes via Chris Cooke of Marcle Models, whose comprehensive card model catalogue (not just aircraft) is available at £2.50 (UK), £3.00 (overseas surface) or £4.00 (airmail). Write to Marcle Models, Turnagain, Finch Lane, Amersham, Bucks, HP7 9NE. (Tel/Fax 01494 765910).MICROMODELS AIRCRAFT
For those interested in the Micromodels series of card kits from the 1950s, there were various aircraft sets:AV1: Airliners: DH Comet, Bristol Brabazon.Specialist dealers in card models can still supply some Micro Models from stock, although they are obviously long obsolete. Marcle Models usually have some in stock.
AV2: Old Planes: Bleriot, Wright.
AV3: Bombers: Subjects unknown. (See G1)
AV4: Helicopters: Bristol 173, Dragonfly, Cierva C-30.
F1: Fighter Bombers: Whirlwind, Beaufighter, Mosquito
G1: Heavy Bombers: Boeing Fortress II, Short Stirling I. (Was this previously AV3?).CIERVA YOU RIGHT by Rod Ward
AROUND 35 years ago I became fascinated by the problem of making a very small scale model autogyro which would actually 'auto-rotate'. Around that time, among the most widely-advertised homebuilder devices were the Bensen Gyroglider and Gyroplane, so I tried to make a 1:72 scale model which would fly, but without success!
My collection of Dinky aircraft didn't offer any inspiration, as the cast metal bodies of the Westland-Sikorsky Dragonfly and twin rotor Bristol 173 obviously would never float, let alone fly. I also had the remains of a pre-war Dinky Cierva Autogyro, however, and this led me to thoughts of following Juan de la Cierva's original principles. rather than more modern designs. Introduced to Britain in the 1920s by Spanish pioneer Don Juan de la Cierva. About 70 C30s were built under licence by A V Roe in the 1930s, and another 75 were made in France and Germany. The Science Museum in London has a preserved example, which I had examined closely.
I therefore turned to my collection of 1950s Micromodel card models, and sure enough, here was another Cierva Autogyro, almost the same size as the Dinky, but promising to be much lighter. I was loth to build, and then possibly destroy, my rare and precious Micromodel, so I decided to use it as a template from which to scratch-build a totally new model. The fuselage was made from balsa wood, as were the rotors , which were carefully sanded to an approximate aerofoil section. The fin was made of thin card, and all other parts were made from balsa or card, held together with balsa cement. Two plastic beads provided the wheels, a pin for the main rotor shaft, and a water-colour paint job finished it off. At the time I was at the beginning of many years training to be an architect, and our School of Architecture was in a converted Methodist Chapel, with an immensely high main hall and a series of balconies at various heights. As the problems of auto-rotation were much more interesting than learning about drainage or structural steelwork, I climbed to the highest balcony and released the featherweight autogyro, to test-fly Juan de la Cierva's original design. It worked first time, auto-rotating gently to the ground approximately sixty feet below. Luckily the hall was empty, as the pubs were open, so no clumsy students were present to step on the fragile model as it lay on the floor. I retrieved the model, and tried another couple of test flights before I realised I was neglecting my priorities and joined my fellow students, in the pub. (This was the 1960s, after all!).
The autogyro still survives, somewhat battered but still flyable. So, if you fancy making your own little auto-rotating wonder, you can use the build cards of the Micromodel as a set of working drawings. I can guarantee, it works!SPACE MODELS, by Arthur Reed
Arthur is Editor of Air Mail, the magazine of Saab Aircraft AB. This article is reproduced by kind permission of Saab Aircraft AB .
Space Models, with its headquarters at Feltham, near Heathrow airport, London, and its manufacturing plant at Andover, Hampshire, has been in business for 32 years, but is right up with modern technology, having invested £100,000.00 in a CAD-CAM package which enables the company to enhance still further its international reputation for being a giant in a small world.
Basic aircraft shapes are produced at Andover from pressure injected rigid polyurethane foam material, before being sent to Feltham for finishing. CAD-CAM enables the company's craftsmen to shorten the design process, reduce costs, produce even greater accuracy in the finished product, and plan for longer production run.
