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Avia Mini News

June 1998, Here are some extracts from recent issues of avia mini: Note: the print version of avia mini IV, with much more than is reprinted in this archive, and many, many illustrations, is still available as a back number direct from the publishers. You can order it from this website. INTRODUCTION Welcome to avia mini IV. The first three volumes have been well-received by collectors all over the world, encouraging our future plans to develop. The relatively slow development process of avia mini has not gone unnoticed. In fact a number of readers have actually expressed their appreciation for the gradual release of news of new aircraft releases, which has resulted in less stress on their finances! On the other hand, we are under some pressure from other quarters to put our publication schedule on a more regular footing, so we propose to aim at a three to four month publishing interval in future. If we are able to get sufficient throughput of news and features to fill every volume, and if we can attract enough regular advertisers, then we will move to a strict quarterly publication programme. So. if you want to see avia mini more often, we need your contributions; news of items you have come across, photographs from your collection, and articles or features on your favourite themes or ranges. If you can also encourage potential advertisers to contact their target market through these pages, all the better. MINIATURE AIRCRAFT QUARTERLY On a less happy topic, here is a message from G R Webster to IMACS members, regarding Miniature Aircraft Quarterly: Sadly, I have to inform you of a personal decision regarding MAQ (not IMACS) I just made whilst on a three week trip to the far east, regarding stopping the ongoing operations of Miniature Aircraft Quarterly. I will be sending a postcard tonight to all the membership announcing that, effective immediately, MAQ is shut down. As some of you may already know from the Plane Talk column, I've taken on new responsibilities with my company and will be living both in the US and in Europe. A divorce, two months at Harvard from April to June, coupled with the inability of Miniature Aircraft Quarterly to cover its expenses (over $8000.00 lost last year), will mean that I can no longer assume the responsibility of its publication. Regarding the International Miniature Aircraft Collectors' Society (IMACS): this organisation will continue to operate with regional shows, get-togethers, and other functions as they occur. The running of IMACS and its administration must be assumed by the IMACS Board, and I will ensure a smooth transition in this regard. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have contributed your time, photographs and columns to make the Miniature Aircraft Quarterly the wonderful publication that it became. It was a work of love for all of us, and it is with great sadness that its future is now suspended. IMACS is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of miniature aircraft. We are sorry to have to report the demise of MAQ, which depended so much upon the great personal efforts and financial input of G R Webster, but avia mini will pick up the torch and will continue to support IMACS and its aims, by reporting on IMACS activities in future volumes. We are promised future contributions from MAQ regulars such as Ron Crawford, Mike Kasner and Michael Bludworth, and support from IMACS President Sy Merrall. Any more developments will be reported in avia mini as they happen. Happy Collecting! CIJ AIRCRAFT CIJ was one of the oldest French toy companies, with an illustrious history. The Compagnie Industrielle du Jouet was set up in the 1930s to consolidate the toymaking activities of the 'Jouets Citroen' concern of the Migault family with the toy factory of Marcel Gourdet. The large-scale tinplate Citroen cars were made alongside wooden and other toys. When the financial problems at Citroen forced CIJ to look elsewhere for clients, where better than Renault, Citroen's biggest competitor? As well as tin Renault cars, in the prewar period, one aircraft model was made, the Caudron-Renault C460 of 1935, the toy being made in 1939. We believe it was made from wood, but not having ever seen one, confirmation from readers would be welcome. After the Second World War, CIJ turned to production of diecast models, their road vehicles selling very well up against competition from Dinky, Solido and others. The next logical step was to produce a series of diecast model aircraft. It was launched in 1959 with six aircraft, followed by others in 1960 and 1961, but the series terminated at that point, and no more were made. 1 Fouga CM 170R Magister 2 Nord Norécrin 10 Sud-Est SE 210 Caravelle 11 Douglas DC-7 airliner 'DC-7' 12 Nord Noratlas 14 Breguet Deux-Ponts 'Air France' 15 Boeing 707 16 Douglas DC-6 'UAT Aeromaritime' 20a Sud-Est SE 210 Caravelle 'Air France' 20b Sud-Est SE 210 Caravelle 'Air Maroc' 30 Boeing 707 'Air France' These models are very sought after today, but rarely seen in shops or at swapmeets. Avia News from Ron Crawford SCALECRAFT MODELS Add another marque to 1:200 ID models. During the Second World War, the British firm Scalecraft made a series of nicely crafted metal models, sprayed overall black. The models featured commerce raiders such as the FW 200C, He 111H and Cant. 1007Z. They were supplied to the anti-aircraft personnel of the Merchant Navy. Thanks to Dennis Knight and John Alcott for the information. METAL MODELS Metal Models have a new SR-71, and Derek Barratt also has a boxed set containing a finished Me 163 and He 176, and a boxed Macchi MC 72 racer. You can get further information from Speed in the Air (Derek Barratt) 230 Earlham Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 3RH, UK, Tel 01603 453650. THE