[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Air India Boeing 747-200 'Emperor Shajehan' 1:200; Inflight200

Air India Boeing 707-420 VT-DJK; 1:200 Inflight200

A big thanks to skanchan95 for helping me source both the 747 and the 707 below.

You are welcome. I am glad I could be of help

Both Boeings are true masterpieces and as you said, are priceless and proud additions to your fleet. The AI 707 especially, is a limited edition, and very few numbers of the model are available worldwide.

My only issue with both those models was that unlike Infight's B777 & J C Wings 787 models, the landing gears are pretty much fixed permanently on the IF 707 & 747. You cannot detach them and replace them with gear doors to set the model "In Flight" mode.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

was posted there for 2 months. I loved Saurashtra. Hard working practical people. Toured on work by road ....Keshod, Diu, Veraval, Jamnagar etc

I used to call Veraval as home till about end 2012 (moved to our hometown, Mangalore thereafter). I was born and brought up there and the I knew every nook and corner of all the towns you mentioned about. Great hardworking, helpful & friendly people indeed.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

HS-748 (earlier called the Avro 748); Aero Classics; 1:400 scale; diecast

This model is about 2" long and has a wingspan of just under 3".

Though tiny its seems to be well detailed for its size. You personal stories related to the aircraft add a lot of value and nostalgia

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Air India Boeing 747-200 'Emperor Shajehan' 1:200; Inflight200

The model is about 14" long

Where Sandesh goes I follow. A big thanks to skanchan95 for helping me source both the 747 and the 707 below. Polished metal under surface exactly as the real aircraft. High quality detailing. The regal lines of the 747-200 are priceless.

Last photo from Inflight200

Air India Boeing 707-420 VT-DJK; 1:200 Inflight200

Actual model is just under 10" long

One of the first 6 jets of Air India. High quality finish and detailing as can be expected from Inflight.

Don't miss the two Lockheed Galaxy's in the background.

Narayan is on a shopping spree ! Those two will look great when displayed together.
I would love to have them in my collection only if I had the $$.

Now only if Sandesh can help me source these at 50% discount

[skanchan95]

Jag Attack!!!!
1:100 SEPECAT Jaguar IS Indian Air Force No. 5 Sqdn "Tuskers"
An extremely proud addition to my collection because this model is of a long serving strike fighter of our Air Force - the SEPECAT/HAL Jaguar IS. Its in the grey/green factory painted wraparound camo of Indian Jaguars in markings of No. 5 Squadron Indian Air Force 'Tuskers". Sometime after the Kargil almost all IAF aircraft except the Mirage 2000 got painted in the dull boring Grey paint scheme.

The model with my copy of No.5 Sqdn's book:


JS116 with photo of its real life counterpart:






Some great detailing : serial number under the wings & nose gear door and stencils:




Chaff/flare dispensers have also been modelled:




Overall a very good & detailed model. No landing gear. Only two gripes with the model:
A) Eventhough the cannon ports have been modelled, they have left it unpainted.
B) The Jaguar S's LRMTS window has not been modelled.

JS116, No. 5 Sqdn:





The Indian Jaguar
Origin: Consortium of United Kingdom & France(SEPECAT - Société Européenne de Production de l'Avion d'École de Combat et d'Appui Tactique).

Indian Name: Shamsher (Sword of Justice).

Type: Tactical light attack aircraft.

Engine: HAL-built Jaguars are powered with the RT172-58 Adour Mk.811 turbofans, each rated at 8400 lbs. of maximum thrust. BAe-built Jaguars were initially powered with two Adour 804E turbofans.

Maximum Speed: Mach 1.5

Service Ceiling: 11,000 meters; 36,000 ft.

Maximum Range: With internal fuel only - 1408 km; 875 miles.
.......................With drop tanks - 2593 km; 1611 miles.

G Limit: +8.6 (+12 ultimate)/-3.

Armament: Two 30mm Aden guns with 150 rds of ammunition in the single seater and one 30mm Aden gun on the port side fitted in the trainer. The Jaguar IS carries a variety of un-guided ordnance such as the AS-30L ASM, Hunting BL755 CBUs (cluster bomb units), RAF-type slick and retarded 1000 lb (454 kg) bombs, Matra Durandal anti-runway bombs, Lepus 8in reconnaissance flares and Matra F1 and 155 (SNEB) rocket pods. The Jaguar IS also carries two Magic-II missiles over the wing, for protection from enemy interceptors. The aircraft is also suited to carry a tactical nuclear payload. The Jaguar IMs use the Sea Eagle AShM for maritime strike.