Computer aided design gives the Space Models experts the ability to 'draw' aircraft straight on to the computer screen, and then zoom in on a particular area, twist it in all directions, and look at cross sections through wing, fuselage, and tail. The result is an amazingly accurate representation, which is then translated automatically through the CAD part of the process into moulds made of steel, which never deteriorate, however often they are used. Concorde models for British Airways gave Space Models its longest ever run, 7000 1:200 scale models were produced in just 12 weeks. The company's database contains details of around 200 customers, from all over the world, and particularly from North America, where Space Models has the well known former Lockheed executive Hy Abernathy as its agent. Orders come in from all sides of the aviation industry, from manufacturers to airlines, from the military to corporate jet operators. Manufacturing runs can vary from thousands to an urgent one-off for a VIP visiting an aircraft factory or air force base. In size the products range from small desk-top replicas to the 1:5 scale giants seen on company stands at airshows, with fuselages cut away to show detailed interiors, and with navigation lights, landing lights, and strobes all working. Space Models also designs new liveries, a service used by manufacturers developing new airliners, or airlines seeking a change of image. Manufacturers in the defence sector often ask for a model to be produced under intense security wraps, as the next stage after a CAD-CAM print, so that they can prove the fit of weapons and stores, assess compatibility with ground servicing, and run comparisons with competing aircraft in the market. The Saab 340 and 2000 airliners and the Gripen interceptor are all in the Space Models inventory, as are the Stealth bomber, Eurofighter 2000, and a wide range of historic aircraft, including Howard Hughes' legendary flying boat, the Spruce Goose. Appropriately, one of the first models designed through the company's CAD-CAM system was the Boeing 777, appropriate because the 777 was designed entirely by computer. The point did not go unnoticed by Brian Pugsley, Space Models' Managing Director, who said, 'It's nice to think that both companies produced the paperless aeroplane!'
To celebrate British Airways' 75th anniversary, Space Models used its state of the art system to design a model of what could be claimed to be the airline's very first airliner, the four-seater de Havilland Airco 4A which, in the livery of a BA predecessor, Air Transport and Travel, flew the world's first scheduled service between London and Paris in 1919. In 1:200 scale, the model was only two inches across its wingspan. Moulded in twelve separate pieces, some minuscule in size, it was carefully joined and painted by hand, and then mounted on a wooden plaque with a Concorde in the same scale. A limited edition of 500 sets was produced.
Accuracy in paint jobs is vital in both the military and civil fields, and is ensured by the register of latest colour schemes from across the world in the company's databank. Liveries are applied by decals produced in-house on a silk screen process. These need a straight eye and a steady hand to apply, and they go on top of several coats of paint which are automatically sprayed, and then hand flattened to give a final high gloss. Space Models' long expertise in injection moulding and now in CAD-CAM attracts an increasing amount of work from outside the aviation industry, including armrests and in-car phones for Rolls-Royce, instrument panels and computer covers, hi-fi speaker cabinets, rifle stocks, artificial knee joints, and models of the lethal machines driven by 007 in the James Bond films. Props produced for the advertising industry have included an electric shaver the size of a man! The design and production of aircraft models remains the company's first love and core business, however, as it has been since five young men, Brian Pugsley, Keith Baker, Derek Ridley, Wag Evans and Keith Blackburn, pooled their meagre financial resources and threw up their jobs to form the company. Over 30 years later the five are still associated with the company, which today has a staff of 50 and a worldwide reputation.Airplast, from italy
Airplast, made ('in metal-plast material' it says here) in Italy, are producing a range of airliners in 1:100 and 1:200 scales. The only livery seen so far is Alitalia, on:Boeing 747 1:100,
Boeing 747 1:200,
MD11 1:200,
MD11 1:100,
Airbus A300 1:200,
Airbus A300 1:100,
MD88 1:100,
Airbus A331 1:100.HERPA WINGS 1:200
The big news from Herpa is that they have launched a new range of 1:200 standard-scale snap-together plastic aircraft The first liveries appeared on the Boeing 777-200, Boeing, British Airways and United Airlines, each featuring different engines (Rolls-Royce, General Electric and Pratt & Whitney). The Boeing 777 has a 313mm wingspan (around a foot)!HERPA WINGS 1:500
In Herpa's more familiar 1:500 scale we have seen: New aircraft types:
Canadair Jet: First livery; Tyrolean Airways, with more than 40 print strikes.
Douglas DC-3: With the 'Rosinenbombers' (from the Berlin Airlift) and the early livery of American Airlines, Flagship Knoxville, Herpa gets into historic subjects.
Other releases from the past few months:DASH-8-300 Hamburg AirlinesAir Force One: Almost simultaneously with the premiere of the movie 'Air Force One', the US President's Boeing 747-200 joined the Herpa range.
Fokker 100 Deutsche BA
ATR 42 Eurowings ATR 72 Eurowings
Boeing 737-300 Maersk Air, Western Pacific 'The Simpsons'.
Boeing 737-600 Boeing
Boeing 737-400 Boeing
Boeing 737-500 Boeing
Boeing 747-200 TWA, JAL Super Logistics, Cameroon Airlines
Boeing 747-400 Alaska, Saudia
Boeing 757-200 Condor 'Rizzi'Bird' special livery licensed by James Rizzi, American Trans Air
Boeing 777-200 Saudia, Boeing fleet, Lauda Air, Singapore Airlines
Lockheed L1011-500 Tristar Royal, Nordic European,
Airbus A310-325 Balair CTA
Airbus A310-100 Royal
Airbus A319-100 Lufthansa
Airbus A340-200 Sabena
Airbus A340-300 Air Mauritius
Douglas DC-10 Continental
MD11 Cargo Saudia
MD-83 Edelweiss AirHERPA WINGS 1:160
1:160 scale plastic models: The latest version of the Junkers Ju-52 trimotor is in Lufthansa colours as preserved at the Auto & Technik Museum at Sinsheim, Germany.THE SKYBUSTERS range of aircraft
Following a reader's request in avia mini II for coverage of Skybusters, three other readers responded with the following material.
