Jump to content

WW2 pilot wing maker? Blackinton Kinney


bschwartz
 Share

Recommended Posts

I'm trying to identify who made the top wing in this photo. I have all of these in my collection and they've always been displayed together because they are so similar. The middle wing and bottom wing are both made by Blackinton. The middle wing is marked by them and the bottom wing is marked as Luxenberg but was made, obviously, from the same front die as the Blackinton pattern. I've heard the top wing attributed to just about everyone including Blackinton but I don't know why they would make two designs so similar. Anyone have any definitive information. They're all the same size, the camera perspective just makes them look different sizes. The top wing is very similar to the Blackinton pattern but the shoulders are different and the shield has a bit of a different shape. Thanks!

 

shouldersfrt.jpg

 

shouldersbck.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My guess is Kinney Co. I recall seeing a very similar wing being sold on ebay a few years ago in this pattern. It was marked with the Kinney Co hallmark. I kind of expect that these are actually a pre-WWII pair of wings.

 

Patrick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While it may be likely that they only used one master to create the original master die blank, different engravers will create works of art from the same stamping blank that are very similar. Even the same artist will have differences in creating the stamping dies, sometimes. If you count both layers of feathers on the right, you see that they are different numbers top and bottom rows, between wing 1 and wings 2 & 3. The first die/stamp may have been a reject, and the bottom 2 pairs (from the same die/stamp) may have been the one quality decided on. Now what to do with the die that was created / sumitted for approval? After all it is a work of art, and cost a lot of money, they often sold / leased / gave it to another firm to create thier wings for goverment contract / specs.

Another thought is that competitors often copy successful products, that look similar, to enhance thier sales. After all they are not the same, and they both meet goverment specs.

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Patrick - interesting note on the Kinney made wings... did you say a photo or can you describe the makers mark?

 

Dave - I think you correctly pointed out the dfferences in the patterns which to my eye stand out. I guess you can say they are of similar style but not the same.

 

Bob - can you post the weights of the wings? If you do not have a scale can you tell if there is a noticable difference in the weight of #1 when compared to the other two?

 

Thanks

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is a 1 inch Kinney wing from our own Paul C's website. Notice the pattern and shape. Of course, size difference aside, the pattern is nearly the same.

 

http://www.conradwings.com/images/wwii/one...nchgoathead.jpg

 

Here is a small USN wing with the Kinney hallmark from my collection. Sometimes this is called the "goat head" hallmark for some reason.

 

http://pfrost.bol.ucla.edu/images/navy_pilot1inch.jpg

 

As I said, I think this is a Kinney wing, likely one that is REALLY from the 1920's or 30's, thus the expected rarity of this pattern.

 

Patrick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the info guys. That Kinney wing looks very similar to this one. As for weight, I don't have a scale handy but they are very similar in weight. The Blackinton is probably just a hair heavier but not by much. I've always liked both of the patterns I've just been trying to nail down who made the top one. Looks like Kinney has got the lead in this horse race right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just got home from work and was able to weigh the wings. The Blackinton came in at 5/8 of an ounce and the unknown maker badge came in at 1/2. Like I said, virtually the same.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The odds are Blackinton made all three. Luxenberg didn't make any wings, Blackinton made a lot of the Luxenbergs and also them anyone who had money. They were a contract house.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Opps - I made a mistake, I took another look. The bottom two are both struck by Blackinton, and top badge is a Kinney Co. Badge. Please look very closely at the back of the wing, does it look like sand, because to me it looks like it might be cast and the originals were all die struck. Also, all the Kinney Co. wings I have seen had the Kinney Co. Hallmark.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Joe, it's not cast. I've looked at it time and time again under a 10x loupe. It has a frosty laquer on the back but the shear marks are clearly seen on the wing and there is no pitting or softness of the design anywhere. I've been discussing the coloring of the back with John and he raised the idea of aged laquer for the coloring of the back. I have a flight engineer wing with a similar coloring on the back. Not sure if it's the base metal showing through a finish or if it really is just a laquer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...