http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/toys/2007-9Sep175.jpg
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Last weekend I took a 5 day vacation in England, which included a collectors toy market at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, home to Europe´s greatest selection of Warbirds.Highlight of the day was 3 Spitfires practising formation flybys :)
I didnt buy any vintage 1/43 scale but at $4/£2 each these French IXO/Universal Hobbies,Hongwell and Solido cars all mint boxed (some loose already ;) ) are very fine quality and cost the same as 2 Hotwheels Mainlines at current store prices in Europe.There were very many more to choose from, some company has been dumping pallet loads of stock on dealers who then sell it on at bargain prices to collectors thus undermining the model hobby shop trade.............
The Citroen DSs are especially nice, finish and detailing is really superb even at $20 each,which may be closer to retail (although these are from the <French market judging from packaging and the traders stories...)

That was some great buys!

The 3 Spitfires flying in formation would have made my day! Did you take any pictures of the Spitfires?

SMS88: Is that Audi Quattro possibly a Heller model? I remember having something similar, but it had to be put together.

Just the SOUND of those Spitfires would have done me in!

Love the Facel, Citroens & the Simca.

SMS88: Is that Audi Quattro possibly a Heller model? I remember having something similar, but it had to be put together.
The Audi Quattro is the old 1980s Solido tooling that was re-used c2000 to make the Century of Classic cars series for both Corgi and Solido.
I did take plenty of shots of the Spitfires as they passed by me but the film hasnt been developed yet.But from my much slower digital camera, here they are on the ground...
Here is JG891, a newly restored Spitfire Vb in Western Desert colors with tropical air intake fitted, and below is a Griffon engined Spitfire 14 (probably MV268) with a pair of Spitfire IX and Tr9 behind. Later a Spitfire V and Hurricane landed together returning from an airshow.Sadly the previous day a Canadian built Hurricane (``BE417´´) dived into the ground at a British airshow killing the pilot a few hours before former world champion rally driver Colin Macrae died in his own helicopter -it was a bad weekend for air crashes last weekend...

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/2007-9Sep033.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/SMS369/2007-9Sep034.jpg

Geez, that's messed up!
What's a Hurricane, I can't seem to recall.

A Hurricane was another WWII British single seat fighter - made by Hawker. Not at all as pretty as the svelte Spit but a workhorse still. For us Americans, the analogy might be the P-51 Mustang compared to the P-47 Thunderbolt - not as sexy but just as useful.

Nice pics of the planes SMS88!

Lummox, here's a link for the Hawker Hurricane.

http://www.battleofbritain.net/0010.html

Damn fine looking aircraft to me!
Thank you for the linc Stutz!

Glad to help Lummmox!

Love the Cits, particularly the rally DS. Thanks for posting.

Here are a couple of 1:1 fiberglass replicas of the Spitfire and Hurricane. This is a memorial to the local RCAF airmen who lost their lives in WWII. These two replicas are replacements for an Avro Lancaster FM 212 which had stood atop a plinth since 1964. It was determined that the Lanc should be restored to at least ground taxi ability. FM 212 is the sister plane to FM 213 which is one of only two Lancasters which remain flying today.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a80/chrycopaul/MyPictures110-1.jpg

This is FM 212 with its wings removed. It was set up in a parking lot of a local shopping mall to raise funds for its restoration. You can see one of its Rolls Royce Merlin engines on display in front of it. It is being restored as the "Bad Penny" which was the name of the first Lancaster to drop food in Operation Manna to help the starving people of the Netherlands. Three of the crew of that flight including the pilot were local boys from here in Windsor.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a80/chrycopaul/MyPictures814.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a80/chrycopaul/MyPictures816-1.jpg

Its great to see that other folks here like Warbirds too :wave:
Thanks to Canadian farmers a lot of WW2 planes and spares have survived and been passed on the the restoration movement, unlike in most other countries where it was all melted down in the 1940s and 1950s