For me they are:

1. The Mosquito, beautiful looking aircraft and a nice punch to boot.
2. ME 262 - same as above only faster.
3. Spitfire - just got to love the sound of the Merlin, and its agility.

I don't know if it fits in the category, but I'd also like to add in the:

4. B-25J, a flying gun if ever there was one and the precursor to the A10
5. The IL 2 Sturmovik, the most produced aircraft or WWII, of course that doesn't rate it high for its survivablity, but I like the cut of its jib.

Balkan-MIG......The 110 during the Battle of Britain became a easy target for the RAF and they were eventually dropped for use over the UK. As a night fighter it was very good as it had the capacity to stay in the air for long periods of time and was well armed and even had a 30 mm cannon that fired all most vertically so that it could get under the bombers and rake them from below.

P 38 hands down

I know, they werent much good in the BOB, but still a exceptional night fighter. I think that almost all of the German night-fighter aces flew the Bf110 once

Originally Posted by Balkan-MiG

I know, they werent much good in the BOB, but still a exceptional night fighter. I think that almost all of the German night-fighter aces flew the Bf110 once

The Bf 110 was a very good design.
It suffered in the BOB due to the fact the leadership of the Luftwaffe foolishly thought a heavy twin engined aircraft could mix it with single engined fighters of similar performance.

well cplor me strange...but i liked the Brewster Buffalo.

a lot of people really poo pooed the tiny fighter. the japaneese ate it alive. the british wouldnt fly them, as they really thought they were death traps.

everyone thought they sucked.

everyone, that is, except the Finns. for some reason, the Finns actually used these fighters against more advanced models...and scored some truly amazing victorys w ith it. one air frame was credited with 42 1/2 kills.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewster_Buffalo#Finland

this is the wiki link...more at the end of the article.

another favorite..the p-40 series. also in the hands of an underdog force...a suprizing amount of victories.

you can keep the pretty. i like the under dogs...

Originally Posted by Balkan-MiG

Personally, i think the Luftwaffe had the most tip-top aircraft, followed by the Brittish.

Why? Surely the Luftwaffe's piston aircaft were lacking in performance towards the end of the war. The later versions of the Mustang had the best all round performance; range, speed, manoeuvrability, resistance to damage and was practical. However the Spitfire maintained competitive nearly throughout the war and was probably the most distinctive and aesthetically pleasing aircraft.

Originally Posted by perseus

Why? Surely the Luftwaffe's piston aircaft were lacking in performance towards the end of the war. The later versions of the Mustang had the best all round performance; range, speed, manoeuvrability, resistance to damage and was practical. However the Spitfire maintained competitive nearly throughout the war and was probably the most distinctive and aesthetically pleasing aircraft.

Most experts put the Fw 190D-9 and the Spitfire XIV as the top two piston engined fighters at the end of the European war.

The P-51D was an excellent fighter, but the only advantage it had over the Spitfire XIV( which entered service just before the P-51D) was its range.

Originally Posted by redcoat

Most experts put the Fw 190D-9 and the Spitfire XIV as the top two piston engined fighters at the end of the European war.

The P-51D was an excellent fighter, but the only advantage it had over the Spitfire XIV( which entered service just before the P-51D) was its range.

Other excellent aircrafts had to be the Hawker Typhoon and the Tempest. Hard hitting and fast.

Dont forget the formidable Yakovlev Yak-3