About Me

I'm Richard, an Englishman just returned to the UK after living in Aotearoa (New Zealand) for 16 years. I grew up near Gatwick Airport and my Dad used to take me to watch the aircraft take-off when I was a youngster, which led to a burgeoning interest in civil aviation and many weekends spent up at the old viewing terrace. I started collecting 1:600 scale Schabaks in the mid-80s and after a collecting pause, whilst at College and University, amassed a huge collection of over 1700 of the little airliners. With Schabak's bankruptcy, a restricted range and poor quality I decided in 2009 to upscale to 1:400s. They have opened my eyes to classic airliners and enabled me to explore the history of the aviation industry.

Through my 1:400 collection (now at over 2500 models) I investigate both the iconic and the obscure airlines that have ferried passengers around since the end of World War Two, as well as the personalities of the men who led them. This site is a monument to the stories of the airlines - many of which are now almost forgotten.

I also have established relationships with several of the key manufacturers in 400 scale and aim to keep the 1:400 scale model collector up to date with detailed news and reviews of what is going on in the hobby and the models that are available.

I have been published in the magazines 'Airliner World' and 'Model Airliner' and I write regularly on the Diecast Aircraft Forum and Diecast Model Aircraft as rstretton.

I hope you enjoy the site.