Thanks to everyone. It shows how we will publish your material if you send it in to us. Ed.Article by Les Veitch
Listing by Trevor Goss
Additional notes by Wally Cataldo
Launched in 1973 by Lesney Matchbox, the Skybusters range of diecast aircraft is, 25 years on, still in production. And while it may always remain the poor relation of the more sought-after Dinky, Corgi, Aero Mini, Schabak and Ertl ranges, it has had the advantage of being more readily available through high volume stores such as Tesco, Woolworth and Toys R Us. Models from the early years are now very difficult to find and are climbing in price, but even so a collection can still be put together at a reasonable cost. Over the years Skybusters have been produced in various locations and have various distinguishing features such as undercarriage style, casting or packaging which can be used as a guide to dates and places of manufacture. Models have been produced from castings in England, Macau, Thailand and currently China; while undercarriages were initially wire wheels (England castings only); plastic undercarriage with double nosewheel (England and Macau castings); and plastic undercarriage with single nose-wheel (Thailand and China castings).PACKAGING STYLES
Various packaging has been used, UK and Europe issues originally had blister packs, replaced with a flat window box in red/blue/yellow with pilot design, progressing to a pale blue box and next a dark blue box with red lining. Swiss issues have used a similar style box but in white with red lining while US issues have always been in blister packs. Blister packs have gradually found favour in Europe, a 12 model set 'Airlines of the World' being issued in a very attractive blister pack, followed by the 'Air Force' and 'Airports' blister pack series. The range launched with 16 models has always had a good mix of military and civil aircraft in a selection of striking paint schemes, originally numbered SP1-SP16, later renumbered SB1-SB16 and featuring the wire axle undercarriage mentioned above, replaced with a rigid plastic double nose wheel undercarriage.NUMBERING SYSTEMS
The 'SP' numbering on early models has caused some head-scratching over the years, and has only been resolved recently, when artwork for the original packaging came to light, showing that it was first intended to call them Super Planes or Superfast Planes.GROWTH IN THE RANGE
Within four years the range had grown to 23 models, introducing such aircraft as the BAC Lightning, Panavia Tornado and Concorde as SB2l, SB22, and SB23 respectively, while two of the more elusive Skybusters were SB17 Ram Rod and SB18 Wild Wind. SB19 introduced the Piper Comanche and the SB20 the first helicopter in the range. By 1982, when Lesney was in financial difficulties, the range had reached SB28, this number re-introducing the A300 Airbus. SB24 was the American F-16 Falcon fighter, SB25 introduced a further helicopter into the range which was merely a modified SB20 with skids replacing wheels and a two-blade rotor arm in place of a four-blade arm; SB26 was a modified SB14 Cessna 206 with floats replacing the wheel under-carriage, while SB27 introduced the unique Harrier Jump Jet, shortly to gain its spurs in the Falklands conflict.RECOLOURS AND VARIATIONS
As was common Lesney practice, many recolours and variations had appeared, while some models such as the SB3 A300 Airbus had disappeared from the range, this in 1979 when it was replaced with the NASA Space Shuttle, only as previously mentioned, to be re-introduced as the SB28 in 1982, also in 1979 the SB12 Skyhawk was replaced in the US market by the Mission Helicopter from the 1-75 miniature range while in the UK and Europe the replacement was the Pitts Special Biplane. Another Lesney trademark was the electro-plated souvenir model and three models from the Skybusters range have appeared in this guise, the SB7 Junkers Ju87 Stuka in both silver and gold, SB8 Spitfire in gold and the SB10 Boeing 747 in both gold and silver. Also known is a Concorde which although similar to the SB23 model is smaller and carries no casting marks.MISSING FOR A YEAR
After the takeover of Lesney Matchbox in 1982 the Skybuster range was missing from the 1983 catalogue but re-appeared in1984 but with no new models or recolours. 1986 saw no less than 13 recolours (SB1, SB4, SB9, SB10, SB11, SB12, SB19, SB20, SB22, SB24, SB26, SB27 and SB28) and, although not listed in the catalogues, two gift sets were released in Europe and Australia: set G1O was a PanAm set featuring an SB10 B747 with four Matchbox miniatures, while G11 was Lufthansa based with an SB28 Airbus and four miniatures.1988 ONWARDS
