War Time Memories

Atlas Editions Aircraft

Having only recently acquired the Atlas Editions Junkers JU87B Stuka I have been able to compare it with the Stuka presently available from Oxford Aviation.
These two models are remarkably similar in every way.
They are both excellent models and apart from the Gruppe designations it is difficult to tell them apart. They are both very finely detailed with full cockpit instrumentation together with seating for the crew. This I determined when adding crew figures to both aircraft. Both models unfortunately suffer from the fixed, non revolving propellor, but that is my only criticism.
I can only wonder if both these models came from the same factory.

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The 1/72nd scale model of the 1931 Bristol Bulldog K-2159 arrived from the seller in Poland. The colours of 19 Squadron RAF are excellent, and not only does it have a revolving propellor, it also features revolving wheels. Atlas Editions please take note.
The bracing wires are very good and appear to be the correct wire gauge and are free of the unsightly smears of glue which let down the bracing wires of the Fairey Swordfish.
Everything, wings, tail, rudder, and fuselage are diecast with the exception of the wheels and the propellor which are plastic.
The propellor although being free to revolve does have very thick blades and the pilot looks rather strange, being extremely upright, very long in the body, and oddly coloured. Some cosmetic treatment is therefore required to put this right.
I am uncertain as to what can be done to correct the propellor not knowing the correct thickness. It merely looks wrong.
The stand is the same as the ones in the current Fighter Aircraft Collection and I am fairly sure that this model will be appearing in due course.
The odd appearance of the pilot shows clearly on the photographs of the model on the website of the e-bay seller from whom I purchased it.
This is in my opinion a model well worth seeking out, despite the minor faults. There are not many models of Bristol Bulldogs around at present.

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It is frustrating not to know which models will be featured among the 48 models rumoured to comprise the full set, and even more frustrating for collectors not to have some idea of how they will look.

As useful information is in short supply, and in order to view some of the models that I feel sure will eventually be making an appearance in this collection,  I would suggest a visit via e-bay to a seller in Poland.  The one from whom I purchased the Fairey Swordfish and the Bristol Bulldog illustrates each model with at least five excellent photographs.

I hasten to add that I have no connection with Poland other than a profound admiration for the outstanding contribution Polish servicemen made to the Allied cause during the Second World War.

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This latest collection of model aircraft appears to have justified the fears that they would disappear from the newsagents shelves after the first two or three issues.
I read of somebody complaining that his branch of W.H.Smith had stopped stocking them after issue two.

Criticisms of the models in the collection continues, in the case of the Spitfire, with collectors expressing concerns over the shade of the camouflage colour, or the apparent age of the pilot, or that the aircraft number overlays the Squadron identity letters. The Messerschmitt 109F appears to have escaped unscathed, but the Mustang suffered having its drop tanks fixed back to front.

This collection however , for all its faults, has avoided my pet hate, Propellors that do not spin. The slightest breath of air has the four bladed prop on the Mustang spinning almost fast enough to get it airborne.

The Fairey Swordfish which may, or may not, eventually form part of this collection has a propellor that spins equally freely. I therefore forgive them any slight variations in colour or underaged pilots.

The fixed propellor was the one thing that let down the models produced by Atlas Editions and, sad to say, appears to have afflicted the models produced by Oxford Aviation. I am assuming that this is the case, although my observation is based on the one model I recently purchased from them. The Oxford Aviation Junkers 87 (Stuka) is an excellent model but the propellor is fixed solidly in position. I improved the appearance of the model by adding two crew members but they are destined never to leave the ground.

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Due to my having not taken out a subscription for the above collection and not having placed a regular order with my newsagent, I have almost lost track of what is currently on offer. I now have no way of knowing which models will follow on in the collection after issue number ten, the F-104 Starfighter. This of course is the penalty one pays for being a “Cherry picker” ( selective purchaser ).

