Let’s take a look at the first American jet to be considered an operational combat type.
And as the last of this series of “hypothetical” builds we’ll also consider what it would have taken for the P-80 Shooting Star to be a World War II combat aircraft.
Continue readingBy the end of the line, Germany’s infamous “Stuka” was no longer a dive bomber.
Let’s take a look at close support, 1944.
Continue readingThe immediate predecessor of Japan’s most famous wartime product, the A5M continued to serve in a secondary capacity all through the War years.
Let’s take a look at one that was involved in the massive Midway operation.
Continue readingAlthough the Me 509 is often included on a list with “Luftwaffe ’46” subjects, that is truly inappropriate. Its more of a “Alt Luft ’43” subject.
As World War II was getting started, Willy Messerschmitt recognized his Bf 109 as an aging design.
Such was the pace of aircraft development at the time, that several projects were started to find a more advanced replacement.
We’ve looked at the story of how the Japanese exploded across the Pacific at the start of the Pacific War a few times. Now let’s take a look at where the line finally held, and one of the most successful early pilots.
Continue readingJohn C Waldron
The Devastator is best known for the sacrifice of it’s crews at the Battle of Midway. In particular, Torpedo 8 which lost all of their aircraft and most of their personnel in one attack.
Let’s look at a prime mover behind the well known story.
Continue readingGrumman’s entry into the “heavy fighter” sweepstakes was destined to never advance beyond the prototype stage. But its not an easy thing to dismiss it as a failed design.
Let’s take a look at an interesting design; in particular WHY it wasn’t built and if it plausibly COULD have been.
Continue readingThe main Italian fighter in service at the start of World War II was definitely more the ultimate expression of a past era than anything modern.
Let’s take a look.
Continue readingThe float version of the Zero was perhaps the most successful floatplane fighter ever built.
This will also be the mildest sort of “hypothetical” build I can even imagine. The aircraft is real, its service by unit and location are accurate, its markings are accurate for its unit. Just one small detail is hypothetical, and there’s a serious history behind that too. You may guess from the pictures, the hypothetical is about — purple…
Continue readingAn example of a less than fully successful concept, the Defiant was one of the first generation of fighters that Great Britain had on entering World War II.
Let’s look an interesting idea that never fulfilled its promise.
Continue reading | Spuddling 003… on About This Site |
| Just Goofing Around… on Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat | |
| Grumman F4F-3 Wildca… on Grumman F3F-2 | |
 | atcDave on Cessna OA-37B Dragonfly |
 | Michael Greene on Cessna OA-37B Dragonfly |
 | GP on Douglass TBD-1 Devastator |
 | Pierre Lagacé on Douglass TBD-1 Devastator |
| atcDave on Douglass TBD-1 Devastator |
| Plane Dave is back!… on Douglass TBD-1 Devastator | |
| Pierre Lagacé on Douglass TBD-1 Devastator |
| atcDave on Curtiss-Wright SNC-1 Falcon |
 | tinkll on Curtiss-Wright SNC-1 Falcon |
| atcDave on Lockheed P-38F Lightning |
 | Edwin on Lockheed P-38F Lightning |
| atcDave on North American F-6A Musta… |
Plane Dave 