I have £30/$35 to spend on a warbird for MSFS 2024 and I wanted to know which ones are the best to purchase?
The de Havilland DH98 Mosquito and the North American B-25 Mitchell, both by Aeroplane Heaven, are definitely two of the (in my opinion) best warbirds at the moment - and they are both great fun to fly. 
And I have to give a extra point for the Mosquito, because of the sound, which has been provided by the amazing team of Echo 19, who (as usual) did a AMAZING job with the sound design. 
I advice you to watch this video by the lovely AvAngel, for a professional review and honest opinion.
For my money, the single best choice at the moment is the Milviz/Blackbird Mitsubishi Zero. It’s the only FS 2024 native warbird and that makes a difference - handling is notably more natural than you’ll find in any of the converted or compatible warbirds. Textures and sounds are all first-rate. It’s special.
That said - Flying Iron’s new MSFS 2024 native Spitfire has recently gone into testing, per the developer, and shouldn’t be too far for release. There’s no known timeline but if you only want to make one purchase, you might want to hold off for a few weeks or a couple of months to see what they deliver. Their track record suggests that the new Spit ought to be a special experience, too.
Hope this helps.
yeah, i would second the zero. i grabbed it the other day and it’s really good. i know it’s a little more modern so not a warbird per se, but i also like the miltech/blackbird a-1 skyraider, although i find the sounds in the zero much more nuanced.
I’m backing this statement, too.
There are some excellent liveries made by a couple of forum contributors, too.
Definitely the Zero for me.
I also like the A-1 Skyraider.
It really depends on what you want to do. For me, one thing that really elevates the warbird experience in MSFS is the plane’s engine audio and how dynamically responsive it is to engine control changes.
I kind of treat them as a bit of a musical instrument in that regard and turn the whole experience of virtually flyng them into an audio-visual zone out toy.
Modern engines just don’t sound the same, dirty as the old engines are. But we’re not actually pumping out any emissions, so we can still experience them in all their sonic joy.
I posted this today that may explain it better using a bunch of ww2 era warbirds + beech 18, for some ideas: What did you do in MSFS today? (Part 3) - #3124 by Sonicviz [with pics]
They’re all great I think! Vroom Vroom. burble burble grrrrrrrrrwoooooool
It’s great to see AH has recently lifted their game in this area too.
I second all the suggestions in this thread. FI is working on some updates for 2024 atm too.
Their German warbirds also sound quite distinctive, as well as being top tier in other aspects.
Another vote for the Blackbird A6M5 Zero, both because it’s was built as 2024 native module from the ground up rather than being a 2020 one that was converted. On top of that it’s just really well done in all areas. The flight model is nuanced, the systems deep plus it looks and sounds great.
If you’re looking for something from a different era:
WWI - FlySimWare has a 2024 native Nieuport 24 that’s fantastic. Light and agile but also feels fragile and 1 step up from a kite with an engine…
WWII - as mentioned above Flying Iron have their 2024 native Spitfire due soon so if you can hold on it will definitely be worthy competition for the Blackbird Zero. Flying Iron make the best 2020 warbirds period…
Jets - The 2024 native version of the SEPECAT Jaguar by AzurPoly. Old school attack jet with a fully analogue cockpit and a pleasing rumble when you kick those afterburners in. Flies like a truck when it’s fully loaded but nice and agile when it’s light and clean. Has functional weapons too that leave craters on the ground (only visible to you). Make sure you get the 2024 native version as the 2020 is a separate product.
The Zero is certainly very good and native as already mentioned.
I will add the Got Friends F4F-4 Wildcat to the suggestions list. Very well modelled and a bit of a bargain, especially when on sale.
The Aeroplane Heaven Lancaster is a favourite of mine and if you like that type I can recommend it. Their B-25 is good but for some reason doesn’t grab me like the Lanc does. As an aside, I have the DCS Mosquito which is phenomenal so can’t bring myself to buy the AH version of the Mossie.
I am also looking forward to the Flying Iron 2024 native Spitfire IX with high hopes. If I could only have one warbird in MSFS 2024, that would be it.
I’d go along with the Zero and Flying Iron aircraft. Very high quality and extremely well priced.
I’ve got most of the warbirds other than the AH Mosquito and B25, AH are in my penalty box for their disastrous 707, but I’m getting itchy to buy the Mosquito since it’s one of my favourites.
The one I like best is the Zero, but all these tail draggers are very difficult to land and take off with, a fun challenge for some, a recurring nightmare for others. Flying Iron’s P38 is nice and easy in that respect since it’s got tricycle landing gear, and is a fun plane in its own right. the problem I find with twin engine planes, is the engines block the view to the side, and in warbirds, since you are probably hand flying the whole flight it’s nice to see as much outside as you can, especially if you use VR in warbirds, which is the perfect use of VR in the sim.
So for me, the big question is tricycle or tail dragger, single vs twin engine from there you can narrow down your decision tree to the Zero, Mosquito, or P38.
If it were me, it’d be the Zero
Personally, I don’t see the current payware as necessarily providing the “best warbird” for MSFS 2024, at this time. Despite owning just about every payware wabird myself, these are the ones I’ve been flying the most in MSFS 2024 and have been most impressed with over the past few months:
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If on PC, the default MSFS 2024 P-51D Mustang, combined with the freeware Randall Snow Improvement Mod, freeware 3rd-party repaints, and the payware Echo 19 Mustang soundset. Altogether, it has been my absolute favorite WWII warbird to fly in MSFS 2024, for how accurate and immersive of an experience it is. With Randall Snow’s mod, it flies precisely to the numbers and operates/handles very true to the real thing - from start-up procedure to taxi, to run-up, takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, landing and shut-down, you operate it true to the real thing and you get very accurate results. And that’s not to mention all of the fantastic additional features and options that Randall’s mod adds.
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The default MSFS 2024 Grumman HU-16 Albatross by Michael Johnson/Microsoft. Visuals and flight dynamics that are at the absolute top of the spectrum of realism and accuracy, as well as high-quality sounds and accurately-detailed systems modeling. There is no shortage of wonderful things to say about just how good the aircraft is. It is phenomenal!
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The freeware MSFS-converted Flight Replicas B-24 Liberator (again, PC-only). The Flight Replicas B-24 Liberator was already an incredible piece of work, when made for FSX/P3D, but the team that has converted it to MSFS has elevated it with very accurate flight dynamics, numerous coded features (including accurate start-up procedure), all new sounds, and visual details that continue to be updated/improved upon. From my experience, it is is the most accurate simulation of an American four-engine WWII bomber outside of the FSX/P3D A2A Accusim B-17.
This right here, 100% agree with you.