SKU: 35107577925

16"x20" Warbird Prints - choose from 10 different WWII planes

Sale price$16.16 Regular price$17.95
Save 10%

Pay in installments of $4.49 with ShopPay, AfterPay and Klarna

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 19 - Jul 24

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

16"x20" Warbird Prints - choose from 10 different WWII planesRenowned for his precision and attention to detail, these stunning pencil prints by R. G. Smith bring to life some of the iconic warplanes from WWII. Each one captures the power, grace, and history in intricate, lifelike drawings. Perfect for aviation enthusiasts and history buffs, these prints offer a remarkable tribute to the heroes and machines of the skies. Each print is 16x20 and on heavyweight paper. The Man and His Art Robert Grant Smith's

Renowned for his precision and attention to detail, these stunning pencil prints by R. G. Smith bring to life some of the iconic warplanes from WWII. Each one captures the power, grace, and history in intricate, lifelike drawings. Perfect for aviation enthusiasts and history buffs, these prints offer a remarkable tribute to the heroes and machines of the skies.

Each print is 16x20 and on heavyweight paper.

The Man and His Art

Robert Grant Smith's aviation paintings and prints can be found in museums, and private collections, in the wardrooms of naval vessels, on the walls of the Pentagon and countless military installations, and in congressional and corporate offices. A selection of his paintings is on permanent display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

His powerful depictions of the extraordinary American victory in the great naval battle at Midway between 4-6 June 1942 have helped to raise public awareness and appreciation of the battle that turned the tide against Japan in the Pacific War. His Midway paintings have also helped to fill an historical void caused by the absence of any photographic record of the critical minutes when the tide of the battle finally turned in America's favor

Born in 1914 in Los Angeles, R.G. Smith developed an immediate lifelong love of aviation following Charles Lindbergh's successful solo crossing of the Atlantic in 1927 in the "Spirit of St. Louis".

R.G. Smith began his career in 1936 as a configuration engineer with Douglas Aircraft. For the next two decades, he was involved in the development of all Navy combat aircraft built by Douglas and its successor, McDonnell Douglas. While helping to design such classic naval aircraft as the SBD Dauntless, AD Skyraider, A-3D Skywarrior, F-4D Skyray, and his personal favorite, the A-4D Skyhawk, R.G. Smith was also developing a reputation as a respected artist. When asked to draw or paint for aircraft proposals, the largely self-taught artist used his knowledge of airplane construction and function to give life to the aircraft in his artwork.

According to R.G. Smith, the three essential elements in his approach to painting were accuracy, planning, and the power of suggestion. To ensure accuracy, he studied the desired scene or event, viewed his subjects from all angles, collected paint chips from aircraft, and in some cases, actually observed aircraft in combat and at sea. He planned each piece by sketching aircraft from several angles before painting them on the canvas, occasionally using models that he built as guides. Instead of painting every bolt and rivet, Smith blended colors to add motion and subtlety to harsh lines, allowing the eye and brain of the viewers to connect the dots and lines. The result was a sense of reality, atmosphere, and energy.

At the start of WW II, R.G. Smith was told that his work at Douglas was vital to the war effort and that he was barred from enlisting. To aid in new aircraft designs he was allowed to observe planes during carrier operations under combat conditions. He always regretted not being able to fight in the war.

Nearly thirty years later, when the opportunity arose to tour Vietnam as a sketch artist, his daughter Sharlyn tells us that "he jumped at the opportunity". He went on two month-long tours in 1968 and 1969. The Navy wanted him to portray its aircraft in action and afforded him the rank of captain to enable him to travel freely within the war zone. He joined river patrols along the Mekong Delta, search-and-rescue operations in Huey helicopters, 0V-10 Bronco attack missions and carrier operations in the Gulf of Tonkin. Although he went to Vietnam when he was in his mid-50s, he relished being in combat because, he wrote, "It was the only way to document the way it really was."

