Warbird Information Exchange

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Didn't realize the Atlas ICBM and launcher had been reissued, so I bought one. The originals are very expensive.

Coming up next:
The 1/133 Revell B-29 with original swivel stand. Scalemates says that was last reissued in 1979.

A 1/48th Curtiss Jenny. No word on whether it's the old Aurora or Lindbergh kit.
I hope the Aurora because that would mean they might have the molds for rest of the old Aurora WWI-era kits.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.

Most if not all of what's available in Lindbergh is now with Round 2. So Aurora makes sense.

UPDATE

I emailed them yesterday and just received a reply...
They say it's the Lindbergh kit...(not too shocking since they did put out a news release that they got some of the molds from Round 2).

Disappointingly, I was told the only Aurora WWI mold they have is for the Fokker Dr.1 Triplane.

Also added...the 1/12 visible Wright Cyclone kit.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.

An update to my Aug. 28 post regarding the Snoopy Sopwith Camel.
If you look on their FB page you'll see it. I've always liked the dog house shaped stand.
Also, they will be bringing back the "Red Baron's" Fokker Triplane.
It too has a neat stand...shaped like an Iron Cross.
Its pilot is a fictional stereotypical German pilot. If one were talented enough, it would be fun to sculpt the head of a German Shepherd, dachshund or schnauzer to give Snoopy an appropriate foe...for a real dogfight.

It would make a nice companion to the Snoopy piece and maybe get younger people into modeling or aviation history.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.

The Atlantis 2021 list was just released and included:

-The Revell 707 (no word on decals)
-Revell Convair 990 (I had forgotten they made one),
-1/48 Curtiss Jenny...ex-Lindbergh.
-B-29...Atlantis calls it 1/208 scale in their news release, but Scalemates says the only B-29 in that scale is the old Sanwa kit. So maybe they really mean the 1/133 Revell Superfortress?

-The 1/12 Wright Cyclone...ex-Monogram

And the previously mentioned Snoopy/Sopwith and Red Baron/Fokker motorized kits will be out in January. The two other motorized kits in the series, Snoopy in his Bugatti race car and as a surfer, will also be out during the year.

I'm a bit disappointed there aren't more aircraft, especially some of the better Aurora kits. I was also expecting the early monogram box scale B-25 and B/A-26.
But there are plenty of cars, ships and military subjects.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.

March 2021 Update:
Atlantis will be releasing the old Revell F-89 kit.
This is the 1955 1/79 kit, not the 1990 1/72 model.
Update: See the artwork below.
On the box bottom is a photo of a built kit built by a friend, IPMS member and multiple award winner, Bill Engar.

And a model that hasn't been seen in store shelves for decades...the 1/56 Revell kit of the Grumman F11 Tiger.
The company says it will be in Blue Angles colors, but the first release of the kit in 1956 came in standard USN markings. If Atlantis follows recent precedent, they !ight offer with with both sets of decals so you can build a regular squadron aircraft.

Also, the 1/40 scale Revell kit of the Douglas Nike Hercules SAM.

Anyway, a lot of inexpensive retro fun.

_________________
Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.

I still haven't built that F-89 from when they reissued it back in, what, the '90s? Cool old kit though. I built one when it was new and I was about 5.

I think I have an unbuilt one too.
It seems they reissued it just before coming out with their newer, better 1/72 kit!
Probably trying to get the last few bucks from the old molds that were paid off when Ike was in office.

Wonder if they'll reproduce the F-94C kit?

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.

Or the F-84F with "Whip Fly". You ran a metal ring through a hole in the outer wing, attached a string to it and whirled it around your head. It was glorious.

Just to give an idea: https://www.ebay.com/c/1224619489
That pack of putty was just that-put it in the nose to prevent pitch-up.

That would be superb! I have a kid who would love that SO much.

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

The "Whip Fly" F-84F was a bit before my time, but in the '60s I remember seeing the "Whip Fly" F-106.

