Most absurd aircraft stand ins

[Scott Rose]

In films involving aviation what is the most absurd aircraft used to represent a legit aircraft? (ie. I saw one film using T-28 Trojans as Japanese zeroes)

[bdk]

Besides T-6/Zeroes, there were P-51/Buchons and Hurricane/Buchons.

[Scott Rose]

One of my favs is the C-130 in Midway

[JohnB]

Cessna T-50/AT-8/AT-17/UC-78 as a Japanese bomber in PT-109.

The burning Spitfire replica at the end of Dunkirk with a broomstick attached to the prop. Come on guys, you could have put a scrap Jag V-12 in it.

On the Key Forum they often mention a European film that I've never seen with Buchons in RAF colors and (IIRC) Hurricanes as German fighters.

Pet film peaves: Round tail PT-13/17/N2S Stearmans as 20s-30s mail planes. At least get a square tail Stearman...or even a Travel Air or WACO would be more period correct.

However, I'd prefer to see a Bf-108 in a film than a Buchon. It looks better in profile than the Spanish Messerschmitts.

As a kid in the 60s-70s on countless TV series when they wanted to show an airliner, they'd use a cut away shot of landing gear being raised...usually it was B-52 gear.

Also on TV series they show a Lear or some other small bizjet, yet they'd have an interior mockup the size of a 707...or at least a JetStar.

Overall, I'm pretty tolerant of the usual stuff T-6/Zeros or the HU-16 subbing for a PBY in In Harm's Way, F-84Fs subbing for MiG-15s in The Hunters (that film has been used in many other films like Airwolf)...and similar instances where close was really good enough.

Last edited by JohnB on Wed Aug 05, 2020 4:41 pm, edited 3 times in total.

[Kyleb]

Skyraiders as P-47's in The Longest Day.

[martin_sam_2000]

in the 1969 movie Eagles over London ( Italian production) they used Buchons as Spitfires and a single Spitfire as a Me-109.



Horrible Horrible movie

Oh, and the Hurricane as a 109 in Iron Eagle III

Sean

[Ernie_D]

F-5's as Migs in Top Gun.

Tom Cruise as someone stable enough to be a pilot (sarcasm).

[quemerford]

How about F-86s as MiGs in Sabre Jet, and then, erm, F-86s as F-86s!

[Chris Brame]

Ryan SCWs as Japanese something-or-others and a P-36/P-40 as a Wildcat in Wake Island.

Martin B-26 forward fuselage used as a B-25 and a B-24 (with two extra throttle levers tacked on) for cockpit shots, and C-47s mixed in with B-24s at Ploesti in Sky Commando.

Consolidated (accent on dated!) PB-2As as Fairey Battles in To Be or Not to Be.

B-47 (I think) contrails as... Rodan.

[JohnB]

F-5's as Migs in Top Gun.

Tom Cruise as someone stable enough to be a pilot (sarcasm).

Well, F-5s were good enough for the Navy and Air Force to use them as Aggressors...not physically correct, but about the same size as MiG -21s I guess.

[Randy Haskin]

not physically correct, but about the same size as MiG -21s I guess.

More importantly, the F-5 has similar turn performance and energy bleed as the Fishbed.

[p51]

I saw one with Dirk Benedict a few years ago where he's supposed to be flying a F-16 and instead straps into a MIG-29. Talk about irony, think of all the movies made during the cold war who would have loved to had a Fulcrum to use!

[AviaS199]

My nominee is the Ryan S-T that plays the role of a Britain-bound Lend-Lease fighter in "Dive Bomber." The Ryan's a good-looking plane, but they might as well have painted the word "HARMLESS" on the fuselage. Even someone who knows nothing about aircraft would sigh in exasperation at the sight of the poor Ryan, with it's fake radial cowling and wood prop, trying to look like an actual fighter.

Too bad, because "Dive Bomber" is otherwise one of the best military aviation films of all time. It was a big-budget, technicolor film with an A-List cast and director. The producers should have, and could have, come up with something better than the Ryan.

[Marauderman26]

Ryan SCWs as Japanese something-or-others and a P-36/P-40 as a Wildcat in Wake Island.

Martin B-26 forward fuselage used as a B-25 and a B-24 (with two extra throttle levers tacked on) for cockpit shots, and C-47s mixed in with B-24s at Ploesti in Sky Commando.

Consolidated (accent on dated!) PB-2As as Fairey Battles in To Be or Not to Be.

B-47 (I think) contrails as... Rodan.

I think I need to watch this 'Sky Commando" movie. The B-26 forward fuselage you mention, I'm wondering if this might be the fuselage used in the 1944 "A guy named Joe" for close ups of the crew of the Japanese G4M.

[Dan Jones]

The Japanese F6F's in "Flying Leathernecks" deserves honourable mention.