For the Airplane guys

[Fritz]

Got this the other day with all the other stuff I posted in another thread. This is a really cool prop for a Sterling, it's marked "Short Sterling Prop U.S.A.C." and it's made of metal and actually has a bit of weight to it, pretty darn cool actually.

 

Fritz

[Bluehawk]

Nice piece... nice to see.

[Bob Hudson]

Got this the other day with all the other stuff I posted in another thread. This is a really cool prop for a Sterling, it's marked "Short Sterling Prop U.S.A.C." and it's made of metal and actually has a bit of weight to it, pretty darn cool actually.

 

Fritz

 

That appears to be a recognition model of the British Short Stirling and since it is marked as being property of the USAC, that would date it to perhaps 1941 when the US Air Corps became the Army Air Force and the Stirling entered service.

[Fritz]

That appears to be a recognition model of the British Short Stirling and since it is marked as being property of the USAC, that would date it to perhaps 1941 when the US Air Corps became the Army Air Force and the Stirling entered service.

 

Thanks! It's pretty cool, now I just need to find a spot to hang it up.

 

Fritz

[FightenIrish35]

Very neat!!

[MikeS]

Found this post while searching..., Great Model! I have one of the Early B-24s by this company. Quite rare.

 

Here is some 'boilerplate background' from an ebay guide... Everything you wanted to know and some more!

 

- Best Regards! Mike

 

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Before the US entered WWII, the US military was closely watching British efforts to teach recognition training, since British involvement in World War II predated our own by more than two years. The US Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics, Special Devices Division, pioneered most domestic identification efforts. As with all models, flash cards, film strips, posters, etc., the intent was to help distinguish friend from foe, and thus avoid incidents of "friendly fire".

 

One little-known exception to the Navy's virtual monopoly on ID models and collateral training materials was an effort by the US Army Air Corps in about 1940-41 to try to produce their own series of aircraft models. The only known contractor for official Army identification models was the Bronzart Metals Company, of Brooklyn, NY, who produced plane models in white metal comprising the front-line strength of the British, Germans, and the US Army Air Corps. No US Navy aircraft were modeled except for the A-24/SBD Dauntless, which was used by both branches of the service. In addition, Bronzart produced a few examples of Italian and Japanese aircraft, but since Italy and Japan were not yet involved in the conflict these may have been examples intended only to showcase their capability. Data on Japanese aircraft was so scarce and incomplete that Bronzart models sometimes bore little resemblance to the real thing. They even created a model of a fictional fighter - the Sento Ki-001. No models of Russian aircraft are known.

 

The US Army's Training Aids Division was following the British lead, and UK models typically lacked control surfaces and canopy markings. This was a stylistic choice. Many Bronzart models followed this style, but several incorporated realistic canopy and window markings. None featured control surfaces, however.

 

Bronzart models apparently were released into military training channels, but had limited distribution and use because of their weight and fragility, and because they used raw materials that could be put to better use. They were very heavy models for their size. The UK Stirling heavy bomber is the heaviest, at more than 4 lbs. Models were sand cast, and sometimes the cores shifted. This produced models lacking a uniform wall thickness. Occasionally, wings have been known to spontaneously fall off untouched. While the models were produced in extremely small numbers to begin with, even fewer have survived today because of the fragile nature of old white metal castings in general. The number of surviving examples of some Bronzart types can be counted on the fingers of one hand. A few exist in known quantities of only 5-10, and only the B-26 Marauder is known to exist in greater numbers today.

 

The models were sprayed a satin or semi-flat black in color. They were configured for hanging, with a large hole in the bottom (1/4" or larger) and a small hole (1/16") in the top of the fuselage. The large hole was not suitable for a stand, since it was not threaded or reinforced in any way. All models were marked in raised lettering with the name of the aircraft, and some form of "PROP USAC". The Army plans used by Bronzart to produce the series were different from the Navy plans used to produce the cardboard models, the "schoolboy" wood models, and the cellulose acetate models that followed. This means that these metal models are sometimes unique in configuration. One notable example is the B-25, which resembled the first few production aircraft, and thus lacked the gull wing configuration that typifies the Mitchell as most people know it.

