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The Blackburn Roc is famous for being probably the most unsuccessful British design that nevertheless somehow made it into serial production and even saw some limited combat duty. This is another victory of mind over plastic, ending a very protracted build of a niche WW2 subject.😅

In 1929 year, the Š-20.103 aircraft from the fourth production series was handed over to VLÚS (Military Aviation Institute of Studies) for a set of tests. It was used for a number of tests, including with a ski chassis. This particular machine was also modified to be a “photo plane”, where a cutout was made in the lower part of the fuselage for a photo chamber that partially extended outward.

In 1926, the Czechoslovakian Army was conducting a series of complex military manoeuvres, which included a joint training with Czechoslovakian Air Force.
During the training, two opposite groups of aircrafts were created – the “Blues” belonging to LP2 located in Olomouc and “Reds” of LP1 located in Prague.
The plane I decided to build belonged to the Blues, which were equipped with Š-20s (designed by Ing. Antonín Šmolík), specifically Š-20.57 with registration number E1 from 33rd squadron of LP2.

For some, the iconic British World War II fighter is the Spitfire, but for me, it’s the Hawker Hurricane. I almost always think of the movie Battle of Britain when I look at it, and the picture of the victorious night fight of the Hurricane over the Heinkel 111, which comes from Mr. Velc and was printed on the Směr kit box in the eighties of the 20th century. Almost every boy who was making models back then had this particular black cannon-equipped Hurricane in his display case…

The Gladiator, one of the most famous late 1930s biplane fighters, a brave underdog of the early WW2 years, probably doesn’t need a long introduction. The build was fun, even though “a bit” protracted.😁

The British de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito multipurpose aircraft was built in 1938-1940 and entered service in 1941. It was used as a light bomber, night and day fighter and reconnaissance aircraft. Its mostly wooden construction and high flight speed earned it the nickname “Wooden Wonder”. The Mosquitos FB Mk.VI and T.Mk.III were in the Czechoslovak service between 1945-1953 under designations B-36 (CB-36).

The Praga E-114 was an excellent sports aircraft that was widely used in our flying clubs before and after World War II.
It has several records to its credit and, above all, a lot of trained pilots.
It was designed in the Praga factory in 1934 by Ing. Jaroslav Šlechta as an all-wooden high-wing aircraft and his trademark was the atypical tilting of the upper part of the cabin to facilitate boarding.

The F4F Wildcat fighter and its modifications were in service with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps throughout WW2. In the early years of the war in the Pacific, the F4F-3/4 versions repelled Japanese attacks on Midway and Guadalnacal, while in the final stages the FM-1/2 versions aboard escort carriers assisted in the battles of Okinawa and patrolled the Atlantic on anti-submarine patrols.

The CANT Z.1007bis was an Italian medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s and used throughout World War II. I’ve always been fond of the tri-motor configuration, and I believe the “Alcione/Kingfisher” was one of the most graceful-looking Italian aircraft. Even at 50 years of age, I realized that the venerable Supermodel kit, when combined with 3D-printed aftermarket parts from Airone Hobby, can still yield very pleasing results.

The Miles M.5 Sparrowhawk was a 1930s British single-seat racing and touring monoplane designed by Miles Aircraft Limited.

The Dassault Mirage F.1 is a French single-engine fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was developed as a successor to the popular Mirage III family. Her operational usage in many countries and active involvement in combat operations makes this elegant airplane attractive for aircraft modellers across the scales.