1988 saw a further 15 recolours but no new models. Also released in 1988, but again not shown in the catalogues, were six gift sets initially released through Tesco stores. These featured a Skybuster and two miniatures in a matching theme and all were blister packed, (1) based on the SB3 NASA Space Shuttle; (2) Virgin Airlines based on SB10 B747; (3) SB1 Learjet Federal Express; (4) fire set based on SB26 Cessna Fire Spotter; (5) Royal Navy set with the SB27 Harrier in a different shade of blue from the standard issue; and (6) SB19 Piper Comanche of XP Express Parcels. 1989 saw three new issues extending the range to 31 models introducing at SB29 the Lockheed SR. 71 Blackbird, at SB30 the Grumman F14A Tomcat, U. S. Navy fighter, while the third model, SB31 in the range, was a Boeing 747/400 an updated Boeing 747 with extended top cabin and winglets. This model was initially made exclusively, using new moulds, for the Cathay Pacific Airline. Six recolours also appeared, SB1 Gates Learjet in the livery of QX Express Delivery; SB10 Boeing 747 in Aer Lingus livery; SB13 DC10 in American Airlines livery; SB2O Helicopter in Shell livery; SB23 Concorde in the livery of Supersonic Airlines and SB24 F. 16 in USAF camouflage.CASES AND COLOUR CHANGERS
Also issued was a Skybuster Carry Case, which had been available during 1988 in the USA, this unfolding out to represent the flight deck of an aircraft carrier and was available with a set of 10 Skybusters. Also issued were a set of eight Colour Changers, a colour process whereby the model passes through three changes of colour at different temperatures. This process had been used successfully on cars in the 1-75 miniature range in 1988. Issued in 1989 was a James Bond gift set from the film 'Licence to Kill' available in the UK through Woolworth stores in an attractive gift box and contain-ing two Skybusters, an SB20 Helicopter and SB26 Cessna Floatplane with an MB58 miniature and CY105 Convoy. The models related to a chase sequence from the film.INTO THE NINETIES
New models appeared in 1990 with the range climbing to SB36. In came the Fairchild A. 10 Thunderbolt at SB32; Bell Jet Ranger helicopter at SB33; at SB34 came the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a workhorse of many air forces, in the colourful livery of the US Coastguard; yet another helicopter came in at SB35 with the Russian built Mil Mi, 24 Hind attack helicopter which had earned a fearsome reputation in Afghanistan, and at SB36 the Lockheed S.117A Stealth - yet to find its fame in the Gulf War. Two recolours also appeared, the SB22 Panavia Tornado in a low visibility grey scheme and the markings of 64 Sqd. while the SB27 Harrier appeared in camouflage as a US Marines machine. Also in 1990 Kelloggs ran a 'Reach for the Sky' promotion to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and since Matchbox possessed the tooling for the Spitfire they were approached to take up the promotion but due to a combination of factors declined and it was fulfilled by Tonka-Polistil producing the Spitfire and Hurricane models in Italy. However, Matchbox did eventually produce an SB8 Spitfire in the colour scheme of this promotion. (These have since turned up in many unusual sales sources. Ed.). Again in 1990 came a British Airways gift set, numbered MC17, consisting of Skybusters SB23 Concorde, SB31 Boeing 747-400 along with three miniatures, also appearing was set, MC15 'FireSet', based on the SB26 Cessna Floatplane 'Fire Spotter' along with four miniatures and a Convoy. 1991 saw a further six recolours, SB1 Lear jet appeared in DHL world-wide parcel livery; SB3 NASA Space Shuttle appeared with glossy black lower fuselage; SB4 Mirage F1 came in the red-white-blue colours of French aerobatic team the Patrouille de France; SB23 Concorde appeared for British Airways and Air France and SB31 B747/400 appeared in the livery of British Airways. 1991 saw another Skybuster promotional when Cadbury's ran a promotion through Crunchie Bars, three Crunchie Bar wrappers plus £1.99, bringing an entirely new Skybuster, an SB39 Stearman PT-17 Kaydet Biplane, in the livery of the two aircraft sponsored by Cadbury's which perform at air shows throughout the United Kingdom.GRAFFICS AND RED ARROWS
