VIDEO: 1994 Visit to Executive Display Models at Heathrow

[Henry Tenby]

I filmed this video at Executive Display Models at the Heathrow Skyline hotel in 1994. Anyone interested in airline display models will find this amazing shop run by the late Brian Austria-Tomkins a sight to see!

Here is the video link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2soPd6ixWzw

This 4 minute video gives a detailed view of the goodies in the shop circa 1994. The two RAF Blackburn Beverley models are superb. As are the 1/72 scale models of the Canadian Pacific DC-6, PIA Connie, TAR CL-44, and Monarch Britannia. The 1/72 VC-10 hanging on the wall is very nice and accurate. Would love to have some of those in my collection.

And I really love the 1/100th scale Cathay Pacific CV880 hanging on the wall. It is an accurate and lovely period model. I have no idea who made that model but would certainly like to know.

At the end of the clip, the late Brian Austria-Tomkins appears at his desk prepping a 1/72 scale British Midland Boeing 707 for a customer. All great memories, and I am glad I had the foresight to film my visit. Fabulous models to marvel at.

What an amazing business Brian ran, as it serviced demanding collectors from all over the world, with a quality that is pretty much un-matched to this very day. It is a shame Brian is no longer with us, and this video is dedicated to him.

[Brian Laurance]

Thank you for posting this, Henry. I enjoyed it very much, and am, of course, disappointed that Austria-Tomkins' shop no longer exists.

Henry, do you have any of the Executive Display Models products in your collection?

[Henry Tenby]

Hi Brian,

I actually have 4 models by Executive Display Models in my collection:

1) 1/100 Dan Air Comet
2) 1/100 Northeast Trident
3) 1/100 BOAC Britannia
3) 1/100 British Eagle Britannia

These all from his Classic British Airline series that he produced in the mid 1990s. At the time these models were GBP 200 each, a fair bit of money for the day.

[david marx]

hi brian
thank you for the great nostalgic video.....in the video you can see a 707 air Seychelles model which I purchased from brian at the time and still have today. gorgeous model. ... either a different model or he fixed the vhf antenna at the time as my model is perfect....also purchased from him several other great models sr cv 990 / el al brittania / as well as an old af model....very happy that I have them today...I can never forget brian always telling me that he had "massive backlogs of orders" ....oh those were the days ..... david marx NYC

[david marx]

sorry hello Henry!!!!

[Henry Tenby]

Hi David ... Nice to hear from someone else who can also share my past joys in visiting Brian in his legendary shop at the Sheraton Skyline Hotel (which I think no longer exists).

His shop was always on my "must visit" list when I passed through or visited London in the 1990s. My budget at the time precluded me from buying a lot of models. But Brian had a keen interest in photos of Philippine registered aircraft. As a slide collector I would source images of Philippine registered aircraft for Brian. And he would in turn sell me the occasional model at a discount. They were commissioned models that the customer did not follow through on with their purchase. I recall a 1/72 Air Canada A320 and a 1/72 JAL DC-8. Both of these models I sold off when I decided to concentrate on older metal models.

Did you see the 1/100 Cathay Pacific CV880 on the wall in my video? He explained it is a period model belonging to a customer. I wonder who made that model. What a beauty.

Amazing that the Seychelles 707 is your model .. what a small world it is!!