R.G. Smith's work is so highly regarded in military circles that in 1973 he was designated by the United States Navy "Honorary Naval Aviator" (number 10), a distinction previously bestowed on such notables as General James Doolittle, Admiral Hyman Rickover.

R.G. Smith created some two thousand paintings and drawings on a variety of subjects, but he is best known as an artist of naval aviation. He received several awards during his illustrious career, including Salmagundi Club's Louis E. Seley Award for "outstanding achievement in the field of oil painting"; the Fighting Hawk Award for "countless, enduring contributions to the art, science and safety of U.S. Marine Corps Aviation"; the American Society of Aviation Artists Franklin Mint Award; and the U. S. Naval Institute Award of Merit. In 1979, the Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron named him an Honorary Blue Angel.

In 1994, he became the first recipient of the "R.G. Smith Award" - named in his honor - by the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida.

In the year 2000, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington hosted for six months a special exhibition of twenty-five of R.G. Smith's aviation paintings and drawings under the title: "The old Master of the Sky".

Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 35107577925

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.1 ★★★★★
Based on 5 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
J
Verified Purchase
Jacob Donkin
Natrona Heights, US
★★★★★ 5
Gripping and Informative, a Must-read
Format: Hardcover
As someone who struggles to finish books in their entirety, I found Our Final Invention by James Barrat highly readable, deeply informative, and utterly gripping. The book contains a powerful message: through competition, distrust, desire and curiosity, humans will inevitably create an artificial intelligence (AI) that rivals or surpasses our own. Thus, it is wise and necessary to invest now in mitigation efforts and potential safeguards -- increased research and advocacy for AI risk and, most importantly, producing friendly AI. Barrat covers a lot of ground, but his main argument is summarized as follows: Currently, we humans regularly utilize narrow AI technology (technology capable of achieving specific, programmed goals through unassisted human computing -- Siri, Google search, IBM's Watson, etc). We are also experimenting with "black box" tools and techniques (programs where inputs and outputs are understood and measurable, but the processes in between aren't -- genetic algorithms/programming and software that writes better software) and artificial neural networking (ANN), as seen through efforts to reverse engineer the human brain. And, below the surface, there is an ongoing race between world powers (driven mainly by national security, defense, and international business interests) and guided by AI developers to develop and achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI) -- human-level artificial intelligence. The problem is that once AGI is achieved it will be very difficult to manage, and may very well result in the manifestation of artificial super intelligence (ASI) -- greater than human-level intelligence. ASI could theoretically become thousands of times smarter than the smartest human being alive. It won't think like us, won't want to be ruled by us, and, most crucially, it won't want to be turned off. In fact, ASI would likely regard us as potential fuel for its quest to duplicate and improve itself exponentially in order to achieve its goals. Throughout the book, Barrat refers to interesting psychological phenomena and concepts (such as the normalcy bias), while drawing on personal experiences, historic events, and interviews with computer programmers, inventors and philosophers, to tactfully illustrate how progress in AI development is dangerously rapid. Adequate checks and balances are not in place to deal with a non-ideal intelligence explosion or hard take-off (AGI quickly leading to ASI). I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about both human beings and the advancement of machines. I suspect that the prominence of AI, as a research field and topic for discussion, will only increase in time (it already has in recent years -- drones, smart technology, Wall Street high frequency trading (HFT), financial modeling), making Our Final Invention a valuable guide or stepping stone for anyone trying to understand our world and the path of the future.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2014
A
Verified Purchase
Ashley Sutton
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 5
Great book
Format: Hardcover
We love the FGTEEV books!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2026
K
Verified Purchase
Krissy Miller
Charlottesville, US
★★★★★ 5
FGTeeV:
Format: Hardcover
The 11 yr old loves it.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2026
R
Verified Purchase
Rebecca Leary
New York, US
★★★★★ 5
Perfect, hardback!!!
Format: Hardcover
Bought this book for my teens. They love it. Perfect hardback quality for the price. They have the whole series
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2026
R
Verified Purchase
Ray
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 5
perfect book
Format: Hardcover
awesome book
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2026

recommand products