All however was not lost. Whilst checking the progress on e-bay of a Corgi Fairey Swordfish in which I was interested, I chanced upon a Fairey Swordfish under the heading of “Sink the Bismark”. This model was on offer at a very reasonable price from Poland.
Two things about this model were of immediate interest. The first was the reasonable price, and the second point of interest was the display stand shown in the illustrations was exactly the same as the display stands used by the Fighter Aircraft Collection.
Could it be that the Fairey Swordfish would appear at some later date in the Fighter Aircraft Collection I wondered. The models in this collection are in bubble packs and the lettering on the bubble pack is mainly Polish. I am not certain how the Swordfish qualifies for inclusion in a fighter aircraft collection, although it was undeniably involved in some very serious fighting in its role as a torpedo bomber during the Second World War.

I now have the model, Fairey Swordfish Mk 1, 815 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, HMS Illustrious 1940 it having been delivered very speedily and efficiently from Poland.
It is an excellent model although I have to admit that unsuprisingly, considering the price, it is not as good as the Corgi version. I was able to make a comparison as I have had the Corgi Swordfish Floatplane in my collection for some time The Polish version has slightly cruder bracing wires, the model is without folding wings, and it is bubble packed and not boxed. The only thing I found mildly disappointing was the untidy glueing of the bracing wires. It is still however, in my opinion, a model well worth collecting.
I have ordered from Poland a model of the 1931 Bristol Bulldog, again shown in the dealer’s excellent photographs to be mounted on the same display stand as those in the Fighter Aircraft Collection.
From the illustrations this would appear from the wing and tail markings to be a Bulldog of 19 Squadron, and with the number K2159 the aircraft probably flown by Squadron Leader J.R. Cassidy.

Fairey Swordfish MkI, 815 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm.

HMS  Illustrious,  1940

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I omitted when commenting on the minor faults associated with the model aircraft in this series that in order to correct these faults one also requires a fine blade craft knife and long nose pliers,  together with the afore-mentioned patience and  Impact adhesive.

One of the criticisms levelled at the model of the Mark Vb  Spitfire was that the pilot appeared to be about eleven years old,  sitting as he was so low in the cockpit and obviously unable to see anything of the outside world.

I added at least seven years to his age by inserting the blade of the craft knife between the cockpit canopy and the fuselage and very carefully levering off the canopy.

Spitfire Mk Vb 616  (South Yorkshire) Squadron. RAF, YQ-X flown in 1941 by Flt Lt Les “Buck” Casson aged 26 years.

The long nosed pliers extracted him from the cockpit and he was then replaced in the cockpit on a raised cushion of  Blu Tack.  The canopy was then fixed back into  position using a small amount of  adhesive.

A good model made even better, and a model unlike those marketed by Atlas Editions, was complete with pilot figure and a propellor that spins freely.

The third model in the series was the North American P51 B Mustang.  The critics of this model were scornful of the fact that the drop tanks were fixed back to front.  By removing them very carefully and re-fixing tanks the correct way round, pointed end at the rear, and finally fixing them in place with a small amount of adhesive,  the problem was solved.

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The latest collection of diecast model aircraft to appear for a short time in the Newsagents is the aptly named Fighter Aircraft Collection. Having collected the first three bubble packs with their accompanying magazine, the supply appears to have dried up. At least it has in my local newsagent for the “cherry picker”, the person like myself who only buys models that he finds of interest. Of the first ten that were advertised only five were of interest to myself.
The three models I purchased were in my opinion very good value for money, even at the final £5.99 price. The two introductory models were bargains.
They have faults, but nothing that I have found could not be put right with a little patience and a tube of Evo-Stik Impact adhesive.
The distributors of these models based in the North East say they will supply any issues missed for the cover price plus 50p Postage. I assume this means the model and the magazine and not just the magazine.

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I collected the Atlas Editions Spitfire Mk 1 and Messerschmitt 109E-4 some years ago when they were supplied with a 270mm x 190mm base plate commemorating the battle of Britain 1940.  The models were excellent except for the fixed propellors and  poor landing gear.
A re-issue of these models at a later date dispensed with the base plate and provided them with display stands showing the aircraft in the wheels up flying position.
At the present time models of the Messerschmitt 109E are very difficult to find and consequently those available are bringing very good prices on e-bay.
I looked at the Atlas Editions site on this , the 70th anniversary of the battle of Britain, and found the sky clear of both Spitfires and Messerschmitts.
Surely someone at Atlas Editions could have anticipated a sales opportunity for the re-introduction of these iconic models at this special time.  The demand is there for the 109E if e-bay is any guide.
Wake up Atlas Editions and re-issue these models once more,  hopefully with rotating propellors.

