| I am always happy to
add new sites to the links pages of ModelFlight, so when
GÖRAN KALDERÉN of K & W Model Airplanes Inc. sent me the above
e-mail I was keen to take a look. When I visited the site, I was
equally keen to tell you a bit about it here on 'site seeing' as
well as adding the site to the Suppliers links page.
As I browsed the site, I felt there was
a familiarity about what I was reading, although I knew I had not
visited before. Then I realised that I had seen quite a bit of the
background information and some of the pictures in a comparatively recent
issue of one of our modelling magazines so you, too, mind find some of this
familiar!
 K
& W Model Airplanes Inc. is a company based in the Philippines
and run by Göran Kalderén and Tom Welch. They specialise
in the manufacture of 1/5th scale models of planes produced around
the world during the period 1903 - 1933. Some six years ago, Göran
realised that the combination of his scale modelling experience,
available time and the comparatively low labour costs in the Philippines
'made for a fertile soil for scale reproduction of finished vintage
flying scale models'.
K & W employ some 35 dedicated
Filipino skilled workers, all trained under Göran's supervision. The
general production range of models are stand-off scale in which details
not visible at 10 feet (3 meters) on the full size are not included on
the model. Nevertheless, the models are exact in shape and measurement
and are finished in accurate replica patterns or can be finished in
bespoke liveries at the customer's request.
 The
company also produces super-detailed versions of their planes by special
request. These are described as Museum Quality scale models and are
suitable for static display only. No effort is spared on the models to
duplicate at 1/5th scale every visible detail of the original, like this
Bristol F2B pictured right.
I found the web site itself really
fascinating! There is some very interesting background material on the
company, pictures of their works and office buildings set in a tropical
location (very reminiscent of my time in Papua New Guinea!), balsa
forestry, processing and model manufacture.
 Other
pages on the site detail the full range of models available with
down-loadable manuals, details of forthcoming new products, links to
worldwide dealers, general modelling links and contacts and details of
accessories and replacement parts. The accessories and replacement parts
page is a great resource for scale modellers, offering wheels, scale propellers, machine guns, cockpit kits and instrument panels, functional
exhaust manifolds, dummy engines and 1/5th scale pilots.
There is also a charming little 'family'
touch to the site, with many of the pages carrying shots of some cute little toddlers inter-acting with the scale models!
http://www.kwmairpl.com.ph |
Click
this icon to e-mail me now.
If YOU have a personal web
site of model flight interest for us to enjoy or have come across one
that you found of particular value or interest (including commercial
sites), then please let me have the URL and we can feature it here.
There's so much good stuff out there, but it's so easy to miss it!
