Famous planes & pilots

Not really a proper top 10 listing, this is just a selection of (mostly) named pioneering aircraft and/ or famous flyers as a theme for a shelf display of diecast model aircraft.

In the beginning, there was Orville and Wilbur Wright - whose Wright flyer made history at Kitty Hawk in 1903. The diecast model I have is by Corgi, part of the toy company’s celebratory ‘100 Years of Flight’ range. It is only a small version, with a wingspan of approx. 11 cm, and the not-to-scale detail is merely satisfactory, with clear plastic ‘windows’ supporting the wing struts so the model isn’t too fragile. Still, it’s a starter for this decidedly modest collection.     

The second pioneer is Louis Bleriot, whose ‘Bleriot XI’ mono-plane was, in 1909, first to cross the English Channel, proving that the Aerial Age had truly begun. Again, the Corgi diecast model uses clear plastic to hold the framework together on this smaller scale. Bleriot appears as a character in British docu-drama feature The Conquest Of The Air (1936).  

In 1927, Charles Lindbergh piloted the ‘Spirit of St Louis’ for the first non-stop New York to Paris flight, ushering in the Golden Age of Aviation. Corgi’s fit-the-box scale model is one of their better efforts in this 100 Years of Flight range. In Billy Wilder's 1957 bio-pic, The Spirit Of St Louis, Lindbergh is portrayed by Jimmy Stewart. 

Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo over the Atlantic Ocean. Her plane was a red Lockheed Vega 5B. Corgi’s diecast model is the best of their 100YOF air-pioneer set. After a few episodic outings, plus a TV-movie in 1976 starring Susan Clark, Earhart's story finally got a big screen showing in Amelia (2009), with Hilary Swank playing the heroine. 

A year earlier than Earhart’s 1932 flight, Amy Johnson set a record time flying from Britain to Japan. Her plane was a de Havilland DH.80 Puss Moth named ‘Jason II’. The 1:72 scale model is by Oxford Diecast and is very good quality as a collectible.

Designed to be fast, the de Havilland DH-88 Comet was built for the MacRobertson (London-to-Melbourne) air race in 1934. Flown by C.W.A. Scott and Tom Campbell Black, the striking red version of the plane, named ‘Grosvenor House’, won the race.

The Comet model by Oxford Diecast (a 'Black Magic' version is also available) comes in 1:72 scale, with a very shiny red finish.

The next choice for a famous pilot is a cheat, really. James ‘Biggles’ Bigglesworth is a fictional hero of WW1, and his Sopwith Camel bi-plane makes a fine addition to this collection. The diecast model is produced by Amercom in 1:72 scale. Apart from a 1960s TV series, the only screen adventure for this archetypal British hero is sci-fi movie Biggles: Adventures In Time (1986), starring Neil Dickson. 

Since we have Biggles, it would be churlish to neglect his airborne opponent, Manfred von Richthofen, the ‘Red Baron’, and so I have a placeholder model of his Fokker Dr.1 tri-plane. It’s a smaller scale diecast made by Lledo, and I’m not sure if the green and red colouring (see below) is authentic. German movie The Red Baron (2008) celebrates his career but, of course, makes him the hero of the war.  

Representing flying aces of WW2, there’s legendary RAF pilot Douglas Bader, whose Supermarine Spitfire is a 1:72 scale model in Corgi’s low-cost Warbirds range.

This is a well-made diecast, but it lacks the detachable undercarriage of the other Spitfire in my collection, an unarmed reconnaissance version in blue (below), also made by Corgi in 1:72 scale.   

Nowadays rightly celebrated for breaking the sound barrier in 1947, US pilot Charles ‘Chuck’ Yeager also flew a North American P-51D Mustang, named ‘Glamorous Glen III’ (after his wife Glennis). This diecast model is a smaller Corgi, quite nicely detailed for its fit-the-box scale. Most famously, Yeager was played by Sam Shepard in The Right Stuff (1983).   

Fant4stic

Nothing about this remake works as it should. The pace seems awkward, and its tone shifts from SF-horrors to action fantasy with all the finesse and charm of a coal sack falling off the back of a lorry. There are a few good sequences with dramatic impact, and its darker style, with some disturbing or at least unsettling moments, looks fine. By far the best thing about this version of the Fantastic Four is the CGI character of the Thing.

 

When reminiscent of Cronenberg shockers, or superhero movies like Watchmen, this is an average comicbook adaptation. But with its overlong childhood scenes and quite dementedly rushed climax, Josh Trank’s failure might have sunk hopes for a renewal of Marvel’s most family-friendly franchise.   

