Shropshire father and son find fame as the mini Red Arrows

Steven Bishop and his son Matthew, from Telford, spent a year crafting the BA Hawk 22s replicas, a quarter of the size of the iconic aircraft flown by daredevil pilots.

And the double act has even stepped in to wow crowds when the real thing was grounded by bad weather.

The pair were stunned to see Red Arrows pilots mesmerised by their air acrobatics.

Steve, 52, of Madeley, Telford, has been building model planes for 44 years but it was Matt who got him into the Red Arrows.

• This video starts with photo still before showing live action from Weston Park

Matt, 25, of South Drive, said: "I always wanted a Red Arrow and then when I had one, my dad wanted one and we just started building together. We weren't planning it, it just sort of happened."

What started out as a hobby has become a full time job for Matt who runs Bishop Aviation, building models for clients from across the world.

And Steve runs the Weston Park International Model Airshow, coming to the estate near Shifnal on June 13, 14 and 15.

"We get to travel all over the world," said Steve. "We've been to the Caribbean, Korea, Germany and we are off to Italy next month."

The were even asked to fill in for the real Red Arrows at Dunsfold Wings and Wheels when the weather was too bad for them to fly.

"We were asked to fly on their behalf so most of the crowd came to watch us," said Steve.

"People said they couldn't tell the difference. It was amazing. We even noticed some of the pilots had been watching us and we got to meet them afterwards."

He added: "People love the Red Arrows, they're a British institution and people from all over the world want to see them – and if they can't get the real thing, that's where we step in."

The attention to detail is phenomenal with a dummy sitting in the cockpit acting as pilot.

But there is a big difference between the mighty machine and its lookalike.

The real Red Arrows can reach speeds of 600 miles per hour and altitudes of 48,000 ft, whereas the remote control replicas fly at just 150mph to 200mph to about 1,000 ft with a maximum air time of seven minutes when using five litres of jet fuel.

But the miniatures still make a big impact.

"It's really satisfying we give a lot of pleasure to a lot of people and the reaction we get is fantastic," said Steve, for whom model making is in the blood – having followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.

"They are not just model aircraft, they are big boys toys. It's serious kit. They take a year and cost £11,000 to make," he said.

"Flying in formation is very difficult but it looks spectacular when you get it right," said Steve.