Also during 1991 Matchbox came up with the novel idea of producing models which were completely blank and leaving it up to the inventiveness of the buyer how to finish the model by supplying blank models with colouring pens and a selection of transfers. This was the Graffic Traffic series and the SB36 Lockheed F117A Stealth appeared in a gift set GF140 with seven vehicles from the miniature range to launch the series. 1991 finished with another Kelloggs promotion for the Red Arrows. Matchbox had obtained the licence to produce this new model of the Red Arrows HS Hawk T1A which they numbered SB37. This promotion came in two offers, available separately was the Hawk, while for extra tokens the Hawk was accompanied by a DAF Low Loader aircraft transporter. Again in 1991 there were issued in mainland Europe four 'Airport Packs', a blister packed set of models comprising a Skybuster with two miniatures from the 1-75 range in a matching airline theme. These were: set SB810 Alitalia comprising SB28 A300 Airbus; set SB811 KLM with SB13 DC-10; set SB812 SAS with SB13 DC-10; and SB813 Lufthansa with SB31 Boeing 747-400. Into 1992 and Matchbox stayed with the Red Arrows producing the SB37 Hawk as a general release in a new style blister pack with the front printed to resemble a skyscape while on the reverse were depicted the various Red Arrow formations used during their flying routine. This release varied from the Kelloggs issue in that the authentic Red Arrows colour scheme was completed by the addition of white tapering stripes under the wings and fuselage resembling an arrow head. Shortly following this release came three gift sets, the MC24 contained two SB37 Hawks accompanied by three recoloured miniatures and MB75 Helicopter in an attractive window box. Gift Pack CY108 provided one SB37 Hawk and a CY108 Daf Low Loader, while the top of the line Gift Pack, numbered MC160, included the models from the two packs already mentioned plus an airfield layout with runway, taxiway, helipad and control tower, aptly titled 'Squadron Headquarters'.CRUNCHIE STEARMAN
Also released in 1992 was the Cadbury Crunchie SB39 Stearman Biplane in a revised Crunchie livery. Gone were the red and yellow bars at the rear of both wings and tailplanes and no 'Cadburys Crunchie' on the fuselage sides. At this time came another livery on the SB39 Stearman Biplane, as part of an attractive Circus Set numbered MC804 and containing six various miniatures in circus livery with the biplane, the pack being completed with a printed cardboard sheet which pressed out to make a big-top tent. A further four Skybusters appeared in the Graffic Traffic series. They were twin packs of a Skybuster with another vehicle from the 1-75 range, these Skybusters being the SB3 NASA Space Shuttle; SB12 Pitts Special; SB23 Concorde; and SB24 General Electric F-16.ENTER THE BAe 146
Next in 1992 came a new model, the SB38 BAe146 airliner, appearing rapidly in two liveries of Thai Airways and Dan Air, the former most appropriate with the transfer of production to Thailand while the Dan Air model just made it ahead of the demise of the actual Dan Air Airline as it was swallowed up by British Airways in the November. Mid year saw the appearance of another new model, the SB40 Boeing 737-300, in the livery of Britannia Airways and not as shown in the catalogue in Lufthansa livery. Finally during 1992 a series of Skybusters called 'Airlines of the World' packed in a blister pack complete with pilot's wings was released in Germany consisting of 12 models: SB10 Boeing 747 in Saudia and Olympic Airlines; SB13 DC10 in American Airlines and Sabena; SB23 Concorde in British Airways; SB28 A300 Airbus in Alitalia and Swissair, SB31 Boeing 747-400 in Singapore and Cathay Airlines; SB38 BAe146 in Dan Air livery and SB40 Boeing 737-300 in the livery of KLM. Although a Lufthansa livery was illustrated on the reverse of these packs for the Boeing 737 only a few models have turned up in pre-proform since it appears Lufthansa permission was not forthcoming.CRUNCHIE AGAIN
1993 saw the reappearance of the Cadbury's Crunchie biplane in another promotion, this time for Father's Day and packed in a large illustrated box with 10 mini Crunchie bars and was found with both Thai and China castings. Meanwhile current issues were appearing repackaged in new style blister packs split up into military and civil sections as 'Air Force' and 'Airports'.PRE-PRODUCTION MODELS
Early 1994 saw the appearance of a Thai-produced SB10 Boeing 747 in the livery of EL AL the Israeli national airline. This was not exactly a new issue as in 1992 an EL AL SB10 747 produced in Macau did appear on occasion but it was always presumed to be a pre-pro and this would appear to be confirmed with this 1994 issue. Differences in the 1994 from the 1992 pre-pro are the single nosewheel of a Thailand cast, brown and black titles as against black and yellow of the pre-pro and the 1994 issue has a light/dark blue bar on both tailplanes not appearing on the pre-pro. As collectors of any subject know there is often a deal of variation between models which appear at trade fairs or as photographs in catalogues and the production version and Skybusters have been no exception. In the main trade show and catalogue models are resin or pre-pro examples. Two examples showing this are the models which appeared in the 1989 Matchbox catalogue showing the SB29 Lockheed SR7l Blackbird with serial and 'White Bunny' head on the fin as represent-ative of an operational unit in the USAF while the production model, though exact in all other respects did not carry the fin serial or 'White Bunny'. Also in the same catalogue was SB3O Grumman F14A Tomcat bearing authentic US Navy fin code 'NE' with red-white-blue flash, but production models did not have these markings. These resin models, pre-pros and colour trials do appear on offer and are worth looking out for.THE TYCO TAKEOVER
