Welcome to the 2022 Whiffie Awards Show

[TomZ]

The 2020 Whiffie Awards Show



Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2022 Whiffie Awards show.

We have another great show to share with you tonight. The quality of the nominated models is really outstanding and we heard from many members that making choices in the voting was very hard.

For all of you are coming out as winners, know that it is well deserved. For those who didn't win any prizes this year, know that in many cases the voting was very close.

I would respectfully ask that members refrain from posting comments in this thread until after the show is finished.

Well, the food is served, the whisky is poured(at least mine is...), so without further ado, let's start with the first award.....

[TomZ]

We start off with a Honorary Award for the man who ran the Whiffies from 2014 to 2021 and who for those 8 years was: mr. Whiffie:

TC2324

Thank you Tony for all your hard work over these long years!

[TomZ]

The nominees were:

PR19_Kit's RAF's sole Savoia Marchetti SM-77 - Egypt, 1942
LeadingObserver's AW156 Noden
nönöbär's Germanized Do 23/G-2
Spinner's SOKO Komete
Nils's Fokker D-XXIV
AeroplaneDriver's Aleutian Campaign Anti-Shipping Hellcat
Cammnut's Thunderbird SC1
TomZ's Hawker Seaphoon Mk 1
TheRat's Flygvapnet Lockheed P-80C
OldWombat's Crab
Zenrat's FW-389
Dizzyfugu's MV-10H Bronco (Project "Black Pony")


And the Winner is:

PR19_Kit's RAF's sole Savoia Marchetti SM-77 - Egypt, 1942

The Savoia-Marchetti SM-77 was the ultimate development of the twin hulled flying boat range designed and built by the major Italian aircraft company in the 20s and 30s. Just as the SM-66 was a three engined and larger version of the well known SM-55, so the SM-77 was a four engined and much larger version of the SM-66. The twinned hulls of all three types were essentially similar though, and with a similar cockpit arrangement mounted over the wing centre section. All three types used V-12 engines, some by Isotta Fraschini and some by Fiat, and most producing around 800 bhp per engine. In all cases the engines were mounted on struts above the centre section and in the case of the SM-55 and the SM-77, were paired so that the rear engines drove pusher propellers.
The spans of the three types steadily increased from 78 ft for the SM-55, through the 108 ft of the SM-66, to the 117 ft of the SM-77, all the while maintaining a similar length of around 54 ft. While originally designed as civilian passenger transports, all three types were pressed into military service with the Regia Aeronautica as bombers or for maritime reconnaissance tasks, the SM-77 being the only one of the twin hulled types to see serious service during WWII. Although mostly operating in the central Mediterranean and the Adriatic, two of the big boats were sent down to the Red Sea to assist with Italian operation in Eritrea and Abyssinia, being based at the port of Masawa at the northern tip of Eritrea. Their tasking was mainly for reconnaissance and anti-shipping patrols in the Red Sea, but there was little traffic for the two boats and one was returned to Italy as there was more need for it around its home country.
The remaining SM-77 carried on operating from Masawa, but little action was seen until the Allied offensive started in December 1940. Bomber attacks against Masawa, the prime port for the Italian forces, by 47 Sqdn Wellesleys commenced almost immediately and persuaded the RA that the SM-77 should attempt to return to Italy, flying across the Arabian peninsula, Palestine and the Med. In late January 1941 the SM-77 took off on its homeward bound flight and was almost immediately intercepted by RAF Gladiators operating from Port Sudan. As the SM-77 had no defensive armament at the time it suffered a large number of hits in the engines and wings, limiting its power and its range with serious punctures to its fuel tanks. The aircraft's captain, Tenente Ranallo, decided that the only way to save his crew was to surrender the aircraft and with white flags flying from both hulls, the SM-77 was escorted to Port Sudan.
The wing and fuel tank damage was repaired enough at Port Sudan to get the aircraft as far as Egypt, whence it was flown by Ranallo and his co-pilot with an RAF security crew in the cockpit, and landed on the Nile near RAF Heliopolis, where it came under the care of the redoubtable Flt. Lt. Finlay Barker, Engineering Officer of 216 Sqdn. Barker later became famous for his conversion of time expired Wellesley bombers into the only long range PR force used by the Desert Air Force in the exceedingly long spanned shape of the Wellesley B(PR)III. Barker realised that the Italian aircraft was in very good condition apart from its recent combat damage and suggested to the AoC Middle East Air Force that they restore it to airworthy condition and use it in the anti-shipping role for which Savoia-Marchetti had intended it. As such capabilities were woefully lacking in the area at that time, approval was given, little knowing what was to be the result!
Barker set about his task with enthusiasm, and finding that parts for captured Italian engines were totally unobtainable, decided to re-engine the aircraft completely. This resulted in the use of four Merlin IIIs, arranged back to back in dual strut mounted pods mounted above each hull. The rear engines were fitted with locally machined idler gears to reverse the direction of their propellers which were then re-installed facing forward. The SM-77 already had twin torpedo racks mounted under the centre section and these were adapted to carry British Mark XII weapons, and dispensed with the Italian manual fusing system, which involved a crew member leaning out of a hatch on the inner side of each hull and setting the fuses by hand, as the Mk XIIs could be fused electrically! Deciding that more versatility in the weapons load would be required, Barker arranged for sliding bomb racks to be installed in each hull, being traversed outward under the wings for an attack, each rack being able to carry up to four 250 or 500 lbs bombs or depth charges. When the racks loads had been expended they would be re-loaded once they'd been slid back inside the hulls.
As the aircraft had no defensive armament whatsoever, a nose gun turret was fitted to each hull, giving the SM-77 considerable strafing power against ships or submarines, a capability sadly lacking in the 47 Sqdn Wellesleys being used up to then in the MR role in the Eastern Med. The turrets each held twin Browning 0.303 machine guns, later on increased to four guns per turret, matching the firepower of a Hurricane or Spitfire! Later in the aircraft's life it was fitted with an ASV radar dome under the starboard wing, with the plotting screen installed in the adjacent hull. This enabled any shipping to be spotted at much longer distances than previously and increased the number of kills considerably.
Thus equipped the SM-77 was assigned to 47 Sqdn, being only MR tasked unit in the Eastern Med, and was found to be much better equipped than the Wellesleys for that task. Being such a distinctive shape, there being no Allied twin hulled flying boats, gave the SM-77 crews some advantage of surprise as Axis targets assumed it to be an Regia Aeronatica aircraft rather than being with the RAF. The SM-77 was clearly marked with RAF roundels and fin flashes, although somewhat crudely painted over the RA markings, but these were not visible in a head-on attack of course. The aircraft still maintained much of its RA colour scheme, although the centre section was re-painted with RAF colours being the area which had had most work carried out.
The SM-77 flew against Axis shipping for a considerable time, and was quite successful, carrying a heavy weapons load and being able to defend itself quite well, at least in the forward sector. Targetting the Axis convoys and coastal patrols, the SM-77 sank a substantial tonnage of shipping, including two U-Boats. During its time with 47 Sqdn. a trials setup of twin 0.303s were fitted to hatches on the outer side of each hull, but these were less than successful as they shipped considerable amounts of water during take-off and landing and the experiment was short lived.
It was intended that the SM-77 should be returned to the UK eventually, to be evaluated by the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Felixstowe, there being no other examples of the design held by the Allies, but it was not to be. Shortly after take-off from Port Said in late 1943 the SM-77 suffered an engine fire in its starboard forward Merlin, and this quickly spread to the aft engine of the pair. Despite valiant efforts by the crew to extinguish the fire, it burnt through the starboard pylon and the entire assembly detached from the airframe, damaging the starboard boom and tail surfaces en route. The aircraft became virtually uncontrollable, but the Captain managed to land reasonably safely, but breaking the port boom in the process. Because of the asymmetric weight loading the port hull started to sink until the sea came over the weapons loading hatch in the port boom and what remained of the aircraft rapidly turned turtle and sank, the crew managing to escape into the dinghies and rafts.
Thus ended the short but active life of the RAF's only twin hulled flying boat, much loved by her English speaking crews and feared by her German and Italian speaking adversaries.

