Best known for their budget-minded line of WWII-era aircraft, Oxford Diecast announced three more entrants to their aerial armada. Due out some time in 2020, the three warbirds include:
We’ve also added the following warplane to their upscale range of aircraft known as History of Flight:
One of the most fascinating models ever to grace the Oxford Diecast aviation collection is this German Henschel Hs 123A-1 dive-bomber, which was piloted by Lt. Kurt Hamann, then attached to 3./Schlachtfliegergruppe 50 in 1938 (AC083), just a year prior to the outbreak of war in Europe.The Henschel Hs 123 was a single-seat biplane dive bomber and close-support attack aircraft flown by the German Luftwaffe during the Spanish Civil War and the early to midpoint of World War II. Although an obsolete design, it continued to see front-line service until 1944, and was only withdrawn due to a lack of serviceable airframes and spare parts.
At the start of Operation Barbarossa, the single Gruppe of the Luftwaffe that was dedicated to ground support was II.(Schl)/LG 2, operating 22 Hs 123s (along 38 Bf 109Es). In service use on the Eastern Front, the remaining aircraft had been field-modified with the main wheel spats removed, additional armor and extra equipment fitted as well as mounting extra machine guns and even cannons in under-wing housings.
Some volunteers of Escuadrilla Azul (15 Spanische Staffel/VIII. Fliegerkorps) of JG-27 detached in Luftflotte 2 managed Hs 123s in collaboration of II.(Schl.)/LG 2 units for ground strikes along Bf 109E-7/B fighter-bombers during 1941-42 period.
During the initial drive, the unit participated in action along the central and northern parts of the front, including a brief time in support of the fighting around Leningrad, and participating in the battles for Bryansk and Vyazma. The first weeks revealed problems associated with using the Bf 109E which was plagued by undercarriage and engine problems in the fighter-bomber role. Its liquid-cooled inline engine was also more vulnerable to small arms fire than the Hs 123’s radial.
The winter brought hardship to all German forces in Russia, and the pilots in the open cockpits of the Henschels suffered accordingly. Despite this, they took part in the Battle of Moscow. In January, the unit was re-designated as the first dedicated ground attack wing (in German Schlachtgeschwader 1, SchlG 1). The Hs 123 became a part of 7./SchlG 1.
This “new” unit participated in operations in Crimea in May 1942, after which it operated on the southern sector for some time, participating in the Second Battle of Kharkov and going on to take part in the Battle of Stalingrad. In the meantime, the small number of operational Hs 123 continued to slowly dwindle. Aircraft had been salvaged from training schools and even derelict dumps all over Germany to replace losses. The aircraft that had supposedly replaced the Hs 123, the Ju 87, also started to be assigned to ground support units, leaving tactical bombing to newer aircraft.
Look for this aircraft to pounce on enemy ground formations some time in September.
In October 1936, the RLM asked for a He 114 replacement. The only stipulations were that it would use the BMW 132, and they wanted prototypes in both twin-float and single-float configurations. Designs were received from Dornier, Gotha, Arado and Focke-Wulf. Heinkel declined to tender, contending that the He 114 could still be made to work.
With the exception of the Arado low-wing monoplane design, all were conventional biplanes. This gave the Arado better performance than any of the others, and the RLM ordered four prototypes. The RLM was conservative by nature, so they also ordered two of the Focke-Wulf Fw 62 designs as a backup. It quickly became clear that the Arado would work effectively, and only four prototypes of the Fw 62 were built.
The Ar 196 prototypes were all delivered in summer 1937, V1 (which flew in May) and V2 with twin floats as A models, and V3 and V4 on a single float as B models. Both versions demonstrated excellent water handling and there seemed to be little to decide, one over the other. Since there was a possibility of the smaller outrigger floats on the B models “digging in”, the twin-float A model was ordered into production. A single additional prototype, V5, was produced in November 1938 to test final changes.
Ten A-0s were delivered in November and December 1938, with a single 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine gun at the rear seat for defense. Five similarly equipped B-0s were also delivered to land-based squadrons. This was followed by 20 A-1 production models starting in June 1939, enough to equip the surface fleet.