 

Quality of the castings varies. Some are superlative, with a smooth surface and crisp detailing. A few are better representations of the real planes than their counterparts produced in other media to the USN plans. Others are cruder, not only because they lack detailing, but because the finish has a rougher, more pebbly finish. Keep in mind that all 1/72-scale models were intended to be viewed from 33' away. This is about 1/2 mile to scale, and represents the effective range of the weapons of the era. Detailing may make the models more visually appealing to today's collectors, but the presence or absence of detailing had no effect on functionality.

 

Bronzart, in an effort to capitalize on their Army contract, later removed the "PROP USAC", added a threaded hole for a stand, and offered US aircraft models to the civilian market. These are not uncommon today. Bronzart also went on to make metal models of late-war aircraft. They made manufacturer's models, desktop display models, and some ashtray models, and they made these in a variety of scales. Their only other foray into military training models came in the postwar era, when they made a variety of ship models in 1/500 scale for the US Navy from about 1952 until 1962.

To tell if you have a real WWII Army ID model, and not a later desktop model, manufacturer's model, ashtray model, or an example devoted to some other function, look for the following:

 

- Must be of an aircraft in front-line combat usage as of 1941. This eliminates planes like the B-29.

- No planes exclusive to the US Navy.

- Must be 1/72-scale, to conform with all other training efforts.

- Must not have control surfaces indicated.

- Must be marked with the name of the aircraft and some form of "PROP USAC" in raised lettering. Keep in mind that the USAC markings were sometimes filed off to avoid issues of ownership, and your model might still be a real one, even if lacking these specific marks. You may be able to tell from a close examination of the casting, particularly if you have stripped off the paint.

- If it is unmolested, it will be neither glossy nor flat in sheen, but somewhere in between.

 

A variety of other types of metal models can be seen in the marketplace. These are sometimes copies of the Cruver models in cellulose acetate, with control surfaces and a date. These may also be postwar models from the NATO series that was produced for the Korean War, and which featured many aircraft that also played a role in WWII. Models of any USN aircraft probably fall into this category.

 

For another source of information, consult "The Plane News", Issue #11, Fall 1991, published by G.R. Webster, and with an article titled "Bronzart Recognition Models - A Collector's Primer", by Andy Harris.

 

Following is a list of models in the series that are known to exist, so far. Others may exist, like the P-38 Lightning and Hurricane, but have yet to surface. If you have information about other examples, please let me know and I will add them to this list. For detailed photos of any example, or with any other questions, please contact me.

 

US ARMY: A-20B HAVOC, A-24 DAUNTLESS, A-29 HUDSON, A-31 VENGEANCE, B -17E FLYING FORTRESS, B-24 LIBERATOR, B-25 MITCHELL, B-26 MARAUDER, P-39 AIRACOBRA, P-40F WARHAWK, P-47 THUNDERBOLT.

UK: BEAUFIGHTER MK. I, BLENHEIM MK. IV, SPITFIRE MK.I, STIRLING, WELLINGTON 3

GERMAN: DO-217E, FW-187, FW-190, FW-200 KURIER, HE-111K, HE-177, JU-52 (wheels), JU-52 (floats), JU-87B, JU-88, ME-109E, ME-109F, ME-110.

ITALIAN: G-50, MC-202

JAPANESE: SENTO KI-001 (BEN - fictional), NA. 96 (CLAUDE), NA. 19 KI-21 (SALLY), KARIGANE (SONIA), BAKU GEKI KI-99 (VAL), MIT. 00 (ZEKE).

 

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[Bob Hudson]

Found this post while searching..., Great Model! I have one of the Early B-24s by this company. Quite rare.

 

Here is some 'boilerplate background' from an ebay guide... Everything you wanted to know and some more!

 

- Best Regards! Mike

 

That's great back ground info: thanks for posting it. Any idea on the value of these?