THE INSIDE LOOP
By Jay Smith, Executive Editor | jays@modelaircraft.org
I’VE MENTIONED BEFORE in the pages of Model Aviation that I am a fan of the movie Battle of Britain. So much so that I own pilot Sgt. Andy Moore’s uniform from the film. Ian McShane played the part, and you can see him in the uniform at the beginning of the film. In fact, he is in the entire film.
I became even more fascinated with the movie when I learned that it is considered to be the first movie to use RC airplanes for some of the flying sequences and combat footage. For example, there were no flyable Stukas when the film was made, so all flight footage of them was done with models.
I’m currently writing an article about the models of the movie and I have interviewed Dave Platt, one of the film’s four model builders and, sadly, the only one still living. I will also be reviewing the book Battle of Britain The Movie upon its release at the end of March. It is a reprint of the book of the same name that was published in 2000. I have the original book, which is becoming harder to find and is often sold for more than $100, so it is great to see it reprinted and updated. It has one chapter dedicated to the models and their builders.
Look for both articles in the magazine in the near future—maybe you’ll even want to watch the movie so that it will be fresh in your mind when the articles are released.
If you are reading this and you have any information regarding the film’s models, I would be happy to hear from you.
I’m currently writing an article about the models of the movie and I have interviewed Dave Platt, one of the film’s four model builders and, sadly, the only one still living. I will also be reviewing the book Battle of Britain The Movie upon its release at the end of March.