Floaters

The funny thing about having a hobby that I call ‘extreme collecting’ - mainly diecast models of helicopters, aeroplanes, assorted NASA vehicles, and sci-fi/ fantasy related items - is that when looking out for new stuff on e-bay now, the problem is I’ve already got one (my list of rotorcraft is 29 pages, but I’ve actually lost count of how many models there are), or I am really not interested (WW2 bombers, numerous airliners, blah), or - in a few cases - I simply can’t afford one (seen the ridiculous prices for Product Enterprise’s Gerry Anderson range?).

I have also reached the stage where all the display space left in the house is down to just a couple of shelves.  

My recent bargain buys include four aircraft of types that can float in water (see also 'flying boats'). Two are imported part-works from the Russian/ USSR Legends magazine series:

#63, Beriev A-40 Albatross (NATO name: Mermaid), a rare a jet-engined amphibious aircraft. The diecast model is by DeAgostini - 1:350 scale.

#82, Shavrov Sh-2S (nicknamed ‘Rusalka’ in USSR) a small wooden aircraft, this was the first mass-produced Russian plane of its type in the 1930s. From DeAgostini, this small (wing-span only 12 cm) diecast model (scale - 1:111) is the ambulance version.

The third is an Italian military float-plane, the three-engined CANT Z.506B Airone (Italian for ‘Heron’). It’s a sturdy diecast model produced by Altaya in 1:144 scale. 

I also bought a Savoia-Marchetti S.55X. A twin-hulled flying boat, this was used by Italian air marshal Balbo in a V-formation flight of 24 planes for the historic Atlantic crossing to Chicago for the World’s Fair in 1933. Exquisitely detailed, this diecast and plastic model is produced by Italeri - 1:144 scale. 

New mags

Due to the mystery of consciousness we apprehend our world via pattern recognition. Cloud shapes are signs from above. Untoward events are omens from beyond. Optical illusions defy our mental processing, attaining a form of modest perfection in cinema. Thinking one thing leads us to think of another thing but we often confuse connection with causality because everything is relative. Except for scientific evidence, objectivity is impossible, but well informed opinions are more useful than rushed judgements, or unconsidered viewpoints. Of course, when abandoning rationality and logic, in favour of the metaphorical and the poetic, there is a profound risk of creating art, or, at least, recognising it for purposes of media commentary. So, is realism in movies insufficient for artistic expression?

Meanwhile, the latest issues of TTA Press magazines are out now. Interzone #261 includes my 'Laser Fodder' column of blu-ray & DVD reviews. Here's the line-up + ratings:

The Dance Of Reality (7/10)
The Flash - season 1 (6/10)
Arrow - season 3 (5/10)
Iceman (6/10)
Infini (3/10)
Max Max: Fury Road (8/10)
Turbo Kid (6/10)
Dark Matter - season 1 (6/10)
Haven - season 5 (6/10)
Metal Hurlant Resurgence (4/10)
Terminator Genisys (4/10)
Technotise: Edit & I (7/10)
Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (3/10)

     Spec Ops: Retro
Eyes Without A Face (8/10)
Seconds (7/10)

     Skunky Chunks: Round-up
Tour Of Duty
Elimination Game
Alien Strain
Song Of The Sea
Downtime

There's also Black Static #49 with my Blood Spectrum column about horror movies & TV.

The Canal (3/10)
Hard To Be A God (7/10)
John Wick (7/10)
The Man Who Could Cheat Death (6/10)
Gotham - season 1 (6/10)
Bones - season 10 (6/10)
Insidious - chapter 3 (3/10)
Wer (3/10)
The Naked Prey (5/10)
Pay The Ghost (5/10)
The Skull (6/10)

     Utter Matters: Round-up
Final Girl
Blood Moon
The Houses Of Halloween
The Passage
A Christmas Horror Story
Deadly Virtues
Vampires
Knock Knock
Let Us Prey
Howl
The Messenger

NYPD Air

When it comes to helicopters used by the New York Police Department, some of my favourites were often seen in movies and TV shows, and I have collected five different diecast models, so far...

The Bell 47B (with floats for landing on water, and saddle fuel tanks) is made by Corgi in 1:48 scale. 

Adopting the classic blue and white livery, N.Y.P.D. helicopters upgraded with the Bell 206 JetRanger. My model of this is by New Ray in 1:34 scale. 

I have a smaller Bell 204 / Huey UH-1B from Corgi, that was made for their series of fit-the-box models. It’s approx. 1:100 scale. 

This Bell 412 (below) looks an impressive 14 inches long with over-hanging rotors. With opening sliding doors, it’s made by New Ray in 1:48 scale. 

Finally, I have two versions of the Agusta A-119 Koala - a larger New Ray model at 1:43 scale, and the detailed Amercom edition at 1:72.