NORFOLK GROUP The Norfolk Group are introducing a Short Solent derived from their Sunderland. Also in preparation are a mini-series of B-25 Mitchells. The contact info for Norfolk Group models is The Norfolk Group (Chris Sayer), Driftwood,The Green, Little Ellingham, Norfolk NR17 lLT, UK Tel 01953 850216 or 602134, email christopher.sayer@virgin.net. MINIKITS 1:200 HUEY Courtesy of Michael Bludworth's sharp eyes, a couple of Revell-Germany Minikits arrived on my desk. The Minikits range is made to fit the box, but their UH-lB Huey and 'VS-22 Osprey' (actually the analogous but much smaller Bell VS-15) scale out very close to 1:200. The lesson is not to bug manufact-urers about box scaling versus model scales. That's hard-wired. Rather, bring your scale rule along when you go to hobby shops and toy stores. Carrying on from that, one of the most frequent questions in letters and phone calls is, 'how big is a 1:200 scale or 1:72 scale Lockmart Watchamacallit'. Given that people get mad when I tell them it is 1:200 or 1:72 of the actual size, let me suggest that people invest in scale rules for their favourite scales. Most popular scales, both metric and Imperial, are available as scale rules from office stationers, machinist and drawing office supply outlets, and art and architecture supply stores. People who build real buildings, aircraft, ships, etc. use them all the time. CATIA and other design software should be making them as obsolete as the slide rule, however. Editor's note: In Europe, metric scales are available for designers, architects etc in 1:100, 1:200 and more as standard. Non-metric 'Armstrong' scales cover 1:48, 1:96. but not 1:72 as a rule. (No pun intended). HELMET AIRCRAFT Dennis Knight's Helmet Aircraft (Fairview House, Gadbrook Road, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7AH, UK, Tel 01306 611346) is now preparing a Focke-Wulf FW 200C Condor commerce raider in resin with metal landing gear, props, and detail parts. Helmet is also working with Check 6 (Norman Bricklebank, 82 Birchdene Drive, Thamesmead, London SE28 8RP, Tel 0721 468 7229) on a series of jets. Samples of an early MiG-21 and Douglas A4D Skyhawk look very nice. HBM CURRENT PLANS The HBM range released in early 1998 the Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless, Mureaux 117, Ilyushin IL-4/DB3-F, Avro Manchester, McDonnell F-18E and F-18F Super Hornets, Potez 63/11, SAAB B17, SAAB B18, SAAB 91B Safir, SAAB 21A and SAAB 21R. HBM also continues to send a special model as a thank you gift to subscribers to mark every hundredth issue. To mark the 600th model, every subscriber received the 1947 Roswell Flying Saucer. Types in production for release soon include a remastered SAAB Gripen single- and two-seaters, the X-32 Boeing JSF, X-35 Lockheed-Martin JSF, the aborted McDonnell-Northrop Grumman-BAC JSF (which design reportedly may resurface in UCAV form), Dark Horse and Dark Colt, Saenger II, the Reichenberg I and II manned V-1 flying bombs, the mine-sweeping, Luftwaffe transport and Spanish Civil War bomber kits for the Junkers Ju 52-3m, the A-9 manned V-2, Macchi MC 200, Macchi MC 202, Me 262B night fighter, Me 262A2U4 tank buster with cannon nose, Polikarpov I-15, I-15 bis, I-153, and I-16, Dornier Do 217E, Me 210, F-22A Raptor, and a remastered F-117A. For more HBM info contact Ron Crawford, PO Box 23, North Ferrisburgh, Vermont, USA 05473, Tel (802) 877 3542, email rlcraw@together.net. CHARLEY'S SOAP For those collectors who need to strip models of decals and paint prior to restoration, I have found a gentle product that genuinely works. Steve Ginter of Sentai Distributors - International Hobby Supply alerted me. The stripper is a clear, odourless liquid called Charley's Soap. It is sold as a generic household cleaner. My guess is that it is citrus based. You simply submerge the model to be stripped in a covered glass container and agitate about once a day to check the progress. The liquid is slow. A batch of horribly painted Wikings and resins took five or six days, even in our warm furnace room, but paint was softened and came off with scrubbing with a soft paintbrush. The plastic underneath was completely unaffected. A huge improvement over brake fluid, detergents, and lye-based strippers. They are at PO Box 426, Woodland Hills, California 91365, USA Tel (818) 886-0423 or email plasticmodels@pacbell.net. An additional Wiking note. Don't automatically buy gallons of stripper if you come across some models painted in camouflage or operational colours. A high proportion of all prewar Wikings were hand-painted. Further, many of the wartime models were also delivered in a stylised airbrushed camouflage and a number of boxed presentation sets that were airbrushed have also been reported. The 'official' air-brushed models that I have collected are very distinctive and do not look anything like actual camouflage patterns. Avia News CDC 1:100 AIRCRAFT COLLECTION FOR 1998 New models planned for 1998 in CDC's Aircraft Collection, made in China for Italy: F16 FALCON Israel (May) 5018 F16 FALCON Belgium TIGER MEETING (May) 5019 F16 FALCON USAF TOP GUN (May) 5170 F16 FALCON US Navy TOP GUN (MAY) 5171 F16 FALCON USAF TIGER MEET (Jun) 5172 F16 FALCON USAF Red (Jun ) 5173 F18 HORNET US Navy TOP GUN (Mar) 5029 F18 HORNET US Navy GOLD DRAGON (May) 5161 F18 HORNET US Navy TOP GUN (May) 5162 F18 HORNET US Navy TOP GUN (May) 5163 F18 HORNET Canada TIGER MEET (Jun) 5164 ALPHA JET German Aerobatic Team (Mar) 5035 F4 PHANTOM Royal Navy UK (Jan) 5045 F4 PHANTOM Japan (Jan) 5046 F4 PHANTOM Israel (Jul) 5049 F4 PHANTOM US Navy Midway.