Maximum External Stores Load: 4763 kgs; 10,500 lbs.

Self Defence: A RWR system and active/passive electronic counter measures.

The Jagaur was named "Shamsher" in Indian Air Force service. It was selected as part of IAF's DPSA(Deep Penetration Strike Aircraft) requirement to replace ageing Hunter & Canberra aircraft. The HAL built HF-24 Marut was supposed to replace them, but sadly it couldn't fro different reasons.

India's large requirement of aircraft caught the attention of competitors. Dassault-Breguet offered the Mirage F-1, SAAB offered its JA-37 Viggen and SEPECAT offered its Jaguar S.

The Jaguar S was selected with a contract for license manufacturing the aircraft in India and total of 120 Jaguars were manufactured by HAL( of a total of 158 Jaguars in the IAF - 38 were directly supply aircraft). Jaguar IS JS116 modelled here was a directly supply aircraft.

The 1999 Kargil War, only one Jaguar squadron took part - No. 14 'Bulls". They dropped some unguided bombs and a single LGB(which missed). They were also involved in SPR operations.

The Tuskers
The Tuskers have a proud combat history having been raised on ex-RAF & ex-USAAF B-24J Liberators salvaged dumped Liberators from Chakeri airfield in 1948. They were the IAF's first heavy bomber squadron (No.6 Sqdn "Dragons" were the second on B-24s).

In the 1958, they converted to the English Electric Canberra B(I)Mk.58s.

Under the able leadership of the legendary Wg. Cdr. P M Wilson, they deployed to Congo and formed the offensive air wing of ONUC(United Nations in Congo), along with Swedish Saab J-29 Tunnans and Ethiopian F-86 Sabres and earned several laurels destroying several Katangan rebel aircraft and providing "fighter" escort to UN transport aircraft.

The Tuskers equipped with Canberras took part in the 1965 & 1971 wars against Pakistan flying from Agra.

In 1981, The Tuskers became the second IAF squadron to equip with the Jaguar IS( No. 14 'Bulls' were the first) and they continue to fly the Jaguar from their home base in Ambala, Punjab to this day. Eventually six IAF squadrons equipped with the Jaguar IS/IT & IM - No. 5 "Tuskers"(IS/IT), No. 6 "Dragons" (IS/IM/IT), No. 14 "Bulls" (IS/IT), No. 16 "Black Cobras" (IS/IT), No. 27 "Flaming Arrows"(IS/IT), No. 224 "Warlords"(IS/IT). Before converting to the Jaguar, all squadrons were former Hunter or Canberra squadrons except 224 (which was the last MiG-23MF squadron sometime till late 2000s).

[V.Narayan]

Aaaarrrrgggghhhhh!!?!! Oh My God where on earth did you get this.. which make.. Billions of blue blistering barnacles (sorry Capt Haddock). I have searched for on IAF SEPECAT Jaguar all my adult life. Oh this is a lovely replica of my favourite IAF aircraft. Keep it under lock and key 'cos I might steal it:-)

Originally Posted by skanchan95

Jag Attack!!!!
1:100 SEPECAT Jaguar IS Indian Air Force No. 5 Sqdn "Tuskers"
An extremely proud addition to my collection because this model is of a long serving strike fighter of our Air Force - the SEPECAT/HAL Jaguar IS. Its in the grey/green factory painted wraparound camo of Indian Jaguars in markings of No. 5 Squadron Indian Air Force 'Tuskers". Sometime after the Kargil almost all IAF aircraft except the Mirage 2000 got painted in the dull boring Grey paint scheme...

..In 1981, The Tuskers became the second IAF squadron to equip with the Jaguar IS( No. 14 'Bulls' were the first) and they continue to fly the Jaguar from their home base in Ambala, Punjab to this day. Eventually six IAF squadrons equipped with the Jaguar IS/IT & IM - No. 5 "Tuskers"(IS/IT), No. 6 "Dragons" (IS/IM/IT), No. 14 "Bulls" (IS/IT), No. 16 "Black Cobras" (IS/IT), No. 27 "Flaming Arrows"(IS/IT), No. 224 "Warlords"(IS/IT). Before converting to the Jaguar, all squadrons were former Hunter or Canberra squadrons except 224 (which was the last MiG-23MF squadron sometime till late 2000s).

