Posts by Leigh Edmonds
Airliner Developments
The new generation of airliners that was developed in the USA in the 1930s included the Boeing 247, an all-metal 10-passenger low-winged monoplane, 60 of which were built for United Airlines. Orders from other airlines were denied, resulting in the development of Douglas DC-2s and DC-3s and Lockheed Electras, which together monopolised US domestic air…
Read MoreThe Little Aviation Museum Newsletter 5
Here it is
Read MoreThe Curator’s Choice 018 – Early Boeing Aircraft
Early Boeing aircraft Boeing 200 – Boeing XF8B – Boeing 377 Stratocruiser These days the name Boeing is almost synonymous with the aircraft making business in the United States, having absorbed most of its competition in the past few decades. However, in earlier times Boeing was but one of a large number of companies making…
Read MoreVAB in 1/72 by Heller
The Véhicule de l’Avant Blindé (that could translate as Forward, Ahead of or Front Armoured Vehicle) was developed by Giat Industries and Renault Trucks to give the French Army a fast and mobile troop carrier. It’s simple design and the use of a commercially produced engine made it relatively cheap and versatile. It entered services…
Read MoreCurtiss P-40N in 1/72 by Hobby Boss
Strange but true, this is the first P-40 model I’ve made since the early Airfix P-40E that must have come out in the early to mid 1960s. It was covered with rivets as I recall, and I plastered it with house paint of dubious shades because it was a lot cheaper than the little Humbrol…
Read MoreAdditions to the Museum’s Collection – 018, 27 June 2022
Here are the latest additions to the Public Galleries Aermacchi MB-326H in 1/72 by Supermodel Bristol Beaufighter Ic in 1/72 by High Planes Bristol Bloodhound I in 1/72 by Airfix CAC CA-17 Mustang Mk.20 in 1/72 by Academy Curtiss P-40N in 1/72 by Hobby Boss General Dynamics F-111C in 1/72 by Hasegawa Martin PBM-3R in…
Read MoreThe Curator’s Choice 017 – Silver British Fighters
Silver British Fighters Hawker Fury, deHavilland Hornet, English Electric Lightning The Gallery of British Aircraft houses many interesting aircraft that are always a pleasure to wander amongst. They are a snapshot of the rapid development of aviation in the 20th Century, especially in the first five or so decades when aeronautical knowledge expanded rapidly and…
Read MoreAdditions to the Museum’s Collection – 017, 19 June 2022
Here are the latest additions to the Museum’s galleries: A4 (V-2) in 1/72 by Condor Aero Engine Services Limited CT/4A in 1/72 by Tasman Models Boeing 377 Stratocruiser in 1/144 by Minicraft Boeing WB-47B in 72 by Minicraft/Hasegawa Curtiss C-46 in 72 by Williams Brothers Leduc 0.22 in 1/72 by Mach 2 SAN Jodel D.104…
Read MoreSupermarine Spitfire Vb in 1/72 by Airfix
The Supermarine Spitfire V was developed to fill the gap in production between the Spitfire Is and IIs that had fought the Battle of Britain and the next generation Spitfire III with a new wing and more powerful Merlin XX engine. Delays in developing the Spitfire III and problems with the Merlin XX engine led…
Read MoreStrv 103c in 1/72 by Trumpeter
Decades ago I bought the old Aurora 1/48 S Tank kit and banged it together. It looked pretty magnificent, which had more to do with what the tank looks like than my modelling skills. While I admit to a certain weakness for tank models I try to control the impulse by making only French tanks.…
Read MoreLeduc 0.22 in 1/72 by Mach 2
For a decade after World War II engineers and aeroplane designers struggled to work through the new technologies the war had thrown up and the defense challenges that new technologies (most importantly the atomic bomb) presented. Defense planners saw the need for an interceptor that could reach high altitudes very quickly to shoot down attacking…
Read MoreCurtiss C-46 in 1/72 by Williams Brothers
Like its smaller compatriot the Douglas C-47, the C-46 began life as a passenger aeroplane, first flying in March 1940. It was, however, larger than the C-47 (or Douglas DC-3) with capacity to carry 36 passengers rather than 21. The large capacity fuselage soon attracted the attention of the United States military authorities for cargo,…
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