(Mar) 5132 F4 PHANTOM US MARINES (Mar) .5133 F4 PHANTOM US Navy Playboy (Mar) 5134 F4 PHANTOM US Navy 30th Anniv (Mar) 5135 BAe HAWK RAF BLACK HAWK (Jan) 5055 F5 TIGER US MARINES TOP GUN (JUN) 5067 F5 TIGER USAF TOP GUN (Jun) 5068 F5 TIGER US Navy TOP GUN (Jun) 5069 F104 STARFIGHTER USAF Vietnam (Mar) 5070 F104 STARFIGHTER USAF Vietnam (Mar) 5071 F104 STARFIGHTER Luftwaffe (Mar) 5072 F104 STARFIGHTER Italy (Mar) 5073 F104 STARFIGHTER Italy TIGER MEET (Mar) 5074 F104 STARFIGHTER Italy (May) 5141 F104 STARFIGHTER Italian aerobatic team (May) 5142 TORNADO Italy (Apr) 5080 TORNADO Italy Desert Storm (Apr) 5081 TORNADO RAF (Apr) 5082 TORNADO RAF Desert Storm (Apr) 5083 TORNADO LUFTWAFFE (Apr) 5084 TORNADO German Navy (Apr) 5085 TORNADO Germany TIGER MEET (May) 5088 TORNADO Germany TIGER MEET (May) 5089 AV8-B Plus US MARINES (Apr) 5090 AV8-B Plus US MARINES (Apr) 5091 HARRIER GR7 RAF Shark Mouth (Apr) 5094 HARRIER GR7 RAF (Apr).5095 MIRAGE III France (Mar) 5150 MIRAGE III France (Mar) 5151 MIRAGE III France Artois (Mar) 5152 MIRAGE III Israel (May) 5157 F15 STRIKE EAGLE USAF (Jan.) 5101 F 15 EAGLE US Bicent. Thunderbirds (Jan.) .5102 F15 STRIKE EAGLE USAF Desert Storm (Jan.) 5103 F15 EAGLE Israel (Jun) 5104 F15 EAGLE USAF TIGER MEET (Jun) 5105 F15 EAGLE USAF TIGER MEET (Jun) 5107 F86 SABRE Aerobatic Team (Apr) 5114 F86 SABRE USAF (May) 5119 CANADAIR Mk4 RAF (Apr) 5120 CANADAIR Mk6 LUFTWAFFE (Apr) 5121 CANADAIR Mk4 Italian Aerobatic Team (Apr) 5122 CANADAIR Mk4 ITALY (Apr) 5123 FJ3 FURY US MARINES (May) 5126 FJ3 FURY US MARINES (May) 5127 SECOND WORLD WAR SERIES MESSERSCHMITT Bf-109 (Jun) 5300 MESSERSCHMITT Bf-109 (Jun) 5301 MESSERSCHMITT Bf-109 (Jun) 5302 SPITFIRE RAF (Jun) 5310 SPITFIRE RAF (Jun) 5311 SPITFIRE RAF (Jun) 5312 SPITFIRE USAF ((Jun) 5313 SEAFIRE France (Jun) 5314 P51 MUSTANG USAF (Jun) 5320 P51 MUSTANG RAF (Jun) 5321 P51 MUSTANG USAF (Jun) 5322 P51 MUSTANG USAF (Jun) 5323 P51 MUSTANG France (Jun) 5324 P51 MUSTANG Israel (Jun) 5327 KFIR C2 Israel (Jun) 5340 KFIR C2 Israel (Jun) 5341 LITTLE PEOPLE Although many collectors like their model aircraft to be displayed in their pristine isolation in a showcase, there are others who like to display part of the collection, or maybe only one model, in a 'diorama' context. Unlike model railway enthusiasts, whose scenery requirements can be quite complex (imagine the work in making a narrow-gauge mountain railway layout), our surroundings are always flat, and relatively simple. There are commercially-available airfield and airport base boards, but in truth anyone with some grey and green paint can do the job as well. A bit of careful choosing among toy or model vehicles can produce appropriate scale tankers, fire appliances, etc, or you can scratchbuild them from bits of wood and plastic. But the big hang-up is the population. How can you make little folk with sufficient accuracy? Don't worry, Preiser come to the rescue. This German company is famous for its plastic people in most model rail scales, 1:87, 1:43, 1:160, 1:22.5 (HO, O, N and G scales respectively), but it also makes other scales, more useful for miniature aircraft collectors. Although Preiser models are widely available, most stockists are rail-oriented and may not carry the full range of non-rail-related figures, so you'll have to insist on your local dealer ordering them for you. Here are just some of Preiser's figures, available in standard aircraft scales. We have mostly listed unpainted (u) sets, but there are lots of others, including fully finished figures, nudes, etc in all scales. (Typical group picture at foot of page.). 1:32 scale: 63000 Civilian passengers x12 (u) 1:48 scale 67000 Modern Luftwaffe ground and air crew x12 (u) 67001 Wartime Luftwaffe ground and air crew x12 (u) 1:72 scale 72508 Wartime Luftwaffe ground and air crew x26 (u) 72509 Wartime Luftwaffe ground and air crew x32 (u) 72510 1920s aircrew, ground crew, passengers 36 (u) 72512 Passers-by x 25 (u) 72513 Uniformed men (police etc all countries) x24 (u) 72516 Wartime Luftwaffe air, ground crew, paras 10 (u) 72520 Nato aircrew, ground crew x36 (u) 1:144 scale 77100 Nato aircrew, ground crew x18 (u) 1:200 scale 80990 Assorted figures x190 (u) 1:500 scale 89500 Assorted figures (u) PLANS FROM PARADAIR Paradair 1:250 handbuilt white metal model aircraft from France. 1998 planned releases include the following: 010 FOCKE-WULF FW 190 A2/A3 011 DE HAVILLAND MOSQUITO 012 LOCKHEED P-38 LIGHTNING 013 BLOCH 152 014 YAKOVLEV YAK-3 BEACON DECALS By Ron Crawford Here's another source for small scale decals, thanks to Doug Emmons and Irv Decker. Beacon Publications (23168 Brandon Place NW, Poulsboro, Washington 98370 (360)779-7740 or email sward@kendaco.telebyte.com) offers a large range of sheets designed for micro wargaming miniatures. They work very well on smaller 1:200 aircraft. Ertl Bears take off Just to annoy those collectors who admire the excellent Ertl diecast aircraft, then complain about non-prototypical liveries, here's a really cute item: As part of their Coca-Cola merchandise range, Ertl have produced their 1:43 Stearman biplane in 'Always Coca-Cola' livery, crewed by the famous Coca-Cola Polar Bear (clutching a bottle of Coke) and two bear cubs. VAPOUR TRAILS By Ron Crawford A prominent display at the Sandown Park Toy Fair last November was assembled by Brian Keates of Vapour Trails, together with Derek Barratt of Speed in the Air - Metal Models and Mick Armitage of the Norfolk Group. The show was somewhat of a 'coming out' for Vapour Trails, who had a large display of well-painted models. Brian explained that he now has his own team of pattern makers, caster and painters and can now provide rapid service on orders. The models shown looked excellent. The address is Vapour Trails (Brian Keates), Keepers Cottage, Barton-in Fabis,Nottinghamshire NG11 OAB, UK. Tel 01159 830358. ALEX PANCHENKO By Gene Eisman My decades of interest in Soviet aviation date from the coldest days of the Cold War. It was a time when the Russian military was perceived to be ten feet tall, and its latest fighters and bombers, demonstrated at Moscow