Johnston worked with Hollywood producers, military generals, museums and others to design everything from Orville and Wilbur Wright replica planes to NASA rockets
His replica airplanes, helicopters, spacecraft and other small and large-scale aviation models are scattered around the world, greeting people in big museums, such as the Smithsonian and Stafford Air & Space Museum and at local airports, including Scottsdale Airport, Falcon Field, and Deer Valley Airport. Hollywood producers sought him out to design and build replica planes for movies such as Unbroken and Red Tails. He worked with dozens of U.S. military generals and renowned entrepreneurs, including Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic.
Now, more than 100 aviation and other RC models that belonged to the late Jaime E. Johnston, of Scottsdale, are going up for auction on Saturday, June 28 at EJ’s Auction & Appraisal, 5880 W. Bell Road, in Glendale. The online auction begins at 10 a.m., and bidding is open now.
Highlights of the auction include a Captain Nemo’s Nautilus fictional submarine and highly detailed working models of WWI and WWII large scale operational aircraft along with ships and spacecraft. Examples include a U.S. B-26 Marauder K-FW 295857 R.C. airplane, a 1/70 scale British HMS Victory model warship, 1/6 scale WWII M5 RC model tank with controller, and a Doctor Who Dalek life-size replica robot model.
A Big Kid Who Loved to Dream
Johnston grew up in Prospect Heights, Illinois, during an era when there were thousands of “mom and pop” hobby stores around the country that sold model kits. His grandfather owned an airplane, and he became enthralled with building aircraft from World War I and II. Later, he followed in his mother’s footsteps and became a nurse. Soon after that he started an X-ray and medical imaging company with his partner and moved to Arizona.
His passion for building aircraft models continued, but by that time, the “mom and pop” hobby stores were dwindling. When he couldn’t find a wheel for a plane he was building, he decided to build it himself. That experience led him to launch his business, Arizona Models, which manufactured custom aircraft models using CNC (computer numerical control) driven production equipment. The company, which started out of his Ahwatukee garage, also offered custom production services for enlarging plans or fabricating on entire custom manufactured miniature and model kits based on client specifications.
Johnston’s skills were in such demand, that he launched Digital Design and eventually moved his office to the Scottsdale Airpark. Digital Design offered full-sized replicas for airports, corporations, headquarter offices, movies, museums, military, monument and guardian displays, trade shows, training simulators and other custom projects.
Lynn Johnston said her late husband was very well-liked by everyone he met.
“Jaime lived and breathed airplanes, and he was always accessible to anyone who needed help,” Lynn Johnston said. “He was passionate about history, and he loved a good challenge. He also felt it was important to educate children, and he often donated model kits to schools or found ways to help support STEM projects.”
Rob Moss, of Gilbert, AZ, was Johnston’s friend and business partner for 32 years. He said Johnston was like a “happy scientist” who would spend hours tinkering on projects.
“Jaime was a dreamer,” Moss said. “He was a technical genius who could design and build anything. And he was not a typical engineer – people flocked to him. He was jovial and kind. He was like a big kid who could easily befriend anyone. He was like a brother to me, and I feel blessed to have known him for so many years.”
Moss said Johnston’s projects included everything from Orville and Wilbur Wright replica planes to NASA rockets. Some of his more unusual projects included the Little Man Ice Cream shop in Denver, which features a 75-foot airplane wing from a Constellation and Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport (FHB) in Florida, which includes a distinctive terminal building that is shaped like an F4U Corsair fighter plane.
EJ’s Auction & Appraisal is open for preview from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and Saturday morning at 9 a.m. prior to each weekly auction. Interested bidders can view Johnston’s collection in person or request to see condition reports. For details, visit ejsauction.com or call 623-878-2003. To view the catalog, click here.
