Toy aircraft for Christmas

Or the Vulcan – http://www.vulcantotheskystore.co.uk/product/Card_XH558_Flyer_CARDFLYER01

Also the inflatable – http://www.vulcantotheskystore.co.uk/product/Inflatable_Vulcan_INFLATABLEVCAN

I will be getting both of these 😀

Or you can print one our on cardboard and try it again and again..

http://ecardmodels.com/index.php?cPath=56_34_142_104

The only problem in terms of performance is that the revolving propeller causes a lot of drag. If you want a polystyrene glider for a similar price but with better performance go for the Red Arrow which has more wing area and a longer flight time.
There is also a similar series in a bigger size that I think they market as giant gliders. They should be avoided as they are too big to have any structural strength and glide like a brick (or a Dagling).

If those don’t float your boat, then these might:

http://www.fightingcolors.com/merchpage.htm

Might be a little harder to come by, though.

I can’t believe it’s not occurred to me before now, but as I was browsing through the Hawkin’s Bazaar cataloge that flopped through my door on Friday, I went to the stocking filler section and saw:

They’re only about 35p each, and you get all the different designs that you see here.

When we were younger, we used to make a game out of seeing whose plane could hit another (there’d be a few of us – anything up to 8) and score a point. It was great fun!

OK, so they’re perhaps not what you’re after, but damn good fun all the same! That, and they don’t cost an arm and a leg to buy (you’ll have change of a fiver for all twelve!), and they fly quite nicely (there are elevator trim tabs – I kid you not! – so that you can perform loops as well!)

Feck it, I’m gonna get some later and challenge my mates! :diablo:

I’d recommend the SkyBusters option. They are available from Asda and Tesco for a few pounds each. The subjects are not what they used to be, it was this range that I played with as a child, the first was a Tornado, and went on to include machines such as the C130, A10 and Harrier. I still see these occasionally at Duxford for under a fiver. My SkyBusters then made way for the 1/72 Corgi aircraft sat in the cabinet not far from where I’m sitting now.

Good luck!

I think the reason I mentioned a 1/18th scale toy/model was partly because I sorta fancied one myself:D

The problem is that toys and models no longer overlap. Toys are definitely toys and not detailed enough for most enthusiasts and the models produced now are very definitely collectors items and any handling or test flights by a child will turn them into something resembling a scrapped airframe in no time at all.
My advice is buy something for yourself and tell the other half it was a bargain to pass on to the grandson when he is old enough to appreciate it and buy the grandson something he can enjoy now without having adults grab it every 5 mins to stop him breaking it. That way everyone is happy an Christmas Day.

Your could always get a child’s flying suit! 🙂

Thanks for all the great suggestions…will have a good think…there’s enough ideas there to keep him going for a few years!

I think the reason I mentioned a 1/18th scale toy/model was partly because I sorta fancied one myself:D

For a 3 year old I would suggest something smaller but robust like matchbox Skybusters – plenty available on Ebay and you could always buy him more than one to start off a mini air force. They take up much less room and will withstand far more play use than most of the larger models that are around.
You could also look at the Corgi Showcase range or the small range LLedo made (later taken over by Corgi) which include WW1 types and a Tiger Moth. Both ranges are are small scale and not as robust as Matchbox but they are still pretty strong and are affordable (should be around £5 or so each). Corgi Showcase are made to fit one size box so no constant scale but they made a good selection of prop driven taildraggers.
You could also have a look at the models made by Newray – again a search on Ebay should throw some up- they are not as robust as Matchbox but are good value.
If you want something that flies then something cheap and simple would probably best fit the bill. Found these people on Ebay
http://www.myskies.co.uk/
The chuck / catapault gliders would probably be OK. Most 3 year olds have a short attention span so short flights and lots of launching would probably be ideal.
If you want something a bit more complicated something here might fit the bill

http://www.flyingtoys.com/index.php

Silverlit have a good reputation but you might feel these are bit complicated at his age.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

You could always build him the Airfix 1/24th scale Spitfire Mk1. My dad built one while on detachment (airfield calibration flights out of RAF Benson) in the 1970s.

It took him weeks to build and paint and was superb – couldn’t fault it. I liked it. I liked it a lot. The pitot tube broke off within minutes and the wreckage (minus propellers and wheels and cockpit canopy and aerial) was thrown out with the rubbish a few days later. That was nearly 40 years ago and I still feel guilty. Sorry Dad.

Sorry due to the defence cuts you can’t have one

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But does the Stuka still have its bomb ? 🙂

How about a harrier http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hm-Forces-Harrier-Fast-Air-Action-Man-Jet_W0QQitemZ350420005255QQcategoryZ68410QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DDLSL%252BSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%252BDDSIC%26otn%3D8%26pmod%3D370448258580%252B370448258580%26po%3D%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D5548823426478074463

Yep – but only a cheap white metal casting & not the one that has the cap firing mechanism. Boy, that really used to scare our cat. 🙂

I bet you cant buy proper loud caps nowadays either……:(

Wouldn’t normally touch ‘doll scale’ with a bargepole but that’s cool. I want one please santa

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Sorry due to the defence cuts you can’t have one

How about a harrier http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hm-Forces-Harrier-Fast-Air-Action-Man-Jet_W0QQitemZ350420005255QQcategoryZ68410QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DDLSL%252BSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%252BDDSIC%26otn%3D8%26pmod%3D370448258580%252B370448258580%26po%3D%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D5548823426478074463

Wouldn’t normally touch ‘doll scale’ with a bargepole but that’s cool. I want one please santa

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But does the Stuka still have its bomb ? 🙂

How about a harrier http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hm-Forces-Harrier-Fast-Air-Action-Man-Jet_W0QQitemZ350420005255QQcategoryZ68410QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DDLSL%252BSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%252BDDSIC%26otn%3D8%26pmod%3D370448258580%252B370448258580%26po%3D%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D5548823426478074463

Don’t underestimate the longevity of the 1970’s dinky toy… 🙂

When my kids were young, I brought them a Dinky Spitfire and Stuka each, both purchased from EBAY for a couple of quid with ½ decent paintwork & the plastic parts mostly missing. As they have got older & less likely to throw them in the toy box I’ve brought them better examples – still play worthy but with repro plastic parts.

Funny watching them play with the same toys that I had as a kid…..

I also had all the things suggested here, Wooden aircraft made by family, plastic kits that I destroyed, Dinky and Corgi. I also had / still have a brass P-38. Nothing could break that, I have had it about 25 years.

Having been through it all with my grandson anything half authentic and with moving parts will be broken within days, let alone weeks. Young children manage to do damage we adults could not conceive of. Don’t waste your hard earned money on anything other than a simple toy, at this stage. In another two years, if he still has the interest, then you can get something a bit more serious.:)

That’s not the one I was thinking of.

I think there’s an advert in the latest Flypast for them. The Tiger Moth is really nice, too, and I think they’ve done some others. If I remember correctly, these are wooden jobs.