airshows over Tushino and Domodedovo in the 1960s, inspired real concern and even fear in the West. I pored over the grainy black and white photographs from the airshows published in Aviation Week and elsewhere, showing the new MiG-23, MiG 25, Su-17, the huge and exotic M-50 Bounder bomber, and many others. Taken from great distances with long telephoto lenses, the pictures revealed just enough to tantalise the viewer. I imagined what it would be like to attend one of these shows and see the Russian hardware with my own eyes. Such an opportunity did not seem likely. As time passed, of course, more information and more detailed photos of these aircraft and their successors emerged. Nonetheless, actually seeing any of this heavy metal in the flesh seemed out of the question, barring a visit to East Germany and a willingness to stand outside a Russian air base, camera in one hand, binoculars in the other, a step most definitely not to be recommended. But then, starting at the very end of the 1980s, the impossible happened: the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union dissolved. Suddenly, all things were possible. And so, in 1994 I eagerly joined a group of British aviation fans and flew to Moscow to see what I had heretofore only dreamed of. And see it all we did: the fabulous Russian Air Force museum at Monino outside Moscow; the collection of newer Russian military aircraft at Khodynka not far from the centre of Moscow; an air show at Tushino. We flew to Ulyanovsk in central Russia and walked down the production line for one of the world's largest aircraft, the An-124. We visited the Zhukovsky Flight Test Centre near Moscow and saw Tu-160 Blackjacks and other Soviet rarae aves. We went to Kubinka Air Force Base, a facility outside of Moscow previously used to impress high-level foreign delegations, and were treated to a private performance by the Swifts, a MiG-29 demonstration team; later we met the pilots, and had our pictures taken sitting in the cockpit of one of their MiGs. A three-star Russian general welcomed us to Kubinka and described the history of one of the base's fighter squadrons, including its rendering of 'fraternal assistance' to the North Koreans during the Korean War. He was not amused when I asked whether this involved combat against American fighters, tersely replying that 'That was all in the past, we are friends with the Americans now.' The trip exceeded all my expectations. It also inspired me to focus my growing model aircraft collection on modern civilian and military Soviet and Russian aircraft. I knew that this would be a real challenge; not many such models were available. ENTER ALEX PANCHENKO That's where Alex Panchenko enters the picture. Alex was born in Kiev, Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. In the 1960s, during the same Cold War years when I avidly studied the photos of new combat aircraft coming out of Moscow. Alex's parents were engineers at the famous Antonov design bureau in Kiev, source of some of the largest transport planes ever built, including the An-22 and the An-124. As such, they were a part of the top secret world that produced Soviet military aircraft. Alex emigrated to the USA in 1989, following service in the Soviet Army in the Russian Far East. 'When I arrived in the United States, all I had with me was only $20 dollars in cash, a pair of jeans, two t-shirts, a couple of books, and a collection of Soviet aviation pins.' Alex settled in Southern California working at two jobs and learning English. Two years later, his.friends had an idea: Alex should rent a display table at a local airline collectibles gathering to see whether there was any interest in his pins. ALEX GOES COMMERCIAL He took the advice, adding to his stock some medals, aircraft brochures and posters that his parents shipped from Kiev. The table was mobbed; the interest in anything tied to Russian aviation was very high; he quickly sold everything. The enterprise was a financial success. 'I made more money in two hours than I had for the whole year working at two jobs. I left the show with a pocket full of money but with nothing left to sell next time,' he recalled. That was the challenge: Alex realised that he had the makings of a unique business for the New World, but only if he could obtain a continued supply of saleable material. He went back to Kiev in the summer of 1992 to see if it were possible. His parents' Antonov connection was a big help; through them Alex gained access to a considerable cache of aviation memorabilia, including some aircraft models that had been presented personally to employees of the Antonov design bureau by Oleg Antonov, the design bureau's founder. He was able to purchase hundreds of desktop models on display at the design bureau and in the factory itself in Kiev. Alex also invited his friends in Russia and the Ukraine to join his enterprise by purchasing anything connected with Soviet or Russian aviation and shipping it to him in Los Angeles. 'We ended up with helmets, flight suits, wings, pins, artwork, and more,' Alex said. 'It was a good start and formed the basis for a real business.' The next trip to Russia focused on Moscow, the heart of the Soviet aviation design complex. 'Most of the major design bureaux are there: Mil helicopters, Sukhoi, Mikoyan-Gurevich, Tupolev, Ilyushin, Yakovlev, and Myasishchev to name only a few', he says 'I had the help of the head of the press centre set up to publicise the Russian aviation industry in getting in touch with the model departments of these design bureaux,' Alex continues. He was also able to contact and purchase models from some others, such as Beriev, a designer and manufacturer of seaplanes in Taganrog City on the Azov Sea and the famous Russian Ekranoplans (ground effect craft) manufactured in Nizhniy Novgorod (formerly Gorky). The Kamov design bureau in Kazan was the source of one-of-a kind resin and wood helicopter models illustrating Kamov's trademark layout of twin contra-rotating rotors and no tail rotor. Many of these were hand-made for presentation to Kamov's business partners and government officials, and for display at the Paris and Farnborough international air shows. 