In 1992, and for the second time in 10 years, the company found itself under new owner-ship when US toy firm Tyco purchased the company. The 1994 Tyco-Matchbox catalogue showed no less than 12 recolours including SB32 A10 Thunderbolt in Desert Storm colours; the SB38 BAe 146 in the livery of US carrier Continental Airlines and SB26 Cessna 210 Floatplane in the green and white livery of National Parks of America, these models appearing in two packs issued in the US in late 1995. The packs were divided into military and civil issues, each containing six models. The civil pack comprised the SB1 Learjet DHL; SB13 DC10 KLM; SB23 Supersonic Airliner British Airways; SB26 Floatplane in National Parks; SB31 Boeing 747/400 in British Airways and SB38 BAe146 Continental Airlines. Small variations in colours were apparent from previous issues: the Learjet was in more of a browny-red; the DC10 had the fin crown in a darker shade of blue; the Supersonic Airliner was a chalky white with darker grey lining and square windows in place of the previous oval windows; while the SB26 and SB38 were new liveries. In the military selection the SB3 Space Shuttle now had vinyl labels; the SB4 Mirage was in a much deeper yellow with matt blue; SB6 MiG 21 muddy yellow lightning streaks and brighter red Scorpion on fin; the SB32 Fairchild A-10 in the new livery of Desert Storm came in both brown and red-brown camouflage; the SB35 Hind had darker brown camouflage and darker grey undersurfaces; while SB36 Stealth was darker and totally matt grey.AUSSIES AND ALPHA JETS
1996 also saw the issue in Australia, through the Australian Post Office, of an SB39 Stearman Biplane to commemorate the setting up of a regular Air Mail service. Colour was all-over Silver with the titles 'Royal Air Mail - Australian National Airways Ltd'. Surprise of 1996 was the appearance from China of two different SB9 Cessna 402s and two different SB11 Alpha Jets. One Alpha Jet and Cessna 402 were in olive with white stars on wings, while the other pair were in matt black with yellow lettering on the wings. These issues were only available in China packed in larger sets containing vehicles. Late 1996 saw the appearance of the SB39 Stearman Biplane yet again, this time as a promotional for a German drug company called Ditec. To date four issues are known with the wording `Ditec' common to all: (1) blue fuselage with yellow wings and tailplanes; (2) yellow fuselage with blue wings and tailplanes, these two issues came via Hong Kong and may be pre-pros; (3) all-over blue; (4) all-over yellow. These two issues come from Germany and are standard issues.RESIN PROTOTYPES
Over the years, Matchbox have produced Skybusters to the resin cast stage, only to discard the model and not proceed to production. Resin models known in this category are Sepecat Jaguar fighter bomber; BAC Jet Provost jet trainer; Beechcraft 17 Staggerwing, a sleek single engine biplane; Mitsubishi Mu2, twin engine company biz-prop; Piper Tomahawk, a light trainer or private aircraft; Dornier Do28 Skyservant, twin engine German light transport; Rockwell Commander, a low wing single engine aircraft; Aerospatiale Gazelle type helicopter; and a Sikorsky S-61 Sea King anti-submarine helicopter. Having viewed these models one cannot understand why at least some of these were not proceeded with since all have been neatly scaled down and do justice to the real thing, in particular the Jaguar, Jet Provost and Sea King would surely have found popularity in the range.AUTHENTIC LIVERIES
The late 80s saw more attention paid to providing authentic airline liveries and military markings, and bearing in mind that the range has always first and foremost been regarded as a toy the various models have always managed to capture the subject reasonably accurately, the range now running to well over 300 examples and like all forms of collecting some being relatively easy to come by, some not so easy and some downright difficult. Basically Skybusters comprise two main castings, the upper fuselage (or upper body), fin and tailplanes and the lower fuselage (or lower body) with undercarriage and wings. While the under-carriage has progressed over the years as previously described, it still remains the most unbecoming part of the models. Skybusters have never been to a constant scale, but are scaled mainly, it seems, to fit the box, and hence we find the Tornado and the diminutive Pitts Special biplane dwarfing the much larger A300 Airbus.MORE ON SKYBUSTERS, by Wally Cataldo
