About the Creators

Bases by Bill, LLC is one of those rare companies that began from love of the model building hobby, a good idea and true family involvement. They specialize in hand-finished hardwood display bases and cases and other presentation items for scale models.

I had the great pleasure of meeting them at the 2022 IPMS National Convention in Omaha, Nebraska. The company is operated by Bill & his son Weston and receives marketing and website support from his nephew Christian. It truly is a family company.

Historical Background

The North American AT-6 Texan was originally developed during the middle thirties as an advanced training monoplane. Earlier versions, designated BT-9through BT-9D, numbered slightly less than 300, were used as basic trainers. They had fixed landing gear 400 hp. Wright R-975’s, and many survived until the end of World War II. The earliest versions were designated BC-1, for “Basic Combat”, and nearly 300 were built before being reclassifies as AT-6, for “Advanced Trainer”. These had 600 hp. Pratt and Whitney R-1340’s, and engine which remained with the airplane for almost its entire life. Navy versions were called SNJ, and they were built until the end of the war, going up to SNJ-6. The Army Air Force AT-6 was built until the end of the war, slightly more than 10,000 being built. These went from AT-6 through AT-6F, with postwar variants designated T- 6G , with Navy versions going as high as SNJ-8.

Brengun/Hauler provides the modeling community with items considered perfect for limited run production. In this case, who would have thought the much-vaunted but not really that effective unguided rocket weapon, affectionately called “Tiny Tim”, would end up as an available add-on?

A logical development of 5” unguided rockets employed by Navy and Marine aircraft in the later portion of the Pacific war, Tiny Tim was essentially a standoff-penetration weapon attached to a rocket tube, designed to be used against bunkers or ships. (Supposedly the rocket body was manufactured by tubing used in oil field work, if you believe wiki). The weapon was aimed, dropped like a bomb, and a lanyard fired the rocket motor when it cleared the aircraft. Accuracy was, as expected, questionable, but must have been very testosterone-inducing for the pilot when the weapon was fired.