'I quickly realised that no one else from the general public had access to these models; it was the equivalent of obtaining factory models from Boeing or Lockheed in the US,' Alex comments. He ran his first advertising, in Airliners and Fine Scale Modeler, in 1992; the ads brought responses from serious collectors. 'Some of them are still among my customers today,' Alex says. The main challenge he faced in marketing the unique, mostly one-of-a kind aircraft models was that it was wholly impractical to have any sort of catalogue of his stock, or even to send out photographs of individual models. 'I decided that the best way to market the models was to send them to potential buyers on approval, to let the collector see for himself the quality before deciding whether to make a purchase,' he now says. Alex's father (his parents joined him in California in late 1991) makes customised shipping containers for the models to ensure that they survive the US Postal Service and reach the buyer undamaged. Alex offers a highly personalised service, including flexible payment plans for buyers. Each model arrives with a hand-written note about the model from Alex, accompanied sometimes by photocopied information or a colour photo of the real aircraft. THE MODELS And the models themselves? They are beautiful creations of resin and wood, with metal details, and almost always include an accurate rendition of the aircraft's landing gear. Most models are on attractive wooden or metal stands; some sit on their own wheels. The stands are often inscribed with the appropriate design bureau logo, such as Sukhoi or Mikoyan and Gurevich; many show the aircraft's designation in cyrillic letters. The models vary significantly in size, generally ranging from about 1:200 scale through 1:100 and 1:72 to 1:48. The models are made to order for Alex by a network of craftsmen, mostly former employees of the major Russian and Soviet design bureaux. These bureaux shrunk drastically following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and a devastating reduction of military spending, leaving many of these skilled workers unemployed and available. As a result of this ready workforce, Alex has available to collectors virtually the full range of Soviet and Russian aircraft, from the 1930s to the newest helicopters and interceptors, and including sports and aerobatic planes, bombers, experimental planes, ground effect craft, Second World War aircraft, seaplanes, and civilian and military transports and freighters. ACCURACY AND FINISH Accuracy and finish of the models are to very high standards. Before I commit to purchase, I routinely check the overall accuracy, outline, detail, and finish of the model against pictures and line drawings in my large collection of Russian, Eastern European and English-language aviation magazines and books, including the standard references. The models are rarely found wanting in these areas. It is always a pleasure to deal with Alex; he often regales me with tales of the Russian border guards and customs officials he encounters while bringing models out of Russia or the Ukraine during his bi-monthly trips there. The guards often have their hands out, and it's not to inspect the models! Overall, Alex reports that business is excellent, and growing. One measure of his success is the two-page full colour advertisement he placed in summer 1997 in Smithsonian's Air & Space magazine. Today, Alex is the sole proprietor of this unique enterprise, built from the ground up in his new country, with a lot of hard work. 'I believe that I'm the only person in this market as a dealer,' he says. 'On my trips back to Russia and the Ukraine, I'm always searching for that rare or special model that will appeal to the true collector.' MECCANO CONSTRUCTOR AIRCRAFT: The 00 and 0 sets By John de Uphaugh This article is exploratory. Nobody seems to have recorded much about these products of the British Meccano factory (which also made model engineering sets, cars and boats amongst other things as well as Dinky Toys). So if anyone out there knows more, please write in to avia mini! Meccano Constructor aircraft first appeared on the UK market in October 1931, around the same time as the company's motor car kits. They were the larger versions, rather than the small Aeroplane Constructor Outfits 00 and 0 which are the subject of this piece. I do not own, nor know much about the former kits, except that these large aeroplane kits, called 1 and 2, were first produced with flat wings and later with stamped wings representing ribs and aerofoil sections. The range of parts was extensive. Correspondingly the number of different models with one, two or three radial or in-line engines which could be made was considerable. In 1932 or 1933, Meccano introduced the two smaller, simpler and less expensive kits which are highlighted here. To my eye these kits have more charm than the larger ones and, with a wing span of 11 inches. (28 cm.), they are certainly more practical to display and store. You build them the way real planes were built in those days. Indeed the makers said in their publicity that the kits were 'designed to teach the principles of aeroplane construction'. Assemble the fuselage, bolt on the wings, add the struts and fit the undercarriage. Simple. All you need is a screwdriver and spanner, both provided, and a little dexterity, though the string rigging and bracing wires are beyond my capabilities The system allows a choice of two monoplane