Warbird Information Exchange

This is from a few weeks ago but I couldnt find anyone mentioning it:



Former HBO Films president Colin Callender’s Playground Entertainment today announced that they are turning the Flying Tigers into a ten-hour TV miniseries. The Flying Tigers were ace American volunteer pilots who served under General Claire Chennault fighting the Japanese over the skies of China during the Second World War. Playground has partnered with the Chennault family on the project. “We are in discussions with numerous broadcasters in the US and in China on the project,” Jim Griffith, one of the executive producers of The Flying Tigers, told Deadline. Callender, Griffith and Ron Shelton will executive produce the miniseries. Bill Macdonald, the co-creator and writer of HBO’s Rome will produce and write The Flying Tigers. Filming will begin in China and Louisiana in late 2013.


http://tv.yahoo.com/news/colin-callende ... 02445.html

older still with a Harrson Ford connection:

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/08/29/ ... tv-project


And the Chinese reporting that it has already been made:

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2010- ... 194204.htm

Apparently the Cruise fueled movie has augured in.

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Cessna 195

"Apparently the Cruise fueled movie has augured in"

Dang, I hate when that happens...

Although CGI would no doubt have a prominent role in a project like this, how many P-40's could realistically be raked together in say, Louisiana for this? And how many would you need? As I recall there were five or six Corsairs pulled together for the old "Blacksheep" tv show (which, FYI, you can watch pretty much all the episodes of on Youtube now).

Dan

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Defending Stearmans on WIX since Jeff started badmouthing them back in 2005.

The thing about this (as usually always is for us Warbird nerds) is authenticity. When you talk about Flying Tigers, I can really only think of one aircraft that is absolutely needed... the P-40B/C. We are at a unique point in time where we have now more than four flyable.

P-40B TFC Duxford UK
P-40C FHC Everett Paine USA
P-40C TFC Duxford (Still in Chino for now. The bare silver one) USA
P-40C Rod Lewis USA

To truly try and make an accurate portrayal of the Flying Tigers (to me) would require assembling all four of these aircraft. Unrealistic? Perhaps, but amazing if it was accomplished? You bet.

The real problem is the Japanese aircraft. No bombers even remotely around. We have a few original Zeros in California, the TFL's example, and of course the CAF Tora squadron.

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Keep Em' Flying,
Christopher Soltis
Dedicated to the preservation and education of The Sikorsky Memorial Airport

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Chicks Dig Warbirds.......right?

I agree, but id be happy with just about any model vs pure CGI. If they plan on shooting this year you think someone with a P40 woulda have already been scheduled....

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Cessna 195

Paint a Beech 18 white with some meatballs.... instant Ki-46!!

Seriously though, I'd rather see some Beech 18's, Cessna Cranes, and T-6 "Zekes" playing the part of the Japanese than a pure CGI movie. Nor do I think that you'd need strictly those older model P-40's. Just a good story, some real airplanes, some real flying, no stupid love interest, and I think you'd have a winner.

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Defending Stearmans on WIX since Jeff started badmouthing them back in 2005.

Some large-scale R/C miniatures would do nicely for the otherwise unobtanium Sallys, Bettys, Helens and Nates; otherwise we'll have to slap some meatballs on Kermit's B-26...

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

if it's not a lame hollywood celluloid hemorrhoid pain in the i'll be their to watch it.
shades of "pearl harbor"!! my lame o meter burned out with that rag assed movie!!

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Even Zeroes wouldn't really be authentic, as I don't know the AVG ever faced them. Their primary fighter adversary was the Ki-27 "Nate" I suppose you could maybe modify a BT-13 to resemble one, but I doubt they'd go to the trouble or expense for a miniseries. As for bombers, the main multi-engine types would be the Ki-21 "Sally" and G3M "Nell." Again..not sure how you'd fake one of those up. I have a feeling they'll get two or three real P-40s of mixed later variants for closeups with CGI for the flying/combat scenes, and the Japanese aircraft will be all CGI..which is not necessarily a bad thing, provided it's done well.


SN

Who says they all have to be flyable? I would think that there should be at least a few ground shots where they could use some statics. They might need some more than four if they want to show the airbase. Have non-flyers been used with other warbird related programs before?

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Tri-State Warbird Museum Collections Manager & Museum Attendant

Warbird Philosophy Webmaster

There were no zeros in China when the Flying Tigers were in existance. they went to China in July, 1940 and were all pulled out in Oct. or Nov. 1941 in preparation for Pearl Harbor. That was how Chenault knew about them, the Flying Tigers shot down their first plane on Dec. 21, 1941 and were disbanded before any zero's returned.

It's all about how good the script is. Good script, good story watchable and maybe even very enjoyable.

As far as what equipment they use to make the series, remember, even the German tanks in "Saving Private Ryan" and "Band of Brothers" were not original German tanks. I like the stand-in replica/real flying stuff more than CGI. I guess it's gonna be a wait and see...and while we're waiting everyone can pick it apart until it's a pile of CGI bones!
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

And then the mini-series could lead to a hokie but enjoyable TV series called "Pappy's Flying Tigers" and could use re-worked scripts from "Black Sheep Squadron" featuring the misadventures of Pappy Boyington's days with the AVG. For flying fake Japanese aircraft, I'd say use Tora Zeroes as the Nates, just leave the gear down, or better yet, disable the gear and fit it with fairings from the Tora Vals. ISTR some T-6s or Harvards used in some late '70s movie as Fokker D XXIs. I've never seen it but I would hope, as prominent as the D XXI's fixed gear was, maybe they did something similar. Maybe they just left the gear down. Closer than using a Tora Val as a Nate stand-in I think. As for bombers, I think a properly painted B-25 with solid nose could fill in for a Nell in flight and a properly painted P-2, A-26 or A-20 could fill in for a Sally in flight.

I certainly agree with most here that I would take a model over CGI any day and with the expert and large model making capability these days it can't be that hard. It would no doubt be 20 times cheaper.

drones as warbirds, sure would love to have the capital to do that

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Kind Regards,
Gary Lewis
J.A.F.O.