[TomZ]

The nominees were:

Cammnut's Thunderbird SC1
PR19_Kit's EE Lightning
Dizzyfugu's LAPD 'Flying Eye', a Spectrum SA-550
PR19_Kit's RAF's sole Savoia Marchetti SM-77 - Egypt, 1942
AeroplaneDriver's Royal Navy Learjet CC.1 "Evita"
Zenrat's Sd.Kfz 251 in Allied Service
TheRat's Flygvapnet Lockheed P-80C
PR19_Kit's Twice captured Dewoitine D.520
TomZ's Hughes Watcher PR Mk I
buzzbomb's Trooper of the Queen Consorts Own Light Cavalry
Pellson's Shackleton MR5
Caveman's Gloster CXP-1001 in RAF service
Narses2's Piaggio P.115 Martello (Hammer)
AeroplaneDriver's Hawker Hunter F.11
Canso's M.A.D. C.A.T.
Zenrat's Australian Flying Doctor Service Noorduyn Norseman


And the Winner is:

buzzbomb's Trooper of the Queen Consorts Own Light Cavalry

[TomZ]

The nominees were:

Firefox's RAAF Mirage 2000
Dizzyfugu's Nakajima J9N1 "Kikka"; ATAIU SEA
Wacek85's USN Su-34
LeadingObserver's AW156 Noden
AeroplaneDriver's Iris Air Corps Sabre Dog
KiwiZac's RAAF A-10 Bushpig/Grey Viper
MartinH's RAN T-33
FAR148's US Viggen
Pellson's Douglas A36 Skyhawk (RSwAF)
Dizzyfugu's Civil C-141
TomZ's F 112 Dragon
flappydaffy's YF23 Philipines Air Force;
Devilfish's BAC Eagle
AeroplaneDriver's Royal Navy Hornet FA.1:
ComradeHarps' Burmese HAL Mirage J79


And the Winner is:

FAR148's US Viggen

[TomZ]

The nominees were:

Devilfish's Shorts Arrow F.1
Dizzyfugu's P47 D-23
Flappydaffy's Chinese Peoples AF N1K1
MartinH's Douglas A-26B Boston FB 7
Nils's Fokker D-XXIV
MartinH's C-76 Caravan
Rickshaw's Nakajima Ki-87
comradeharps's Fairchild FF.260WCu Warrior
AeroplaneDriver's RAAF DeHavilland Hornet
TomZ's Beech Starship
TomZ's Westland Welkin F-16A
TomZ's Hughes Watcher PR Mk I
TomZ's Brazilian "Bola de Fogo"
Zenrat's Fokker D.VII
Aeroplanedriver's USN Wyvern
Comrade_Harp's RNAF P-47M


And the Winner is:

Aeroplanedriver's USN Wyvern

[TomZ]

The nominees were:

FAR148's ROCAF Forward-swept wing IDF F-CK-1C
Zenrat's Finnish Me P-1099
LeadingObserver's AW156 Noden
Pellson's Lightning F8
PR19_Kit's EE Lightning
63cpe's Curtiss Commando
TomZ's Boeing 747 Ultra Wide Body
TomZ's Arado Ar-540
Ericr's Victor Flying Wing
TomZ's Horten Ho-XVIII
TomZ's He 343A-1
Dizzyfugu's Georgian TAM-1 "Viper"
Firefox's JASDF F-15J Kai


And the Winner is:

FAR148's ROCAF Forward-swept wing IDF F-CK-1C

[TomZ]

The nominees were:

63cpe's Slingsby T-68 Wren
Comradeharps's VMA-133 Douglas R4D-6A gunship
PR19_Kit's RAF's sole Savoia Marchetti SM-77 - Egypt, 1942
nönöbär's Germanized Do 23/G-2
Stevehed's Ufag GWD
Ericr's Ju-86/Stranrear
Kitbasher's Percival Puffin
AeroplaneDriver's Tigercat
TomZ's Blohm & Voss BV-258
Zenrat's FW-389
TomZ's TwinDart Mustang
Pellson's Shackleton MR5
TomZ's North American B-28A Dragon
TomZ's Junkers Ju 388J-2
Dizzyfugu's MV-10H Bronco (Project "Black Pony")
Devilfish's Hawkeye AEW 1
Frank2056's Jacques Six
TomZ's Imperial Russian Airline Tu-116
Narses2's Fokker T.V.
Ericr's He115 & Shackleton
Dizzyfugu's Do 217 F-0 w. SG 104 "Münchhausen"
Bungle's Royal Hungarian Airforce Dornier Do-23