wing positions, low and high, or you can build a biplane. Also a choice of floats or wheels is available with the 0 set. These floats are masterpieces of precision tin pressing and most realistic. The building instructions romanticise the variants as 'racing seaplane', 'light monoplane' and so forth. Hangars were on sale to fit the finished model into, and the catalogue mentions that one kit was available packed in a hangar rather than a box. The accompanying photographs illustrate some of the variants. Aircraft were available in a number of colour schemes, the red and cream livery being the most commonly found today. The 1935 Meccano catalogue says both sets were on the market 'in three colours' and illustrates both this scheme and a cream model with pale green sunburst pattern on wings and tail. An RAF scheme appeared and this, for a very short period in 1940, went into camouflage, before production ceased for good. This reflected the similar move into warpaint by Meccano's other aircraft, the diecast Dinky Toy Aeroplanes. A separate clockwork motor was available. This drove the propeller and, via an elastic band and pulley, the wheels, so you could taxi round the floor. The Constructor is known to have been marketed in France and Norway. It may have been made in France, many of those sold there had French registration letters, and Germany. (Frederic Marchand's book Aviation Jouets illustrates a camouflaged model without national markings which was probably on sale in France in 1935 and which must surely have been made there.) The larger 1 and 2 are known to have been sold in Belgium, Holland, Argentina and Switzerland as well, all with appropriate registration letters. At various times Meccano had companies registered in the USA, France and Germany. Do any American readers have US versions in their collections? In France there was a main domestic competitor, made under the Mecavion trade name. These were to approximately the same scale as Outfit 0, but had flat section wings of thicker gauge metal. Frederic Marchand's wonderful book also reminds me that the German firm Dux produced constructor kits in 1938-39, many of them very realistic and accurate. He also opened my eyes to two French Meccano-like manufacturers at that time. One was Avions Peugeot, presumably a product of the toy subsidiary of the car company. The other was Aero Technique-Macrez, who produced Mec-Aero kits around 1935. If you want to know more, buy the book! The only supplier of spares and missing parts I know, some old, some reproduction but including the all-important and always missing 6BA bolts to hold the parts together, and the often-absent pilot, is A. Clapp, 40 Upper Marsh Road, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 9PN, UK. Also, MW Models, 4 Greys Road, Henley-On-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 lRY, sells things Meccano and in particular reproduction instruction leaflets. BOOK REVIEW Diecast Toy Aircraft by Sue Richardson. Pub: New Cavendish Books, 3 Denbigh Road, London W11 2SJ. Tel: 0171 229 6765. Available from the publishers at £30.00. ISBN 1 872727 239. A4 hardbound with dustjacket, 318pp. The title of this book is very clear: Diecast Toy Aircraft, so as one might expect from such a precise author, that is what is included in this book. Toy aircraft, not models, so Schuco is included (as a toy company), but not successor Schabak, a model company. Likewise such products as Herpa Wings and Ertl collector 'banks' are not included, as they are not toys. Similarly, the emphasis is on diecast zinc metal aircraft (not plastic, resin, tin, white metal etc) though there are a few honourable exceptions, with lead cast toys and even Siku plastic aircraft being noted. So, having established the parameters, what does this book include? It is an impressive tome, covering everything you would need to know about the main makes of metal aircraft. As a well-known expert on Dinky Toys, we expect, and get, from Sue Richardson, a comprehensive coverage of British and French Dinky aeroplanes. This fills the first 122 pages, over a third of the book, and forms a very full history in itself. Readers of avia mini will not need much introduction to Dinky Toys, suffice it to say that Sue's analysis of variants, issue dates, boxes and so on will give you all the detail you need to know on the subject. The rest of the book is arranged in alphabetical order of countries of the world, from Argentina to the USA. Some makers only get a passing mention, but anyone whose toy aircraft production was significant in any way gets detailed type by type treatment. I won't list all the makes concerned, there are just too many. There are over 150 makes described, and some have very extensive descriptions, such as Solido, Corgi, Ertl, Matchbox and Tootsietoys. Detailed text is followed by many pages of colour photographs, excellently reproduced. There are also headings for more generic toys, such as Dime Store Toys, Cap Bombs, Mascots, and so on, to help you identify any oddments in the collection. In such a comprehensive work, one assumes that some small errors will have crept in, but so far I haven't seen any, other than some inaccurate descriptions or mis-spellings of aircraft types, and some oddities in the scale descriptions. Many aircraft are just given a 'size', such as 120mm, as presumably no specific scale was intended by the makers. Others are given their size and the resulting scale (123mm 1:257), but they don't seem to be always accurate. If a Convair RB36 at 234mm wingspan is 1:300 scale, then a Boeing B50 at 172mm span cannot be the quoted 1:25 scale! This is important, as many collectors will want to know if a model fits into their collections (particularly 1:200 collectors many of whom regard 1:180 to 1:220 as an acceptable 'zone' for a toy plane to fall