[V.Narayan]

Guys, I was wondering that we all could gain from each other's experience with different suppliers - Hogan, Herpa, Gemini, Inflight200, Corgi and others. Between the few of us we do have a wealth of views on the good and bad of each make. I for sure will benefit from the inputs of others such as skanchan95, Foxbat, jaidev, Jeroen and others.

So here goes:-

For civil airliners I find Inflight200 the best in quality, paint and stenciling. They have stands that work and landing gears that can take the wright of even a big model. Downside is the $$

I have long been a fan of Corgi warplanes and have witnessed a deterioration in their quality especially of things that are supposed to be removable or landing gears that are supposed to be fixable. Things don't work the way its advertised and they don't reply to letters from customers.

Gemini, I have only one piece (an HS748 1:200) and it is pretty good on quality. Maybe a notch below Inflight200 but still up there.

JC Wings I acquired my second (I think!!) yesterday a Hawker Fury prop fighter. Must say I liked the quality and the way the attachments & landing gear down were fitted. Before that came the JASDF Phantom which is top of the charts.

What about plastic models. Would love to hear inputs. In the 1990s we only got plastic models in India and they were pretty neat.

[V.Narayan]

Boeing 737-100, the first prototype in Boeing’s then in-house colours; 1:200 Inflight200, diecast

Actual model is about 5.5” long

The Boeing 737 was initially designed as a 100 seater with Lufthansa as the launch customer. This was the first occasion that a non-USA airline was the launch customer for an American aircraft. The US carriers were all hooked to the DC-9 which eventually came in 5 fuselage lengths to suit different customer traffic needs. Boeing built only 30 of the 737-100 which had a length of only 94 feet. Boeing then moved to a lengthened version the 737-200 which then became the mainstay version till 1982. The 737, as we know, has become the first airliner type to have over 10,000 units produced. The 10,000th aircraft rolled off the line on 18th March 2018.




Lovely polished metal


The real thing

Hawker Sea Fury. 1:72 JC Wings, diecast

Model is about 6” in length

This particular aircraft flown in 1950 by Sub Lieutenant Peter Carmichael shot down a Mig-15 in a piston-prop vs jet victory in the Korean war.


Note tailhook. By then square tip cut wings were the norm to reduce drag at speeds above 400 mph

Note long range drop tanks and the four 70 kgs rockets. When introduced in WW2 these rockets gave an aircraft the ability to hit with some accuracy while in a shallow dive. The same rockets were used liberally by the IN in 1971 firing from Hawker Seahawks



IJN Akagi, aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. 1:1100 scale, plastic

IJN Akagi took part in the daring raid on Pearl Harbour. She served as Vice Admiral Nagumo's flag ship. Later she attacked Ceylon in a bid to completely destroy the Royal Navy in the Indian Ocean and sank the carrier HMS Hermes. IJN Akagi was lost in 1942 at the Battle of Midway which was the turning point of the war in the Pacific. The Akagi was an early generation carrier when carrier design was being experimented with. Unusually it had the island on the left hand side instead of the now standard right side. It also had its funnels on the right side exhausting outward at deck level (not really a great idea). This model was gifted to me by my son. He purchased it on a visit to Japan.


Comes in its own plastic display case

Note island is on the left side - a rare disposition.


Note funnels

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

JC Wings I acquired my second (I think!!) yesterday a Hawker Fury prop fighter. Must say I liked the quality and the way the attachments & landing gear down were fitted. Before that came the JASDF Phantom which is top of the charts.

What about plastic models. Would love to hear inputs. In the 1990s we only got plastic models in India and they were pretty neat.

I felt JC Wings & Inflight are similar in terms of detailing & paint work, barely any difference between them I feel, especially the civilian models.

In plastic, nothing comes close to Hogan's quality.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Boeing 737-100, the first prototype in Boeing’s then in-house colours; 1:200 Inflight200, diecast


Hawker Sea Fury. 1:72 JC Wings, diecast


This particular aircraft flown in 1950 by Sub Lieutenant Peter Carmichael shot down a Mig-15 in a piston-prop vs jet victory in the Korean war.