_________________
Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.

Jan 2022 Update

The old 1/135 Revell Convair 990 is coming out with NASA markings.
Atlantis has been very upfront about the high license fees being charged by airlines if a kit maker wants to include their markings. So, expect Atlantis to do a lot of governmental and prototype markings.
Since serious airliner builders will likely spend the money with aftermarket decal shops for whatever livery they want, the limited decal choice isn't a terrible thing, it helps keep the price of the kit low.
After all, I'd guess most buyers are going to be kids (or parents/grandparents buying for kids), not IPMS members!

Also, the Revell 707 in 1/139 is coming out in a Boeing house color scheme. The scheme seems to be a Pan Am window stripe with an added red stripe and different tail markings. I don't think it is a prototype scheme, rather I would bet it was a Pan Am jet bailed or leased back to Boeing to take to a trade show.

A friend, who is a unpaid consultant to the firm, gave them my suggestion of issuing the kit in USAF VC-137A/B markings.
Remember, before they bought the VC-137C "Air Force One", a 707-320, they procured three short -120 models, which as VC-137As (later Bs with Turbofan engines), were the first jet transports in MATS service.
Oddly, Revell never did that, instead offering the short fuselage model with a range of long fuselage markings... most notoriously, as a E-3....which of course is based on a 707-320, not -120.

The old Aurora 1/96 727, last released by Atlantis a couple of years ago in Eastern markings, is due out later this year in Boeing colors.
Since it is a -100, that means it might come out as the prototype with the original Boeing house colors of yellow and brown.
I have a large scale Topping 727 in those colors...as well as a 737-100.
I suspect there were other house markings on later aircraft, again leased from an airline...So it might have modifications to the standard airline scheme. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.
(Remember, the prototype went to United, I don't think Boeing had a dedicated "house" example).
The -200 prototype had the later Boeing red/white house scheme. Atlantis could offer that and just not address the issue that the kit is a -100 not a stretched -200. It is tough to tell on a pretty featureless model without molded-in emergency exits.
UPDATE..that is exactly what Atlantis did, making the decals for the -200 prototype.

Okay, these are not the most sophisticated kits out thete, they date from the days of the "box scale". But it is nice to have these kits out again as either nostalgia pieces for old guys or as a low cost entry level kit for new builders who really don't need a $40-60 kit.

The Wright Cyclone and other previously mentioned kits are still on their way.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.

April 2022 Update

A few more Atlantis additions for 2022-23.

Some new re-issues:

The ex-Revell 1/70 F-100C from 1956...it has not been reissued since 1987.
As you might expect from its age, it's not state of the art, but if you want a "C" model, it's probably your only choice.

The old solid nose Monogram Douglas Invader in 1/67....since it has USAF markings, I guess that makes it a B-26B. This was in the Monogram catalogue a long time, first released in 1955 and last seen in 1983.

Those of you of a certain age will remember the Boeing BOMARC SAM.
It was a popular subject for models with Aurora doing it in 1/48 and Revell in 1/56. Both came with full (and moveable) launching platforms. Well, The Revell is coming back.

Not a warbird, the ill-fated Boeing SST...If you were around in the early '70s, you'll recall Congress cancelled the federal funding for to environmental issues, one of the first big victories for the environmental lobby. The ex-Monogram kit is being re-issued for airline fans.

Finally, the Monogram "Space Missile" collection in 1/128.
It was the missile equivalent of the Air Power set...and originally issued in the late '59s with early rockets, ICBMs and air breathing cruise missiles like the Snark and Matador.
It was updated in the '80s with newer missiles replacing those no longer in service. Its "Space" title is misleading since it includes air to air missiles and the then new Boeing AGM-86B ALCM.
Those nostalgic for the Cold War will find it interesting. BTW: Monogram did a Soviet equivalent as well.

One of Atlantis' first reissues was the 1/181 Revell B-36 from 1954. It is coming back with new markings...in the red tail Arctic markings of a 7th BW "B" model (one of 18 arctic conversions in the GEM program).
To make a B, you just leave off the J47 pods. Considering the few paint schemes B-36s wore, this is one of the more colorful ones.


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_________________
Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.