I won these three on a well-known auction site, in a lot with some others that need total rebuild and restoration.  In the photo the canopy and composite tail-feathers of the Tomahawk could be Skybird?  If so I got a bargain and if not I can restore it without worrying about the value.  A win-win situation.  Fingers crossed till the parcel arrives...


Cheers
Will

Hope they turn out for you. I will look for the restoration article and photos.

Lou

Nice find Will.  You should be able to identify whether they are Skybirds or not by the propellers, wheels, spinners and tail surface material.  The later should be red fiber but one can't be absolutely certain because during the war, they used just anything that could do the job. 

Well, the vendor sent them very quickly, I now have a box with the three virtually complete fighters and a few others in varying states of disrepair, and a pair of mystery wings for a four-engined something or other!

The Tomahawk may well be a Skybirds no.5A as its build up and parts match those of an unbuilt kit I kept the photo of when on eBay a couple of years ago (yes, my wife does sometimes suggest I may be a little odd!).  So far restoration has consisted of a quick wash and gingerly straightening the prop blades.  I think I may eventually go for a full restoration similar to Mark's no.2 Puss Moth, but there were others in the box that are more deserving or desperate!

The Spit and Hurricane have Skybirds elements too, but not the thin fibre board tails so further inspection needed.

I will take some photos and post them soon.

Will

I thought it would be nice evening to photograph outside, but the sun was a bit low and bright!  And then the battery needed charging..

Anyway I took some photos of the Tomahawk which seems to be Skybird - see what you think.



As its "American Night" at the local IPMS group tomorrow I will take it along tomorrow to show them how it was before Airfix - at least one of them has previously shown his boyhood "solids".

I've checked over the other planes I bought and the Spitfire and Hurricane are almost definitely Skybirds as seems a Mig-3 - the latter has a painted wood canopy but my "Skybirds Notes" tells me no celluloid one was included in this, the pre-42 company's last kit.  There's also a bare wood basis of a Spitfire that matches the Skybirds one!

In addition there's a broken tailed Whirlwind, restorable wreckage of a Boston, He111 and a Lysander, though I think these are probably scratched, they are recognisable models of their prototypes however.

Cheers
Will

Displaying the Skybirds tomahawk next to the latest Airfix one at last week's IPMS meeting went as well as expected.  I.e. like a lead balloon!
Predominant comment was "What the .... is THAT?"  I think i will have to do a history of scale modelling article for their newsletter to educate the poor dears.  at least no one complained that P-40s never appeared in Dark Earth / Dark Green with C1 roundels or some such...
Will

Go for it Will.
Cliff.

I just uploaded some photos of the contents of the box these planes arrived in, in my project album  Plenty to restore, some need a lot of work, especially if I restore a Whitley bomber from the single tail plane.  Unfortunately I somehow forgot to photo the DB-7 / A-20 / Boston /Havoc - not sure which it is, probably not a P-70 as its in UK colours.  Anyway the Douglas is quite complete with just the wing loose and canopy missing so it may be more deserving of early restoration.  I will upload a photo of it eventually.
Will

Looks like some fun projects, Will.

Peter

I am taking the liberty of posting Will's treasures.

Skybird Tomahawk

Skybird SpitfireSkybird Spitfire kit

Skybird Hurrican

Solid Whirlwind

MIG3

Withley Tail

Lysander

Mosquito

HE111

Mystery wings

Thank you will for posting them to the gallery.

Lou

I am guessing the mystery wings are from a Halifax Mk III. Anybody have an idea?

Lou

B-17?

Here are wings from the Halifax, Liberator, Flying Fortress and Super Fortress.

Lou