Especially with that Messerschmitt 109 coming up from below!
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No, the Zero was quite original. The North American AT-6 trainer had a resemblance to the Zero but that was a coincidence. It was easy for the filmmakers to take AT-6’s and modify them to look even more like Zeros.
And here’s some “Tora, Tora, Tora” trivia. The Japanese Aichi “Val” dive bombers in the film were modified American BT-13’s and the Kate torpedo bombers were part AT-6, part BT-13. Some VERY clever mod work there and here’s the amazing thing, the airplanes actually flew better with the Japanese mod work!
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“Ach du lieber Gott! Vass iss diss, der Twilight Zone?”
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Wayne, I’m surprised you missed Penny’s sarcasm regarding all those trainers in the movie… you gave her a straight answer.
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Well, I CAN be a little slow on the uptake at times! But that’s me with the straight answers, Mister Helpful! 
Mind you, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the in-depth article in “Air Classics” magazine when the film came out in 1970 telling the whole story of the acquisition and modification of the air fleet used in making “Tora…” both Japanese AND American aircraft. It was quite an achievement.
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About the Fokker D7- I saw one once at an air show in New York. It came from the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. A fine sight! It took off from the grass next to the concrete runway in about 200 feet. ( it was over 35 years ago so I may be wrong) and went straight up. My father was a WW1 airplane buff and told me how it could hang on the propellor. That one did as it hung vertically, motionless in the sky then the pilot dropped the nose and off it went.
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Interesting, a First World War Zeppelin. Not the usual “Graf Zeppelin” or “Hindenburg” example.
I wouldn’t mind doing a model of USS Macon or USS Akron, two huge USN rigid airships designed to be light aircraft carriers, having launching/landing cranes for five Curtis Sparrowhawk biplanes (a la the zeppelin in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade).
I don’t think anything like a 1/48 scale model has been offered: 'way too large.
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I loved that biplane in the Indiana Jones movie. It looked to be a Tiger Moth, had a civilian registration on the fuselage and Sean was firing a Lewis gun. “They got us, son!”
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In what was an otherwise crushingly boring movie, “The English Patient”, I couldn’t help but compare the two biplanes “starring” in the film, a Tiger Moth and a Stearman PT-17. The Tiger Moth being British followed the British philosophy of aircraft design, a great mix of grace and function. The Stearman? Raw American power!
Oh, I liked Kristin Scott Thomas as well but that’s another story. 
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Looks like a vintage Lockheed from aviation’s “Golden Age!”
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What is now Hopkins was once the eastern terminus of the national air races from Los Angeles.
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Great link Becky, thanks!
It wasn’t for nothing the 1930s were called “The Golden Age of Aviation” and the Cleveland Air Races were a BIG part of that!
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Quite the thread. Unfortunately, I have nothing flying above my layout. Maybe it is time to add something.
Rich
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ok u guys made me do it i have to post my outdoor airbase yes the drones work and yes if i have motors the rockets can go up to 2k feet
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Lots of air power on display. But no AAA/SAM defenses? Remember: General Short was certain that his fighters could defend his airfields on Oahu, and look how that turned out . . .
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nah just a couple mid power rockets and 3 diffrent classes of drones
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