Ju-87 Stuka

The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from Sturzkampfflugzeug, "dive bomber") was a two-seat (pilot and rear gunner) German ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, the Stuka first flew in 1935 and made its combat debut in 1936 as part of the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War.
The aircraft was easily recognizable by its inverted gull wings, fixed spatted undercarriage and its infamous Jericho-Trompete ("Jericho Trumpet") wailing siren, becoming the propaganda symbol of German air power and the Blitzkrieg victories of 1939–1942. The Stuka's design included several innovative features, including automatic pull-up dive brakes under both wings to ensure that the aircraft recovered from its attack dive even if the pilot blacked out from the high acceleration. Although sturdy, accurate, and very effective, the Ju 87 was vulnerable to modern fighter aircraft, like many other dive bombers of the war. Its flaws became apparent during the Battle of Britain; poor manoeuvrability, lack of speed and defensive armament meant that the Stuka required heavy fighter escort to operate effectively.

Its all hand painted with a sprayed on gloss lacquer for a shiny finish. I left out the cockpit as I had accidentally spilt paint all over it and stained it green... Apart from that, there are no other major flaws in the kit. There are a few missing decals though, they crumpled when i took them out of the water and i was unable to straighten them out. This is my second model plane so far.

The Greatest Fighter Plane Of All Time

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was a long-range single-seat fighter aircraft that entered service with Allied air forces in the middle years of World War II serving as a bomber escort in raids over Germany.

The Mustang was a fast, well-made, and highly durable aircraft; it was also very economical to produce.

The P-51s first flight took place 26th October 1940. It was powered by the Packard V-1650-7, a two-stage two-speed supercharged 12-cylinder Packard-built version of the legendary Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, and was armed with six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning M2/AN machine guns, a version of the Browning adapted for use in combat aircraft.

The first production contract was awarded by the British for 320 NA-73 fighters, named Mustang I by the British and designated the XP-51 by the US Air Force.

The Mustang I made its debut in combat on 10 May 1942 for the British RAF. With its long range and excellent low-level performance, it was employed for tactical reconnaissance and ground-attack duties over the English Channel.

The original aircraft had limitations when flying over 15,000 ft and did not become a valued fighter until modifications were made.

To enhance altitude capabilities, the British tested the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine in the P-51 airframe.

Four airframes were adapted in England to take the Merlin engine. These four planes known as Mustang Xs had deep intakes below the engine for carburetor air. The results of the British tests were passed on to North American.

At the same time on the other side of the Atlantic, North American had undertaken a similar conversion project and was building two Packard Merlin-powered Mustangs.

These improvements increase speed by 51 mph. The newly fitted Packard-built Merlin V-1650-7 was capable of delivering 1,695 hp which provided a speed of 437 mph at 25,000 feet.

The airframes were strengthened to accommodate the extra power, the ventral radiator was deepened, and the carburetor intake was moved from above the nose to below, to accommodate the Merlin updraft induction system.

The P-51 became one of the aviation world’s elite. The total number of 14,819 Mustangs of all types were built for the Army. American Mustangs destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft in Europe to make them the highest scoring US fighter in the theater.

They were used as dive-bombers, bomber escorts, ground-attackers, interceptors, for photo-recon missions, trainers, transports (with a jump-seat), and after the war, high performance racers.

Specifications

• Length: 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m)
• Wingspan: 37 ft 0 in (11.28 m)
• Height: 13 ft 4½ in (4.08 m:tail wheel on ground, vertical propeller blade.)
• Wing area: 235 ft² (21.83 m²)
• Empty weight: 7,635 lb (3,465 kg)
• Loaded weight: 9,200 lb (4,175 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 12,100 lb (5,490 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Packard V-1650-7 liquid-cooled supercharged V-12, 1,490 hp (1,111 kW) at 3,000 rpm; 1,720 hp (1,282 kW) at WEP
• Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0163
• Drag area: 3.80 ft² (0.35 m²)
• Aspect ratio: 5.83

Performance

• Maximum speed: 437 mph (703 km/h) at 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
• Cruise speed: 362 mph (580 km/h)
• Stall speed: 100 mph (160 km/h)
• Range: 1,650 mi (2,755 km) with external tanks
• Service ceiling: 41,900 ft (12,800 m)
• Rate of climb: 3,200 ft/min (16.3 m/s)
• Wing loading: 39 lb/ft² (192 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.18 hp/lb (300 W/kg)
• Lift-to-drag ratio: 14.6
• Recommended Mach limit 0.8

Armament

• 6× 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) M2 Browning machine guns with 1,880 total rounds (400 rounds for each on the inner pair, and 270 rounds for each of the outer two pair)
• 2× hardpoints for up to 2,000 lb (907 kg) of bombs
• 6 or 10× T64 5.0 in (127 mm) H.V.A.R rockets (P-51D-25, P-51K-10 on)

References

·         http://www.hightech-edge.com/worlds-top-ten-fighter-planes-discovery-channel/2423/

·         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-51_Mustang

Crew: 1

B-52 Stratofortress

The B-52 has been in active service with the USAF since 1955. The bombers flew under the Strategic Air Command (SAC) until it was disestablished in 1992 and its aircraft absorbed into the Air Combat Command (ACC). This remained the case until February 2010 when all B-52 Stratofortress and B-2 Spirit aircraft were transferred from ACC to the recently established Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). Superior performance at high subsonic speeds and relatively low operating costs have kept the B-52 in service despite the advent of later aircraft, including the Mach-3 North American XB-70 Valkyrie, the supersonic Rockwell B-1B Lancer, and the stealthy Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit. The B-52 marked its 50th anniversary of continuous service with its original primary operator in 2005.

So here's my very first model kit. A revell 1:72 scale B-52 Stratofortress which took me 3 weeks, more than 20 cans of paint and infinite effort to complete. So heres the pics with a pencil for scale ;)