into). Still, we all have our own reference books and scale rules, so we can work scales out for ourselves. As a quick guide, if a model dimension is given in millimetres, but your real plane reference book gives the full-size measurements in feet and inches, multiply the feet by 300, then divide by the toy's size in mm. That will give you the scale. As an example, if a toy scales out to 50mm wing-span, and you know that the real aircraft is 40 feet in span, 40 x 300 = 12,000, divide by 50 and the result is 1:240 scale. Of course, to a committed toy collector, scale is not necessarily an important consider-ation, and this book is primarily intended for collectors of diecast toy aircraft. In my opinion, however, every collector of little planes must have this book! RCW FINE ART MODELS Fine Art Models is based in the USA, but commissions top-quality models from specialist craftsmen around the world. Highly detailed 1:96 scale warships, 1:8 scale classic cars, 1:32 scale railroad models and 1:8 scale artillery pieces are all made with a fanatical zeal for accuracy, and at correspondingly high prices. Aircraft have their place as well, with large-scale display items made for Fine Art Models in the Ukraine, the first being a Chance Vought Corsair, in 1:15 scale. Everything is held together with actual scale rivets! 139 are to be made at $8,500 each for the first 12, an evaluation batch to check exactly how many hours it took to make, and thus to reach a final price for the main production batch. Other large scale aircraft models by Fine Art include a Nieuport 11 and a Fokker Dr-1 Triplane, each detailed to a fantastic degree. For more information contact Fine Art Models, PO Box 225, Birmingham, MI 48012, USA, mentioning avia mini. THE RAREST TOY PLANE? Chatsworth House, the ancestral home of the Dukes of Devonshire is home to many rare and expensive works of art, so many that the family often don't know what is hidden around the house. A recent amazing discovery is described by toy expert Hilary Kay as probably the rarest toy aeroplane in the world, which would probably fetch over £100,000 at auction. It is a Gebrüder Märklin tinplate and celluloid Wright Flyer biplane, made around 1907. Only one other surviving example is known, and that was found in a palace belonging to the Thai Royal Family, an indication of the original quality and price of this toy. It is not known if the Chatsworth Wright Flyer can be seen by visitors to the Derbyshire stately home. CORGI AVIATION ARCHIVE To follow the successful launch of Corgi's 1:144 Aviation Archive series in the first half of 1998, here is the July to December plan : Avro Lancaster GR-3 RAF Coastal Command (Aug) Douglas Dakota C-3 RAF Battle of Britain Flight (Sept) Lockheed C-121 Constellation USAF (September) Douglas DC-3 Eastern Airlines (July) Douglas DC-3 Dakota Air Atlantique G-AMPZ (Oct) Avro 685 York C1 Dan-Air G-ANTK (August) Lockheed Constellation Braniff International (July) For the full Corgi experience, there is also a 1:144 card kit of a hangar, and a series of 1:43 scale diecast vans in airline liveries. WIKING ARADO 196 By Ron Crawford I was labouring quietly at my workbench when a friend called and asked if I could use a couple of Wiking floatplanes he had seen at a West Coast fleamarket. He had asked the right Wiking-oholic. Pressed for details, he casually mentioned that the airplanes were mounted on pins on two 1:200 scale models of Second World War German warships, and that there were six additional 1:200 scale ships with no aircraft. The warship models were made in some kind of heavy hardwood, with the detail parts in matching grey plastic. With the set was a War Booty certificate dated May 1945, so we had a set of dark grey ships liberated at the fall of Nazi Germany and carrying Wiking aircraft. That really got my attention. I knew Wiking had made a small series of special models of small ships such as a more or less Type VII U-Boat, a Schnellboot and a Minesweeper, charming little models which came apart at the waterline to display full interiors. Pressing my faculties to the fullest, however, it was difficult to picture any of those with a catapult and Arado Ar 196 mounted on them. I also knew, however, that Wiking aircraft had been used in all manner of displays, presentation sets, training devices, and trophies. A series of phone calls to German friends filled in enough details to raise my interest from mere unseemly lust to full Red Alert. It turns out that, either just prior to the Second World War, or early in the War, Wiking Modellbau was asked to make museum models of German warships. I do not know which ships were finally produced. This set plus a Gneisenau-Scharnhorst are the only models I have been able to document thus far. Three sets of ships were made. The small parts, from gun turrets down to bollards were injection moulded. Catapults, cranes, and a few other parts were cut and folded from sheet metal. Hulls and superstructures were carved from hardwood. The ships were sprayed an overall medium grey, except for Hitler's yacht Grille, which was a distinctive off-white with orange masts and funnel like the prototype. The aircraft were stock wartime grey-green Ar 196s, mounted on pins to hold them on to the catapults. One set of models went to a Berlin museum. A second set was kept by the owner of Wiking Modellbau, Friedrich Peltzer. Accounts vary as to the fate of the third set. I have been told that they went to the Reichsmarine, to another museum, or into the personal collection of the master modeller. As a modeller, I favour the latter explanation. That information exactly matched the offerings at the flea market, so I added the Arados to my collection (and with them the ships, as the vendor was reluctant to separate the models). Some important lessons learned came out of this