IJN Akagi, aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. 1:1100 scale, plastic

Those are some brilliant additions to your collection.

I think my jaw hit the floor looking at that 737. I really wanted one to add a JT-8 powered 737-200 model to my collection..but I wanted one either in Indian Airlines/Alliance Air/India Post/Blue Dart or IAF livery or if I got nothing,I would have settled for a Boeing House livery model. This model looks fabulous. Congratulations. The 737-100 is the great great grandfather of the 737's latest iteration - the 737MAX!!!

The Sea Fury if I am not mistaken, evolved from the Hawker Tempest Mk.II, which served with the IAF and PAF immediately after independence and took part in the first Kashmir War. The same T.10 rockets on your model were used on IAF Vampires, Hunters & Maruts. The same rockets were used by IAF Hunters to destroy Pakistani T-59 tanks in the much famed Battle of Longewala.

The IJN carrier Akagi model is of historical significance. You must be very proud to have it in your collection.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Guys, I was wondering that we all could gain from each other's experience with different suppliers - Hogan, Herpa, Gemini, Inflight200, Corgi and others. Between the few of us we do have a wealth of views on the good and bad of each make. I for sure will benefit from the inputs of others such as skanchan95, Foxbat, jaidev, Jeroen and others.

For Diecast: Inflight200, JC Wings, Jet X are the best, I can't find any difference in quality and detailing. I have only bought one Herpa diecast model (Tu-154) and its not as detailed as the others.

For Plastic: Hogan is best along with Limox Premium models (however they make very few products). Flight Miniatures, Premier Planes are way below in quality and detailing although they are much cheaper.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Boeing 737-100, the first prototype in Boeing’s then in-house colours; 1:200 Inflight200, diecast



IJN Akagi, aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. 1:1100 scale, plastic

The metal finish on the 737 is just fantastic

The IJN Akagi is a very interesting addition to your collection, seems to be a very detailed model. I really like that they included aircraft on the deck unlike most aircraft carrier models I have seen. I have something coming up in similar scale and vintage (hint: Skanchan mentioned it in one of his posts).

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

I have something coming up in similar scale and vintage (hint: Skanchan mentioned it in one of his posts).

waiting with bated breath:-). Don't delay I can't hold my breath much longer.

Have you guys ever purchased from aikensairplanes.com of USA?

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Have you guys ever purchased from aikensairplanes.com of USA?

I have browsed this website a few times but never ordered anything.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

I have something coming up in similar scale and vintage (hint: Skanchan mentioned it in one of his posts).

Any prizes for guessing ?
Kreigsmarine Battleship Bismarck? Or one of the US Navy CVNs or CVs?

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

Any prizes for guessing ?
Kreigsmarine Battleship Bismarck? Or one of the US Navy CVNs or CVs?

and its a USN aircraft carrier for Sandesh's air wing!

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

Any prizes for guessing ?
Kreigsmarine Battleship Bismarck

No Prizes for guessing but you are correct

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

and its a USN aircraft carrier for Sandesh's air wing!

Air Asia Airbus A320 1:200 made by Premier Planes.


Finally managed to buy one on a flight by purchasing it after the flight had landed! Its strictly a economy model and I should have followed Skanchan's advice and avoided it.
Note to myself: Don't purchase any models aboard flights unless they are of known quality.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

No Prizes for guessing but you are correct

Bismarck. Wow. What a ship. It took 2 aircraft carriers + 2 Battleships + 3 cruisers + 6 destroyers of the British Navy to sink this one ship.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

No Prizes for guessing but you are correct

Can't wait to see it

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Air Asia Airbus A320 1:200 made by Premier Planes.

Finally managed to buy one on a flight by purchasing it after the flight had landed! Its strictly a economy model and I should have followed Skanchan's advice and avoided it.
Note to myself: Don't purchase any models aboard flights unless they are of known quality.

It may be more or less of the same quality as the 1/150 A320 model they sell onboard. No landing gear? The gap between the outer cockpit window and exit door is too much. I liked the overwing exit markings though, many Hogan models don't have it. Overall, I feel its not a bad looking model. I would love to see a pic of the I5 A320 with your other 1/200 A320s.