The plane was loved by its pilots, who found it handled well both in the air and on the water. With the loss of the German surface fleet the A-1s were added to coastal squadrons, and continued to fly reconnaissance missions and submarine hunts into late 1944. Two notable operations were the capture of HMS Seal, and the repeated interception of RAF Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley bombers. Although it was no match for a fighter, it was considerably better than its Allied counterparts, and generally considered the best of its class. Owing to its good handling on water, the Finnish Air Force utilized Ar 196 solely on transporting and supplying special forces patrols behind enemy lines, landing on small lakes in remote areas. Several fully equipped soldiers were carried in the fuselage.
Look for Oxford’s second rendition of the German Arado Ar 196A-3 shipboard reconnaissance floatplane to slice through the waves this June.
Three new 1:72 scale aircraft are inbound from Oxford Diecast as part of their ever-expanding budget line. The trio include a US Navy Grumman F6F Hellcat that was piloted by Lt. Ray Hawkins, who was attached to VF-31, then embarked upon the USS Cabot (CVL-28) during 1944, a German Messerschmitt Me 163B-0 Komet that was attached to Jagdgeschwader 400, then deployed to Niemcy, Germany, during early 1945, and a German Junkers Ju-87B Stuka dive-bomber that was operated by Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 “Immelmann”, then deployed to Libya during 1941.
We expect them to arrive the first week of April, honest, no joke!
Announced earlier this year, Oxford has finally taken the wraps off of several of their upcoming military aviation titles due out around the holiday time frame.
Several of these warbirds have been eagerly sought after since being revealed, including a Dornier Do 335 Pfeil fighter (AC048) and Rommel’s North African taxi (AC047). Other notable entrants are shown below.
Oxford revealed details concerning some of their newest diecast military vehicles and aircraft collectors can expect to see well into 2015. On the ground, look forward to monkeying around with a 1:76 scale replica of a Diamond T tank transporter that was used throughout the ETO during WWII.
In the air, several warbirds were unveiled, including Alexander Pokryshkin’s world-famous P-39 Airacobra that was employed on the eastern front. Please keep in mind that many of these items aren’t slated to hit the market until well into 2015, making them tantalizing if unattainable additions for several months running.
Even though they’ve indicated that they plan to change distributors in North America, that hasn’t prevented Oxford Diecast from debuting some of their upcoming models in 2014.
Several notable warbirds are in the offing, including a Do 224 Pfeil fighter, Messerschmitt Bf 108 reconnaissance plane and a Polikarpov I-16 fighter.
Never one to shy away from a daunting challenge, Oxford announced plans to add several interesting subjects to their line of Oxford Aviation aircraft. A number of new warbirds will be coming out in early 2014, among them a Japanese Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden-kai “George” Fighter, USN Grumman Avenger Torpedo-Bomber that was piloted by former President George Herbert Walker Bush, and a German Hs 126A-1 Reconnaissance Aircraft. In their History of Flight range, look forward to seeing an RAF Avro Anson twin-engine multi-role aircraft, no doubt a key addition to any enthusiast’s military aircraft collection.
All of the new aircraft have been added to our site, and we anticipate several new 1:76 scale military vehicles will also be announced in the coming days.
Oxford Aviation has finally unveiled images for their upcoming Brewster Buffalo fighter (OXFAC035). Portraying a plane flown by Captain William C. Humberd, who was attached to VMF-221 at the Battle of Midway during June 1942, this sharp-looking model comes attractively priced at just $19.99, making it an affordable option for newcomers aiming to get into the hobby or collectors desiring a low-cost replica to fill out their collection. Expect the Buffalo to reach sales altitude later this month.
As 2013 continues to grind forward, we’ve learned that Oxford Diecast will be expanding its line of 1:72 scale budget-priced aircraft this summer. Several repaints will be offered, but more importantly a number of new aircraft will join the fray, including a Japanese Nakajima Ki-43 “Oscar” fighter (#OXFAC039). Also in development is a German Henschel Hs 123A dive-bomber, a biplane that saw service in WWII well beyond its intended service life (#OXFAC040). Although the pre-order window has now opened for these and other new entries, keep in mind they aren’t expected until June, at the earliest.
