Next weeks issues of Commando (on sale Jan 14 2010) will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Ian Kennedy’s first Commando cover being published and will all be connected to him in some way.
Issue 4261 will reprint the first cover story.
Issue 4264 will reprint his first cover & interior art story.
Issue 4262 & 4263 will reprint 2 all Kennedy issues (both cover & interior)
4261 & 4264 are traditional WWII stories whilst 4262 is a Vietnam tale & 4263 is one of my favourites as its a “wraparound” cover & a Korean war Sea Fury story.
Here are the covers, enjoy…:D

***EDIT***
Ooops, got my numbering a bit mixed up, 4261 (Seek & strike) & 4262 (Cougar squadron) are on sale this week along with 4259 & 4260 (another Kennedy cover, but a new one).
4263 (Fury strike) & 4264 (Jacks private war) go on sale two weeks later (Jan 28th) along with 4265 & 4266, apologies for the confusion.
Although the on sale dates are the official ones you may find them in your local shops a couple of days earlier than this, I picked mine up today (12th).

There’s this engine issue. Obviously, putting in originals won’t cut it as they’re too unreliable. However, one part of people say they’re gonna use them and how you can’t fit any other engines, or say there’s no chance at all because no one will allow those engines up in the air again. Then there’s those who say you can use the more reliable Centaurus engines.

A tad confused, me I am. 😀

I beleive that its the Sabre engine that we probably would’nt see in the air again but its Kermit Weeks’ Mk V Tempest restoration that is having that fitted, all the other restorations are Tempest II’s that would have originally had Centaurus engines and being as Sea Furies currently fly with these, albeit later marks, I dont see a problem in operating them other than money & the desire that the Americans have for more reliability than the Centaurus seems to provide.

Saw this in the local HMV today, the cover shows a head on shot of what looks like a Grumman Avenger ,before being photoshopped, being shot at by some sort of generic aircraft, again with a strong resemblence to the aforementioned Grumman product.
Needless to say it didnt inspire me to purchase it.

Does anyone remember a BBC series called the Squadron, according to Wiki it was aired in 1982 and a lasting memory is of a group of Drug Smugglers flying a small light aircraft as a Harrier slowly pulls up alongside and persuades them they would be better off landing ASAP.

I believe that I have the first & last episodes of this series on VHS somewhere, it featured Herc’s, Harrier’s & Phantoms, but if i remember the Phantom’s only lasted a couple of episodes, or it may have been the Harrier’s as it was being filmed at the same time as the Falklands war was going on so the Beeb suddenly found themselves a bit short on hardware for their stories.
I’ll have to fish these out & burn them to DVD if they’re still playable.

Not everything connected with the movie sells.
http://propstoreauction.com/view-auctions/catalog/id/78/lot/18142/?url=%2Fview-auctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F78%2F%3Fpage%3D2

I remember being at the Great Warbirds airshow just after filming had wrapped on Memphis Belle, “Sally B” did a flypast firing her waist guns with blanks not used during filming, doubt that would be allowed today though.

Cees, are you able to give any more infomation on these Baltic discoveries ?

I am curious which shots in Always were models.

I suppose the Invader flying through the flames, and blowing up , but what else ? Probably the InYvader dumping on the PBY.

Yes, those were two of the scenes.
Also all of the water bombing of the fires and indeed most of the actual flying shots, in fact the real aeroplanes are mainly only used for the groundbased set up shots with the actors and of course the opening shot of the movie where the Super Cat does a water pick-up on the lake. That scene was used for years by salesmen to demo home movie sound systems.

The models were built to one fifth scale resulting in the super Cat having a wingspan of 21 feet !

The water bombing scenes were filmed in old aircraft hangars and the models were “flown” on rigid rigs through a miniature landscape that had been set ablaze.

The effects work was done by ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) George Lucas’ effects facility so there is a link to Red Tails although by this time the effects industry had changed beyond all recognition in the intervening years.

As far as model work goes “Always” is really quite impressive and showcases traditional movie modelwork at it’s very best.

If you can find a copy, CINEFEX magazine number 44 has a very good and detailed article on the effects work for this film.