Gary enquired whether they are full-scale. They are. They are also accurate static representations of two famed WW2 fighters; built mostly from original parts (fuselage etc..); intended to please the eye and inform. That they did. They looked amazing.
I was told it would be possible, theoretically, to assemble a flyable plane from- at the very least the Spitfire; but that the cost would be make such a project completely unfeasible. I had no reason to doubt what I was told, and besides, it was a lovely sunny fun day.
Way too pleasant for protracted enquiries, rivet counting, and niggles.
The major parts from which they were assembled
were once airworthy, and thus it's not unreasonable to state that they are no longer 'airworthy'; since that is a fact. Museums often have cobbled together tanks, and it's not necessary that they be 'combat ready' in order to fulfil their current representational function. The Tiger 1 in the Munster Panzer Museum is a true replica, however, in that it is composed almost entirely
of various plastics and some metal alloys, and never was a Tiger. My understanding is that these fighters were once, at least in a good part, fighters. CAA considerations, and licensing don't come into it, as the possibility of rebuilding these examples to a flyable condition was purely hypothetical, and according the the 'Pilot' in the RAF uniform, something of a pipe dream.
.
..and I really would like to have them as my gate guardians.
Now, perhaps we should return to the Tamiya MG theme..
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.