Lesney Toys of England, better known as Matchbox first introduced their new line of diecast airplanes in 1973, called the line Skybusters and embossed on the base of each plane the name and a distinct ID# of SB and then a number to identify the model. Therefore, on the first plane manufactured, which was a Lear Jet, the identification number was SB1, the second model was a Corsair A7D numbered SB2 and so on for each model. 40 different models have been made and the Skybuster series is still being produced today but the last new model made I believe was in 1992. There were many colour and livery changes made on each model as well as numerous different airline companies on the airliner models. Models were not produced in scale and range in size of 3.5 to 5.5 inches. A very good reference book on Skybuster models is by Charlie Mack, a noted authority on all Matchbox toys, published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 77 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA. 19310, USA. There are four Matchbox books published so far by Charlie covering all Matchbox toys for different periods. The volumes containing Skybusters are The Superfast Years 1969-1982 and The Universal Years 1982-1992. Each book costs about $20 US Dollars.MATCHBOX SKYBUSTERS
Listing by Trevor GossSP/SB1 Lear Jet
SP/SB2 Corsair A7D
SP/SB3 A300 Airbus
SB3 Space Shuttle
SP/SB4 Mirage F1
SP/SB5 F-104 Starfighter
SP/SB6 MiG 21
SP/SB7 Junkers 87B Stuka
SP/SB8 Supermarine Spitfire
SP/SB9 Cessna 402
SP/SB10 Boeing 747
SP/SB11 Alpha Jet
SP/SB12 Skyhawk A4F
SB12 Pitts Special
SP/SB13 Douglas DC-10
SP/SB14 Cessna 210
SP/SB15 F-4 Phantom
SB16 Corsair F4U-4
SB17 Ramrod (unknown type)
SB18 Wild Wind (unknown type)
SB19 Piper Comanche
SB20 Helicopter (unknown type)
SB21 English Electric Lightning
SB22 Panavia Tornado
SB23 Concorde
SB24 F16 Fighter
SB25 Helicopter (same as SB20)
SB26 Cessna 210 Float Plane
SB27 Hawker Harrier
SB28 A300 Airbus
SB29 SR-71 Blackbird
SB30 F-14 Tomcat
SB31 Boeing 747-400
SB32 A10 Thunderbolt
SB33 Bell Jet Ranger Helicopter
SB34 C-130 Hercules
SB35 MIL Mi 24 Hind Helicopter
SB36 F-117A Stealth Fighter
SB37 BAe Hawk
SB38 BAe 146
SB39 Stearman PT17
SB40 Boeing 737
WESTERN 1:200 AIRLINERS Western Airliners, produced by the Stephens family in Taunton, are growing fast. Here is the current range,
* denotes future release.Bristol Superfreighter Mk32: Silver City, Channel Air Bridge, Sabena.
Douglas DC-7C: BOAC, KLM, PanAm, SAS, Northwest, BOAC blue fin, Japan Airlines.
Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation: Lufthansa, KLM, TWA, Eastern, National, Air France, Northwest*
Douglas DC-6B: United, Swissair, American, Panagra, Atlantic Cargo.
Convair 440 Metropolitan: Swissair, National, Sabena, Iberia*, Lufthansa.
Boeing 377 Stratocruiser: BOAC, PanAm, United, Northwest, AOA, BOAC blue fin.
Tupolev Tu114: Aeroflot, Aeroflot-JAC*
Breguet 763: Air France, Air France later livery.
Breguet 761: Air Algerie*
Lockheed Electra: Western, Braniff, Varig.
Douglas DC-3: BEA, TWA*, Lufthansa, American*, Air France*
Ilyushin IL18: Aeroflot, Interflug, LOT*, CSA*
Airspeed Ambassador: BEA, DanAir*, BKS*, Globe Air*
Bristol Britannia: 311 British Eagle*, 312 BOAC*, 313 ELAL*, 314 Canadian Pacific*
Lockheed L-749 Constellation: PanAm*, BOAC*, TWA*, Braniff.
Vickers Viscount: 802 BEA*, 803 KLM*, 814 Lufthansa*, 812 Continental*Classic Bombers & Transports: Boeing KC97L Stratotanker
Douglas C-47*
Lockheed WV-2: US Navy*
Boeing B29 Superfortress*
Lockheed RC-121D: USAF*
Douglas Globemaster: USAF*HBM MODELS UPDATE
By Ron Crawford, quoted from Miniature Aircraft Quarterly, by permission.
Recent releases from HBM include:the Chenowth FAV/LSV from Desert Storm,and to extend the range of Northrop flying wings:
the Northrop TR-3A,
Lippisch DM-1,
Lippisch P.13a,
versions of the Northrop N-1M with stright versus cranked wing forms,
the Mitsubishi J8M1 Shusui rocket interceptor,
the Stealth DASA/MBB Lampyridae,
the Northrop XB-35,
the Republic F-84 FICON parasite fighter and F-84F conventional fighterthe N-9M,There is also:
XP-79,
and MX-334.a Lockheed Aurora? from Bill Sweetman's plans,Then we made
the Dewoitine 510,
Couzinet Arc en Ciel,
Fairey Battle,
Arsenal VG.33,
Potez 540,
Avro Aerocar,
Curtiss P-40Q and Hawk 75,
China Hawk?,
McDonnell-Douglas X-36,
Northrop Tacit Blue,
Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina amphibian,
and an Arado Ar 234B night fighter project.a Focke-Wulf FW 200C-4,The Junkers recreates all of the corrugated surfaces on the original. . Our first decal sheet, Japanese hinomaru with and without white surrounds, is also now available.