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At a recent Library book sale I made two purchases.  Cassino by John Ellis and MilitAary Intelligence blunders and cover-ups by Colonel John Hughes-Wilson.  Cassino appeared to have been extremely carefully researched with copious notes, Orders of Battle, sources and bibliography. One might assume that this book says all there is to say about the participants in this stage of the Italian campaign. Not so, however.

One of the reasons for my interest in the battle for Cassino was that my brother served with the 5^th (Scottish) Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, part of the 2^nd Independent Brigade Group that took up positions around Cassino on the 4^th April 1944.                                                                                                                           Throughout the Italian campaign they were deployed at various positions and under various commands (Indian and New Zealand) in the Cassino area until the 28^th May 1944 having landed at Taranto on the 9^th September 1943 with the Ist Airborne Division in the invasion of Italy.  During this time they were acting purely in an infantry role.

The 1st Airborne Division with the exception of the 2^nd Parachute Brigade were withdrawn from Italy in November 1943.  The 2^nd Parachute Brigade remained in Italy as an independent brigade group.  They were then deployed in various sectors of the Italian front in order to fool the Germans into thinking they were facing a full Airborne Division.  This ruse appears to have worked well as it not only fooled the Germans,  but also managed to avoid the presence of British paratroops being discovered by the author of Cassino.

Colonel Hughes-Wilson does not mention this episode in his excellent book on the use of Military Intelligence and it was certainly not on the scale of the D-Day deceptions.  It would however appear to have been effective in that the Parachute Regiment, despite the discomforts of a terrible Italian winter and suffering trench warfare similar to troops in the First World War,  fail to receive a mention in what, with its wealth of detail,  one assumes was a carefully researched book.  I am unable to say with certainty whether any of the German parachute battalions on this front were omitted from the book but the involvement of the British Parachute Regiment  appears to have been forgotten.

I should not imagine that many members of the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th Battalions of the Parachute Regiment bought Cassino, The Hollow Victory.

James Bridge.

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Atlas Editions: Constructive criticism.

Atlas Editions have produced some very good models over the years but they are not always as good as they could, or should, have been.

I have collected quite a few of their models and though I have found them to be generally acceptable there have been times when I wondered why they did not go the extra mile and produce a really first class model.

Why for instance did they produce aircraft with propellers that did not spin?
I realise that it makes little difference to a static display to have fixed propellers, but to have the blades all in exactly the same position on each engine nascelle does not , in my opinion, do anything to enhance the models appearance..
Guy Gibson’s Lancaster bomber, Admiral Prune, suffered from this defect, and unfortunately it was not the only fault. I found it difficult to believe that the designer of the undercarriage for this model had ever looked at a photograph of a Lancaster bomber.
The finished model appeared to be supported on two vertical poles and the absence of undercarriage doors made it look even more ridiculous. This was a good model let down by its undercarriage, no pun intended.

The model of the B17 “Memphis Belle” suffered from the propeller malaise,  but with careful attention having been paid to the undercarriage,  Atlas Editions Have produced a first class model. Shame about the propellers.
More worryingly, there could be a safety issue if very young children were to examine these models too closely. Those vertical prop.  blades do not bend easily.

The early models of the Spitfires and Messerschmitt 109s were also guilty of undercarriage defects. Atlas Editions to their credit corrected this problem with their later issues, but the fixed propeller remained.

I realise that cost is a vital factor in the production of these models but something about ships and ha’porths of tar springs to mind.

There would be no shortage of volunteers if this Company were to request a dedicated aviation enthusiast to look at their finished prototype model and tell them what was wrong with it. Most would do it free in the interests of authenticity.

James Bridge.

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