experience. First, it's awfully nice to have knowledgeable friends, in this case the redoubtable Mike Kasner. Second, Western Union really is delighted to transfer cash against your credit card for a fee that would make a loan shark blush. Third, you have to have a way to get your latest discoveries home. With the aid of Mike Kasner, and of Rick Kershner of The Shelburne Museum we were able to plug into a network of specialised experts who move Rembrandts and Ming vases around the world (usually) intact. In our case, they used poured-in-place urethane foam to immobilise the models inside their cartons and to protect them from impacts. Don't try this at home. Finally, it's important to think ahead about display space. A set of 1:200 warships, with or without floatplanes, occupies substantially more shelf area than a collection of every Wiking aircraft ever made. A Tirpitz is four feet long. For the sake of connubial bliss, however, it is advisable to have shelves ready and waiting. Some significant others take violent umbrage at the loss of their dining room table. HERPA WINGS EXPAND Herpa are a leading manufacturer of models of various types, 1:87 and 1:43 vehicles as well as scale model aircraft. The Herpa Wings series began with 1:500 diecast airliners, and a few 1:160 (N scale) plastic Ju-52/3M variants. They then moved on to 1:200 snap-fit plastic jet airliners, as previously described in avia mini, and now they are adding a fourth scale, 1:400 'assembly kits'. The 1:500 diecast airliners are made in China, and are subject to import quotas to Western Europe, but kits are not subject to quotas, so Herpa are able to expand production more freely with this type of product. They claim that the larger 1:400 scale will allow better detail printing, and assembly will be simple. The first releases will be: Airbus A340-310 Austrian Airlines Airbus A319 Airbus Airbus A330-300 Airbus Airbus A330-200 Canada 3000 Airbus A321-100 Alitalia Boeing 777-200 Malaysia Airlines They should start to appear in May 1998, all with detachable landing gear. Herpa are always looking for new areas in which to expand, in order to maintain their growth. In 1997 Herpa had 440 employees (including home-workers), 41.5 million DM turnover (about £14m, or $20m), of which 85% was sold within Germany. HERPA 1:500 RELEASES New Releases from Herpa Wings, June 1998: New moulds: Boeing 737-700, one of the most recent of the B737 series in the livery of the manufacturer. Junkers JU-52, now in 1:500 scale, with detailed undercarriage, and even the cockpit windows are made of transparent plastic. Fleet extensions: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 California One - with bear. Boeing 737-300 Lone Star One - with the star. Boeing 737-300 Standard - in livery of Texan airline. Air Berlin Boeing 737-800 KLM-Asia Limited Edition This Boeing 747-400 Dutch KLM only flies within Asia. The model has the logo of Northwest Airlines, name City of Mexico and the identification number PH-BFM. Lufthansa - Exclusive Series The B747 400 of Lufthansa is the first model in the new Exclusive Series by Herpa. Additional decoration on the fuselage includes identification number, name of the plane, multicoloured doors including emergency exit and cargo door, position lights, markings such as NO STEP on the wings etc. The model is in a display unit with base showing a landing strip and a picture of the terminal. In future, this series will be extended every two months by another limited edition. GOLDEN WHEEL DC-3 Golden Wheel, based in Hong Kong with its factory in China, has made many models for well-known ranges, and for promotional purposes. Now Golden Wheel is marketing its own catalogue of models, mostly those marketed previously by others. They include Vintage Flyers 12.5 inch span: Pepsi Express, 7-Up Express, Mountain Dew, United States Airways, International Airways, all on a rather approximate depiction of a DC-3, overly tubby and crude, but very cheap! VEREM HELICOPTERS The French Verem range includes four helicopters for 1998. Verem is the 'low volume' division of the large Ideal-Solido concern. Solido no longer includes any aircraft in its ranges, but these helicopters have found a new home at Verem: Gazelle with Lance Missiles, French Army Gazelle HOT, French Army Alouette II, French Army Cougar AS532, French Army MODEL AIR ACES Charles Biggs produced some 1:32 sets for Britains that turned out to be fairly expensive, so he now sells them himself in the Premier Model Collection, at a somewhat lower price. The First World War Air Aces and Victoria Cross collections each comprises a set with cast metal 1:32 scale figurine, medal, badge, flag etc, five pieces per set, at around £30.00 each (as opposed to £50.00 or so from Britains last year). Those available include: Capt Edward V Rickenbacker, US Army Charles Rumney Samson, RFC Capt Manfred von Richthofen, Germany Jean-Marie Dominique Navarre, France Capt Albert Ball, RFC TOY MARK AIRPLANES Toy Mark is a brand we see with increasing frequency, in many toy and model sectors. The first aircraft we have seen from them are in a series of 1:48 Second World War fighters. There are two versions each of the Supermarine Spitfire, Messerschmitt Bf109, Mitsubishi Zero, North American P-51 Mustang and Lockheed P-38 Lightning. Described on the box as 'diecast with plastic', they are mostly polystyrene, very nicely moulded, with operating undercarriages and (for a toy range) quite accurate liveries. We have had an interesting time showing these aircraft to collectors. 'Umm, nice models; but not my scale/subject matter/era etc' were the guarded replies. But once the incredibly low price is known, all inhibitions vanish and the wallet comes out. These models are extraordinarily good value for money! avia mini Front Page

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