And the Winner is:

AeroplaneDriver's Tigercat

[TomZ]

The nominees were:

Hobbes's SR-53
TheChronicOne's X/JT-47 'Valon'
CammNut's Fairey Delta F1
Dizzyfugu's HAL Samudree Baaj (Sea Hawk) Mk. 201, Indian Navy
IantheKiwiHerder's RNZAF AMX / Kaitiaki (Defender)
ssdunkel's IAI Lavi
Pellson's Super Hunters
ssdunkel's F-36 Kingsnake
Scotaidh's P6 - Lightning-x-Thunderbolt
TheChronicOne's TR-29 Wraith
PR19_Kit's Prone Pilot Hunter
Sepp's République bretonne - Hunter FGA.9
Firefox's F-16 FSW
TomZ's Israeli Tunnan


And the Winner is:

CammNut's Fairey Delta F1

[TomZ]

The nominees were:

OldWombat's CAC CA-14B Sea Wallaby
Dizzyfugu's Supermarine Seafire FR 23
PR19_Kit's Sea Monsoon
AeroplaneDriver's Aleutian Campaign Anti-Shipping Hellcat
Robomog's XP-51V Vertistang
Dizzyfugu's LAPD 'Flying Eye', a Spectrum SA-550
TomZ's Hawker Seaphoon Mk 1
TomZ's Ilyushin Il-2 TSD центральный двигатель - (Middle motor)
TomZ's Republic Nightbolt Mk-I
Dizzyfugu's Go-1
Buzzbomb's Upengined Fairey IIIF
Dizzyfugu's FVM JF-22
MartinH's Folland Flounder
Dizzyfugu's RYAF Hawker Fury
RV20100's MS 450
TomZ's Wetland Pericles Mk-I
Stevehed's Spanish Westland Wallace
Dizzyfugu's Helwan HA-100
Dizzyfugu's Tempest HF Mk IV
FlappyDaffy's Finish Wildcatfish
Wardukw-NZ's Curtiss TC512 Destroyer
TomZ's Falker D III Zorn
TomZ's Tu 91 Boot
Frank2056's Martin TBM-4 Torpedo Bomber


And the Winner is:

FlappyDaffy's Finish Wildcatfish

[TomZ]

The nominees were:

Zenrat's Starsky & Hutch Ford Torino
Alvis3.14159's Jet Airstream Bambi Mk 2


And the Winner is:

Alvis3.14159's Jet Airstream Bambi Mk 2

[TomZ]

The nominees were:

Buzzbomb's Borgward "Gnitze"
Buzzbomb's Aussie Matilda Bunker Buster
Pellson's Modernized "AMX-13/105 Valorisé"
Dizzyfugu's ZSU-62 SPAAG, Soviet Army, Afghanistan, 1980
Dizzyfugu's E-75 Ausf. D (w. 10.5 cm KwK 45) Heavy Battle Tank, early 1946
Dizzyfugu's Sdkfz 184/1 'Sturmelefant'
Buzzbomb's 3.7" recoilless gun Bren Carrier
OldWombat's Crab
Buzzbomb's A9 Cruiser AA Tank
Dizzyfugu's E100/88mm AA tank
Wardukw-NZ's T-17 Granite Assault Tank


And the Winners are:

Buzzbomb's Aussie Matilda Bunker Buster

&

OldWombat's Crab

[TomZ]

The nominees were:

OldWombat's RQ-19A Pre-Flight Diorama
Frank2056's Anti Radiation Ball Tank Vignette


And the Winner is:

OldWombat's RQ-19A Pre-Flight Diorama

[TomZ]

The nominees were:

Wacek85's Angry Phoenix.
nönöbär's Pert-Hon and Unicorn
Zenrat's Oswald Bastable


And the Winner is:

Zenrat's Oswald Bastable

[TomZ]

The nominees were:

Zenrat's Scratch Built Flower
TheChronicOne's Saudia 737-200
Nils's Mickey MAUS
flappydaffy's Deviled Eggplane


And the Winner is:

Zenrat's Scratch Built Flower