Junkers Ju 188A,
the Sänger Project (complete with booster, launching dolly, and a section of rail),
an Me 262-A2-U2 bomber and Me 262 drone (your choice of whether to display these separately or combine them as a Mistel),
and wheeled and float versions of the Junkers Ju 52.
The HBM models in preparation include an SBD Dauntless, three versions (Boeing, McDonnell-Douglas-Northrop-Grumman, and Lockheed-Martin) of the Joint Strike Fighter, the shapely Latecoere 631 flying boat, the Ilyushin IL-4-DB-3F, Amiot 354, Potez 63.11, the new MiG-35 and Su-37 versions with vectored thrust and canards, a set of WWII vintage SAABs (B-17, B-18, J-21A, J-21R), an RF-84 recce Thunderstreak, an early FIAT BR.20, the long awaited F7U Cutlass, the Rockwell X-31, Douglas Skystreak, XB-51, XB-46, the M2F2 and ML10 lifting bodies, and possibly a couple of additional black project aircraft. There are a couple more in declassification.
The latest aircraft from X-Models is Winston Churchill's personal Avro York. We expect the X-Model Tupolev SB-2bis soon.
HBM models and X-Models are available from Ron Crawford, PO Box 23, North Ferrisburgh, Vermont, USA 05473.LATEST FROM WOOSTER, by Matthew Jackson
New aircraft types produced recently:Airbus A319 1:200 (first livery Eurowings)New liveries recently produced:
Airbus A321 1:200 (first livery Leisure International)
ATR72 1:100 (first livery Eurowings)
To come soon: Dornier 328 Jet.Boeing 747-200 Air Force One,Our big news is that we are making the new livery for British Airways. The first models are Concorde, Boeing 747-400 and 777.
767-200 Air Zimbabwe,
737-300 Easyjet,
American 777,
767-200 and 737-300 USAir (new colours),
and Edelweiss MD-82.AIRCRAFT COLLECTION
To follow the first 1:100 diecast aircraft from CDC's Aircraft Collection, made in China for Italy, there is an ambitious programme of releases. Types of aircraft planned are listed, with the number of variants in brackets:MB 339 (3, all Italian)
F16 Falcon (7, US, Dutch and Israeli)
F18 Hornet (5, all US)
Alpha Jet (4, French and German)
F4 Phantom (9, US and Israeli)
BA Hawk (2, British)
T45 Goshawk (1, US)
F5 Tiger (3, US and Swiss)
F104 Starfighter (5, US, German, Italian)
Tornado (6, British, German, Italian)
AV-8B (2, US)
Harrier GR7 (2, British)
F15 Eagle (6, US and Israeli)
F-86 Sabre - FJ-3 Fury-Canadair Sabre (9, US, British, German, Italian)
Mirage III (4, French and Israeli)MARKS 1:160 FIGHTERS
Marks of Germany have added to their N scale range of 1:160 white metal aircraft a Spitfire Mark I and a Messerschmitt Bf109E. To show how these are expected to be used (in relation to N scale railway layouts) they also make a Sopwith 2F2 fighter, dismantled and packed on a flatbed railway wagon.FLIGHT MINIATURES by Paul Burge
More new aircraft types and airlines are now available from the ever growing range of push-fit ready painted airliner models from Long Prosper. A superb 1:200 range is the Western Pacific Boeing 737-300s in special paint schemes for The Simpsons, Broadmoor, Thrifty and SSFCU. These special editions include a small royalty payment to the copyright owner, hence the slightly increased retail price of £16.95.
Not to be outdone is America West who muscle in with the 1:200 Boeing 757-200s of OHIO and NEVADA, both schemes very detailed and attractive, also £16.95 each. Other specials will follow in 1998.
Also 1:200 scale is the new McDonnell Douglas MD-90 in McDD colours, the first in a long list of airlines who will sell this model on board their aircraft worldwide. The Boeing 747-400 is the next type to be made in 1:200 scale rather than the 1:250 model done to date. The first will be in the Boeing house colour scheme at £16.95. A 1:200 Boeing 777-300 is also planned for release in early to mid 1998 in Boeing house colours, but as yet no price has been set for Long Prosper's largest model.
New mould is the 1:100 Dash 8-300 in Tyrolean colours, the first to order this detailed model retailing at £12.95.
A rare new piston engined mould is the 1:125 Douglas DC-4 in DDA - Dutch Dakota Association and KLM liveries at £12.95.
Another new scale is 1:130 for the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 being launched for U-Land Airlines in Taiwan and quickly followed by Continental Airlines of the US.
More moulds are in preparation at this time but due to the time delay in approval and specification alterations by the makers, we will only announce these when the models are completed.
A range of 40 different types and over 350 different airlines make this range the largest in the world of push fit ready painted airliner models.
Copyright 2001 Modelauto Ltd and Solnet Systems Ltd
e-mail sales@zeteo.com