[P-51D Mustang]

With this being my very first post on the forum, I am not sure I'm in the correct section. If not, please move this to the correct one.
A few years ago I was given three Gearbox Collectibles WWII models:
1) 1941 F4F-3 Wildcat [#11502]
2) 1944 F6F-3 Hellcat [#12591]
3) 1945 XF4U-4 Corsair [#13001]
There is nothing printed on the packaging to denote what scale these models are.
I researched the web to discover that Gearbox is out of business and that these models are hard to find.
My questions:
what scale are they?
how accurate ?
how are they perceived by collectors in terms of desirability?
are they atypical of present day diecast in terms of their weight?
they are very dense and heavy
what other aircraft were part of this series?
Thanks very much.
I look forward to spending time here discussing airplanes. As a five year old kid in 1950, I remember seeing many a P-51D landing at Adams Field in Little Rock, Arkansas.

[PappyB]

Hello P-51D and welcome to the funny farm...

I used to collect these back in the mid/late 90's before we had other options...

the scale is close to 1:48, may be a tad larger -- 1:45th? (The Gearbox WWI stuff, which is much nicer IMHO, is 1:32)

They don't go for much on ebay these days...usually $10-15 it seems (original retail was 50-60). Though I don't know your models by their model numbers...

They were produced in large quantities -- 5,000 each -- and competition has eclipsed them in terms of accuracy and detail so there doesn't seem to be much collector's interest in them. I kind of still like them myself for nostalgic reasons -- and like you said, they're heavy, which I like and the paint jobs are nice.

I don't think they're atypical of other brands in the scale in terms of weight -- they might be a bit heavier than say, Franklin Mint, but not by much.

I don't think they're very accurate at all in terms of the lines/details/profile of the aircraft they model, but the paint schemes may be -- least for the wildcats and hellcats I've seen. They also make a Tigercat, believe it or not, but it's sorta, kinda.... well, ugly.

(Post should probably be in the general aircraft manufacturers forum but if so, one of our local friendly mods will move it )

Again, welcome aboard!

[STARMAN 352ND]

Welcome to the forum P-51D,
I moved you over to this area of the forum.
I have a Pappy Boyington Corsair made by Gearbox and i think they are a little bigger
then the Franklin Mint Boyington Corsair in 1:48..I'm not really sure what scale it is
maybe a 1:45 ? like Pappy said.
It's not my favorite Corsair and Pappy pretty much summed it up....
JP

[PappyB]

Originally Posted by STARMAN 352ND

Welcome to the forum P-51D,
I moved you over to this area of the forum.
I have a Pappy Boyington Corsair made by Gearbox and i think they are a little bigger
then the Franklin Mint Boyington Corsair in 1:48..I'm not really sure what scale it is
maybe a 1:45 ? like Pappy said.
It's not my favorite Corsair and Pappy pretty much summed it up....
JP

Hey JP -- sure that's not a Speccast? I'm not aware of a Gearbox Boyington (it would have folding wings if it was a gearbox...) ... course that doesn't mean one doesn't exist

[STARMAN 352ND]

Originally Posted by PappyB

Hey JP -- sure that's not a Speccast? I'm not aware of a Gearbox Boyington (it would have folding wings if it was a gearbox...) ... course that doesn't mean one doesn't exist

It's a Pappy Boyington Corsair with folding wings and that runway looking stand with a 883 on the Corsair.
They only made 2500 of these.Item number #13000
JP

[Captain Eddie]

Welcome to the asylum, P51D. Enjoy yourself here. It's a great Forum, and a great bunch of guys!

[P-51D Mustang]

Thanks everyone for your welcomes and thoughts about these Gearbox models. Even though they might not have the advantages and detailing of the newer diecasts, having received them as gifts make them somewhat special. Plus I really like the heft of them and the folding wings. BTW, my neighbor down the street should like seeing them since he serviced both the Wildcats and Hellcats while in the Navy in the Pacific.

Being just a recent "convert" to diecast airplane models (I built the Revell, Monogram, etc. plastic models in my youth and still have them, although they are in need of repair after being in the attic for forty years), I now have three GMP diecasts.

These GMPs are superb models: two P-51Ds (Missouri Armada and Duchess Arlene)
P-40. (Old Exterminator)

On the large scale plastic front in 1/18,. I have the following:

F-104G Starfighter Vietnam

F-86E Sabre Jolley Roger

F4U Corsair

P-51D Mustang

TBF-1 Avenger

Me-262A-1A

Ju-87B Stuka

I need more display space already since I also collect diecast model cars, yet I would really like to get a P-38 Lightning in 1/18!!!

[PappyB]

Originally Posted by STARMAN 352ND

It's a Pappy Boyington Corsair with folding wings and that runway looking stand with a 883 on the Corsair.
They only made 2500 of these.Item number #13000
JP

cool, thx, didn't know about that one -- looks better than that checkered cowl GB Corsair I've seen!