Before we kick this off, I'd like to thank each and every person who participated in this challenge for taking part! Even though it took quite a bit of time to look through all 60-odd entries in this challenge, it was loads of fun and gave me the opportunity to reconnect with the community after six months of near complete inactivity.

There were so many fantastic airplanes submitted by really talented and dedicated users, it was very difficult to narrow it down to three winners. I've included an additional twelve Honorable Mentions who deserve an equal amount of recognition and appreciation. So without further ado, let's get to the winners of the 1940s Aircraft Challenge:

First Place - Leehopard
Fw236A-1
He319A-0
This builder uses a perfect blend of creativity and realism in terms of both performance and appearance. For that, they'll earn the number one spot.

Second Place - TheXDimension32
Me262
C-47
These planes have excellent looks and capture the feel of their era very well, while maintaining a sense of simplicity and ease of use.

Third Place - Sauce
P1A
WD-20
Riding the horizon between fact and fiction come the some of the most ambitious and skillfully executed entries in the challenge, both great in almost every aspect.

Now to the Honorable Mentions:

mikoyanster - Ta164 + P.411
Drop-dead gorgeous design and very smooth flight controls.

Visify - V-23
A really fun challenge and an absolute blessing to fly and operate.

poenix - Fw803
Interesting design with great functionality settings.

Sarpanitu - U-1
One of my personal favorites, classic style and great feel.

PhantomBladeCorp - Ho229
An almost perfect replica of a symbolic flying wing.

TheMutePaper - Mosquito
A cute and simple rendition of the De Havilland Mosquito.

Weaverfish - P-40
Probably the most loyal and down-to-Earth replica in the challenge.

NativeChief1492 - CF-153
A big, lovable fighter with a really interesting and stylized paint job.

JoddyFubuki788 - P-52E
Great details and very easy to fly.

FennVectorCWA - Il-40
A really nice replica of a particularly uncommon aircraft.

Tully2001 - P-55
A great little jet with loads of personality and great performance.

FlyingThings - NJ-136
Very unique and pleasing to fly while pulling off a really interesting concept.

Thanks again to everyone who participated! I'm super glad this challenge was a success, and I look forward to future community events! :)

-bsk