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K.G. Luke of Melbourne, AUS: examples and patterns


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I recently picked up this KG Luke pilot wing badge.

I have been looking for a good one for many years and the

search finally paid off.

 

John

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John, I do not think you could have found a finer example of such a scarce and beautifully designed dual piece manufacture Wing (Wing & Shield). WELL DONE Buddy. The superimposing of the shield upon the wing base, the slightly exaggerated undulation of the fletching and the fulcrum-to-foundation resistance pin assembly creates an amalgamation of American and English and Australian traits to the wing. One of a kind design John.

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Insigina Hunter

One of my favorite makers! I am still on the hunt myself, great looks wing I prefer that pattern hallmark much more than the other.

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  • 8 months later...
Wharfmaster

Just found these KG Luke Australian made wings at the local coin shop.

 

They show natural corrosion and fortunately have not been cleaned or polished.

 

 

 

W

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That's the way to get 'em....avoid the plethora of "dodgy" KG Lukes which frequently surface on eBay at all costs. Great find!

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Wharfmaster

That's the way to get 'em....avoid the plethora of "dodgy" KG Lukes which frequently surface on eBay at all costs. Great find!

 

Thanks much !

 

 

W

 

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  • 1 year later...

Good Morning Gentlemen

 

I want to take this opportunity, after acquiring authentic KG Luke bombardier and gunner wings, to help equip you for diligent scrutiny of the myriad counterfeits infecting our world of collecting. I will start with the gunner wing and give a brief overview of what my findings are after a week of research and will add the Bombardier later. PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT UNTIL I FINISH THE GUNNER WING DESCRIPTION AND PICS...Thanks!!

 

There are some interesting attributes specific to the 3 1/8 inch KG Luke Gunner Wing, which afford one a solid foundation for making a lucid and exacting assessment regarding the authenticity of the wing.

 

First, the surface and of the entire wing is not, I repeat NOT a smooth surface at all and this is the first and foremost factor that you will encounter over the entire wing front and back. This can eliminate the counterfeit immediately if you look at the roundel upon which the Maker's Mark is embossed on the rear of the escutcheon, and you see a SMOOTH surface (FAKE WING) instead of a DISTURBED surface (AUTHENTIC WING)with millions of convex and concave protrusions and indentions of endless shapes and sizes i.e. DISTURBED SURFACE. Here is the AUTHENTIC WING SURFACE in the following 2 PICS, BACK then FRONT

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SECOND ATTRIBUTE OF THE KG LUKE AUTHENTIC GUNNER WING - The Maker's Mark Itself. The Maker's Mark on the authentic wing comes from a 1940s hand carved mold and not a CAD/CAM generated mold with perfect lines, depth, precision etc.. Therefore, the Maker's Mark from 1940s die manufacture is going to have the beautiful and imperfect marks of handmade design, such as weak lettering, imperfect angles, variable thickness etc. The fake Maker's Mark is perfect, wide and uniform compared to the original authentic Maker's Mark. Here is an example of the AUTHENTIC MAKER'S MARK IN THE PICTURE BELOW

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3RD ATTRIBUTE OF THE AUTHENTIC KG LUKE GUNNERS WING - A specific rear fletching Mark at the sinister side of the rear of the escutcheon. There is a very noticeable distorted fletching Mark just on and beyond the edge of the rear of the escutcheon. It is deformed and clearly handmade with the beauty of its imperfection. See below the circled area

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Here is a picture of the COUNTERFEIT GUNNER WING where the fletching is perfect on the rear in the same area....

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THE 4TH ATTRIBUTE OF AN AUTHENTIC KG LUKE AUTHENTIC WING - The rear of the Shoulder of the Dexter side of the wing has a distinct die stamping Mark of extra metal and a distinct area in the very corner marked off by the extra metal's configuration by the die stamp process. This is extant in the authentic gunner wings which I have come across. I would like to see more photo evidence of this but I am going to put it in because I've seen it repeated. This is just an extra level of checking that one can do. Pictured and circled Below...

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