Skybirds Models

[lastvautour]

I note frosted glass. Would it had been clear when issued?

Lou

Response:  Yes, Lou.  The old celluloid has yellowed and fogged the transparency over the years.   -Mark

[Mark Braunlich]

Skybirds Gloster Gladiator, no doubt restored with modern decals and likely a new canopy; kit #10B released January, 1939.

[Mark Braunlich]

Another SE and Fokker up for auction.  These must have been among the most popular Skybirds, no doubt partly because of their price (2/-).  One sees a lot of SEs, Nieuports, Fokkers and the Albatros D.III.   This SE has some dihedral in the wings, many of them were finished with dead flat wings.

[Mark Braunlich]

This Westland Wallace has to be about the nicest Skybirds I've ever seen.  It's restored of course but beautifully done.   I have one in unbuilt state....and no, it's not for sale.

[Peter]

That is a very nice looking model. I wish someone would start producing replica Skybird Kits.

Peter

[lastvautour]

Do the drawings show building plans suitable for scratch building one?

Lou

[Will]

Lou,
I previously uploaded a Skybirds Westland Wallace. It's captioned Houston so shows the modified versions used for the first flight over Everest. It had an enclosed rear cockpit but it must have been cold for the pilot.  Good view though.
The drawing is a standard James Hay Stevens so should be fine for solid modelling, if a bit low-res scan. It's from "Skybirds Notes" so may be extracted from a conversion article of the 30's.

Regards
Will

[Mark Braunlich]

Here are some photos of my Skybirds Westland Wallace kit, probably the best condition Skybirds kit I have.  Also the original kit plan showing a stock Wallace.  The kit box shows the Everest Houston on the cover as well, so both versions could be made from the kit.   This is kit #14 first released in 1933.

[Mark Braunlich]

Skybirds Comper Gipsy Swift crudely built but typical of what one finds.   The finely build examples are the exceptions.  Those wheel pants (spats) were used in several Skybirds kits and are decidedly oversize for the Swift which was a tiny airplane, only 4" span in 1/72 scale.  Kit #8, released January, 1933.  This one has it's vertical tail on backwards.

[Mark Braunlich]

A crudely built SPAD, suprisingly rare among the WW1 types Skybirds did.

[Mark Braunlich]

Skybirds Fokker D.VII kit #7, remarkably well preserved including a pilot which did not come with the kit but was available as a Skybirds accessory.

[Mark Braunlich]

Another crudely made Skybirds, the D.H.4, kit #12.

[Mark Braunlich]

A restored Skybirds D.H.80a Puss Moth, kit #2 released in July, 1932.  Compare with my own restoration of the same kit.  My CF-AGO has the original kit propeller and spinner while G-ABHB has an Aeroclub propeller.   My model has Aeroclub wheels while G-ABHB appears to have original Skybirds wheels.

[Mark Braunlich]

The above Skybirds de Havilland Puss Moth kit #2 released in July, 1932 was replaced by the D.H.85 Leopard Moth as kit #2A in November, 1934.  The Skybirds Leopard Moth shown is very nicely restored.  The Leopard Moth kit was in turn replaced in February, 1936 by kit #2B of the Heston Phoenix.  The Skybirds kits longevity was directly related to sales.

[Mark Braunlich]

Some views of the Skybirds kit #13A of the beautiful Dewoitine D.500 that arrived in June, 1935 including a view I had earlier posted at reply #8.  The unbuilt Dewoitine kit is from my own collection; note the sticker from Hamleys, the famous London toy store.   It seems many of the Skybirds kits that made their way to North America were purchased at Hamleys.   Notice the difference between the original kit's two bladed propeller and the three-bladed propeller that's been used to restore the built model.  The horizonal tail looks differently shaped as well.