WWII Spotter Recognition aircraft models

[warguy]

I am running a want ad for these models and a forum member there asked to see my "growing" collection, so here goes. I purchased ten of these as a grouping about three weeks ago after a picker buddy of mine found them at an estate sale in Nevada. Now I am hooked. These are all made by the Cruver company, and the model of plane is marked on the bottom along with the date it was created. Cruver's marking was a c inside a circle, and some folks mistake this as a copy right mark. These became mostly obsolete by the end of the war and were given away by the hundreds of thousands. Today they are tough to find, especially in good condition. The real ones are made of celluloid acetate (there are some also made of wood). Celluloid acetate is the same material they used to make old film. Consequently, you can detect an odor of vinegar or "old film" on most of these. If they were improperly stored over the years, specifically if they were exposed to much heat, they would melt or warp. It is best to store these in cool temps (the Smithsonian stores their collection in refrigerated storage) and provide a lot of ventilation for them. I was lucky and the ones I acquired were pretty much near mint. Now I am on the hunt for more especially bombers and Navy fighters. Thanks for looking. 

[warguy]

All of mine are in 1/72 scale, the most popular. There were some in a 400th scale (I cant remember the exact scale) but they were small enough to fit in your pocket. 

 

From left to right....Japoanese 97 fighter and early model P-51

 

 

[warguy]

Left to right....

 

Italian Fiat G-50 fighter, a Russian Mig 3, and P-63 Aircobra

 

Amazing how small the Mig 3 plane was.

 

 

[warguy]

Left to right....

 

P47 Thunderbolt and Hurricane

[warguy]

Japanese Lilly bomber

[warguy]

Late war P-51 D

[warguy]

German Junkers 88

[Persian Gulf Command]

Great Recognition models. Congratulations on finding this "Instant Collection". Do you know the year these were produced?  These would be great displayed with a period silhouette poster, here's a modern reprint:

 

  

[warguy]

Last one, a Japanese Zero. 

[warguy]

Just now, Persian Gulf Command said:

Great Recognition models. Congratulations on finding this "Instant Collection". Do you know the year these were produced?  These would be great displayed with a period silhouette poster:

 

  

I couldn't agree more, great looking poster. I do have a booklet with individual "plates" of models, much like the poster. The binding is tied allowing the user to add or detract various models. Each one of these have a different manufacturers date on them. Most seem to be in 1942 and 43, but like the late P-51 Mustang, some are dated in 1945. Thanks for sharing the poster. 

[b_hinch]

These are really cool Kevin. I can see where this could become an addiction! I will be on the lookout.

[warguy]

Thank you Bryan!

[easterneagle87]

I saw this posting awhile back and couldn't find it again as I have begun to see these WW2 bakelite "recognition" pop up. Here is a FB Marketplace listing I found.   

[warguy]

Thanks for sharing that. I will try to check it out. Best, Kevin 

[easterneagle87]

I booked marked these recently while I was looking for the thread.  Three models; P-80, P-59 and a Brit Mosquito offered by the same ebay seller who has the USS Gambier Bay P.I. buckle for sale. I don't know if you saw these or not, but I'll post them to add to this thread.  He's asking $9.99 each.  Maybe you can get a "bundle" deal. 

[warguy]

I found the ones above on ebay. Unfortunately they are all marked with the R inside a diamond, this indicates they are recast and not original WWII models. Thanks though, I appreciate your looking out for me. Kevin

[easterneagle87]

That's good information to know. 

[kfields]

What an interesting collecting niche - something I never knew much about until reading your post today! Coincidentally I bought what I think is a B29 spotter model at the flea market this morning. Its quite large, maybe a 24 inch wingspan. Looks like it's made of hard rubber. I can't see any markings on it anywhere. Any ideas?

It's not in the best of shape but I like it and may try to find a way to hang it after I do a minor repair to the missing part of the tail.

 

[gwb123]

If you have wooden spotter models, chances are they were made by a young model builder who wanted to help the war effort.

 

Years ago I had a wartime pamphlet with detailed drawings of how to build a number of fighter planes out of wood in 1/72nd scale.  As I recall, the final instruction was to paint them black and to send them to a certain address.   I would guess that one or two were kept at home for personal use.

 

https://99percentinvisible.org/article/recognition-models-scale-world-war-miniatures-used-to-tell-friends-from-foes/

 

 

[gwb123]

In the meantime, here is some inspiration for your collection.

 

A lot of museums use them as decorative items.  These hang from the ceiling of The Great Plains Wing of the Commemorative Air Force, a small but packed museum at the municipal airport in Council Bluffs, Iowa. 

 

It's kind of fun to stand below them and try to pick them out.  It is not always as easy as you might think, and in some cases easy to mistake friend for foe.

[warguy]

KFields-as stated in the original first post, most of the original models were made by a company named Cruver. You will often find a small c inside a circle molded on the bottom. Lots of folks think it is a copy right mark, but it is the war time mark by the company Cruver. Mostly they are dated and have the name of the plane also molded. These original models by Cruver were made out of Celluloid Acetate, the same material old film was made from. You will get a vinegar smell off gassing from these. If you put them in a rubber maid box for a while, you should be able to smell that vinegar smell. A lot of them were painted after the war. They were given away at air shows, etc. so the military could get rid of them. They are effected by heat and will warp or bubble if stored in a hot place like an attic.

 

GWB- thanks for sharing those photos. What a great collection. The Air and Space museum at Balboa Park in San Diego has several hanging from the ceiling, but not that many. Below is a shot of that display. I have 15 in my collection now, with the B-17 and B-25 probably my favorites. 

[warguy]

Also, on the wooden spotter models, GWB you are right, early in the war there was a call to model builders to help makes these out of balsa wood. There were lots of issues and problems with this, and consequently the contract let to Cruver who discovered the Celluloid Acetate process.

[gwb123]

13 minutes ago, warguy said:

Also, on the wooden spotter models, GWB you are right, early in the war there was a call to model builders to help makes these out of balsa wood. There were lots of issues and problems with this, and consequently the contract let to Cruver who discovered the Celluloid Acetate process.

 

I imagine quality control and accuracy were issues.  

[easterneagle87]

16 hours ago, kfields said:

What an interesting collecting niche - something I never knew much about until reading your post today! Coincidentally I bought what I think is a B29 spotter model at the flea market this morning. Its quite large, maybe a 24 inch wingspan. Looks like it's made of hard rubber. I can't see any markings on it anywhere. Any ideas?

It's not in the best of shape but I like it and may try to find a way to hang it after I do a minor repair to the missing part of the tail.

 

 

I meant to ask this earlier. Is the B-29 painted silver over the orginal dark blue / black? 

[kfields]

Yes it is painted over the original dark color.

I'm going to attempt a rear flap graft this weekend. Wish me luck!