When I got back to billet I found my farmer at table with his wife and niece. "Tell me," I said to him, "how many instruments do you think a pilot has to look after?"
"How should I know? Not my trade," he answered. "Must be some missing, though, to my way of thinking. The ones you win a war with. Have some supper?"
– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Flight to Arras
By 1940, Saint-Exupéry was already famous as both a writer and aviator. While staying with a farmer during the Battle of France, he thought he would impress the simple man with all the skills he possessed as a pilot. But the farmer didn’t care. All the farmer knew was that his homeland was being overrun by its enemy, and the men and machines who were supposed to protect him were failing miserably.
Warplanes are both triumphs of engineering and works of art. They are some of the most amazing and beautiful machines ever created. But ultimately they are tools to do a job. Saint-Exupéry’s Armée de l’Air failed to keep France free in 1940, but the combined might of the Allied air forces would eventually prove triumphant. I find these machines fascinating, and enjoy building my tiny representations of them. Enjoy!
Completed Builds
Tamiya 1/48 Vought F4U-1D Corsair
Completed: April 2024
Halberd Models 1/48 Republic XP-47H Thunderbolt
Completed: February 2024
Hobbycraft 1/48 Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIC
Completed: February 2024
Clear Prop! 1/48 Douglas XA2D-1 Skyshark
Completed: February 2024
Wingsy Kits 1/48 Mitsubishi A5M2b (early) “Claude”
Completed: January 2024
Airfix 1/48 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. XVIII
Completed: December 2023
Minicraft 1/48 Grumman XF5F Skyrocket
Completed: November 2023
Eduard 1/48 Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-10 Erla
Completed: November 2023
Dora Wings 1/48 Vultee Vengance Mk. II
Completed: October 2023
Accurate Miniatures 1/48 North American P-51A Mustang
Completed: August 2023
Eduard 1/48 Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat
Completed: July 2023
Completed: June 2023
Completed: May 2023
Hobbycraft 1/48 Seversky P-35A
Completed: May 2023
Hobby Boss 1/48 Vought Corsair Mk. II
Completed: March 2023
Tamiya 1/48 Nakajima A6M2-N Rufe
Completed: February 2023
Italeri 1/48 Douglas A-20B Havoc
Completed: February 2023
Tamiya 1/48 Lockheed P-38J Lightning
Completed: November 2022
Accurate Miniatures 1/48 North American A-36A Apache
Completed: October 2022
Completed: September 2022
Airfix 1/48 Hawker Sea Fury FB.11
Completed: August 2022
Dora Wings 1/48 Curtiss-Wright CW-21
Completed: July 2022
Dora Wings 1/48 Curtiss-Wright CW-21B
Completed: July 2022
Completed: July 2022
Planet Models 1/48 Curtiss XP-40Q-2 Warhawk
Completed: June 2022
Academy 1/48 Republic P-47N Thunderbolt
Completed: May 2022
Tamiya 1/48 Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6
Completed: April 2022
Hobbycraft 1/48 Curtiss P-40L Warhawk
Completed: April 2022
Eduard 1/48 Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I early
Completed: January 2022
Clear Prop! 1/48 Curtiss H-75N Hawk
Completed: January 2022
Hobby Boss 1/48 Grumman F8F-1B Bearcat
Completed: December 2021
Dora Wings 1/48 Republic P-43B Lancer
Completed: October 2021
Tamiya 1/48 Vought F4U-1A Corsair
Completed: September 2021
Hasegawa 1/48 Arado Ar 234C-4 Blitz
Completed: August 2021
Dora Wings 1/48 Dewoitine D.510
Completed: July 2021
Special Hobby 1/48 CAC CA-13 Boomerang
Completed: June 2021
Accurate Miniatures 1/48 North American P-51 Mustang
Completed: May 2021
Tamiya 1/48 Bristol Beaufighter TF.Mk.X
Completed: March 2021
Completed: February 2021
Special Hobby 1/48 Blackburn Roc Mk. I
Completed: December 2020
Dora Wings 1/48 Granville Brothers Gee Bee Super Sportster R1
Completed: November 2020
Planet Models 1/48 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.21
Completed: October 2020
Tamiya 1/48 Republic P-47M Thunderbolt
Completed: October 2020
Airfix 1/48 Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk. XIX
Completed: September 2020
Trumpeter 1/48 Westland Whirlwind Mk. I
Completed: July 2020
Edward 1/48 Supermarine Spitifre Mk. XVI
Completed: June 2020
Classic Airframes 1/48 Grumman J2F-5 Duck
Completed: June 2020
Tamiya 1/48 North American P-51B Mustang
Completed: May 2020
Airfix 1/48 Supermarine Spitfire FR Mk. XIVe
Completed: May 2020
Hasegawa 1/48 Hawker Hurricane Mk. IID
Completed: April 2020
Special Hobby 1/48 Supermarine Seafire Mk. III
Completed: April 2020
Academy 1/48 North American B-25D Mitchell
Completed: March 2020
Eduard 1/48 Supermarine Spitfire HF Mk. VIII
Completed: February 2020
Tamiya 1/48 Brewster F2A (B-339) Buffalo
Completed: February 2020
Airfix 1/48 Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XII
Completed: January 2020
Eduard 1/48 Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IXc early version
Completed: December 2019
Dora Wings 1/48 Marcel Bloch MB.151 C1
Completed: December 2019
Hasegawa 1/48 Supermarine Spitfire Mk. VI
Completed: November 2019
Completed: November 2019
Tamiya 1/48 Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Vb Trop
Completed: October 2019
Tamiya 1/48 Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I
Completed: October 2019
Eduard 1/48 Bell P-39L Airacobra
Completed: September 2019
Academy 1/48 Vought SB2U-3 Vindicator
Completed: August 2019
Eduard 1/48 Hawker Tempest Mk. V, Series 1
Completed: July 2019
Great Wall Hobby 1/48 Northrop P-61B Black Widow
Completed: June 2019
Hasegawa 1/48 Curtiss P-40E Warhawk
Completed: December 2018
Tamiya 1/48 Republic P-47D Thunderbolt “Razorback”
Completed: August 2018
Tamiya 1/48 Chance-Vought F4U-1 Corsair
Completed: July 2018
How Many Instruments? 