Corgi Diecast Aviation

Vickers VC-10 K.Mk.2 (1:144) by Corgi AviationItem Number: AA37003'Vickers VC-10 K.Mk.2 - No.101 Squadron, RAF Brize Norton, Oxon.,1991 (1:72) The bulk of the RAFÕs air-to-air refueling fleet comprises VC-10 K3 and K4 aircraft flown by No. 101 Squadron based at RAF Brize Norton. ZA140/A was the first VC-10 tanker to enter RAF service on July 25, 1983, as a K.Mk.2. Together with the Victor tanker, it was invaluable during the 1991 Gulf War, and the number of refueling sorties it...

Hawker Sea Hurricane 1b - Shuttleworth Collection (Modified Tool) (1:72) by Corgi AviationItem Number: AA32016Following the early success of the Hawker Hurricane in RAF service during the Battle of Britain, the Royal Navy decided to introduce the Sea Hurricane as protection for the Atlantic convoys. Hurricane Z7015 was built by Canadian Car & Foundry at its Ontario plant during 1940 as a Mk.I. and after flight testing was shipped to the UK. In June 1941 it was converted to Sea Hurricane 1b...

Regiment 16th Air Assault Regiment, Army Air Corps, Dishforth - 2008 (1:72) by Corgi Diecast AviationItem Number: AA39001The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants, which went into operational usage in 1977 and were later adopted by the armed forces of...

FAA 880 NAS, Richard 'Dickie' Cork, Arbroath & St. Merryn, Scotland, 1941 (1:72) by Corgi Diecast AviationItem Number: AA32017Based on the Fury biplane and designed by Sydney Camm as a monoplane fighter, the Hurricane was first flown on November 6th, 1935. With its wide-set landing gear, easy handling, reliability, and stable gun platform, the Hurricane was suitable for a variety of different roles such as intruder, ground strafing and night fighter. Steel-tube construction meant cannon...

Hawker Hart Mk I RAF No.600 Sqn, RAF Hendon, London, 1935 (1:72) by Corgi Diecast AviationItem Number: AA39601

Vickers Valiant B Mk.1 WZ404 207 Sqn RAF Luqa Malta Suez Crisis 1956 Following President of Egypt Gamal Abdel Nasser's decision on 26th July 1956 to nationalise the Suez Canal Britain France and Israel all declared war on Egypt almost simultaneously

Although history has dictated that the aerial combat prowess of Manfred von Richthofen ensured he became one of the world�s most famous aviation personalities, the same cannot be said of the leading Allied �Ace of Aces� from the Great War, who has remained largely anonymous to all but the most committed of enthusiasts. Rene Fonck originally shunned the opportunity to become a pilot, preferring instead to share the trenches with his countrymen, as they fought against the Germans. The horrors of...

The aviation pedigree of the Supermarine Spitfire is second to none. Produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft, the Spitfire was in constant production throughout the Second World War, with the basic airframe capable of readily accepting upgrades and improvements which maintained the aircraft�s position as one of the most capable single engined fighting aeroplanes of WWII. The combination of the classic Spitfire airframe and the new powerful Rolls Royce Griffon engine...

If the Douglas C-47 Skytrain is considered the most famous multi engined aircraft of D-Day aerial operations, then the single engined equivalent must be the fearsome Hawker Typhoon. Agile and extremely heavily armed, the Typhoon was to see plenty of action during the summer of 1944, either attacking strategic targets in the weeks prior to invasion, such as German radar sites or providing invaluable close air support to ground units breaking out from the landing beachheads. With forward air...

The Westland Wessex HC.2 was a licence built turbine powered development of the classic American Sikorski S-58 Helicopter, one of the world�s first truly capable helicopters and one which finally established these aircraft as amongst the most useful for both military and civilian applications. XR500 was one of a batch or 4 HC.2 helicopters delivered in advance of the type�s acceptance into RAF service and was used by the Wessex Intensive Flying Trials Unit at RAF Odiham, in preparation for its...

As the most famous fighter pilot in the history of military aviation, the name Manfred von Richthofen is familiar to many people and despite the Great War claiming his life more than 100 years ago, the exploits of the Bloody Red Baron continue to be a source of fascination to this day. Originally joining the Luftstreitkr�fte as an aerial observer, his fighting ambitions would lead von Richthofen to be selected for fighter training, where he would later become a legend of the air, being...

Just one week after the D-Day landings and the successful Allied invasion of enemy occupied Europe, the Germans were determined to show that the war was far from over and launched the first of their V-1 Flying Bombs against Southern England. Described as their first �Vengeance Weapon�, these pulse jet powered unmanned flying bombs emitted a distinctive sound from the intermittently firing engine and quickly became known as �Doodlebugs�, with the indiscriminate nature of their targeting...

Undoubtedly one of the most distinctive aircraft of the Second World War, the tri-motor Junkers Ju52 can trace its origins back to a first flight in October 1930 and even though it was obsolete at the start of the conflict, it would go on to see extensive use and be produced throughout the war. From the early days of his political career, Adolf Hitler was one of the first major world figures to use aircraft as his preferred mode of transport and on becoming Chancellor of Germany, he began to...

Describing the Junkers Ju87 Stuka as one of the most famous aircraft of WWII would certainly be accurate, although it could be argued that the word infamous would be more appropriate - the Stuka was without doubt, one of the most terrifying weapons from the early years of the Second World War. Taking a huge toll on Allied shipping, armoured vehicles and general military and civilian infrastructure, the Stuka was a close air support and strike attack aircraft, capable of providing precision...

As a result of the RAFs first bombing raid against Berlin on 25th August 1940 and incorrectly assuming that Fighter Command were all but knocked out of the war, the Luftwaffe were directed to leave Britain�s fighter stations alone and concentrate their efforts against London. In a period which became known as the Blitz, from October 1940, British cities were targeted by German bombers on a nightly basis and whilst these raids had a devastating effect on the civilian population, it allowed...

With its famed short field landing and take-off performance, the distinctive Westland Lysander was in widespread service at the beginning of the Second World War, performing such duties as Army cooperation, artillery spotting, reconnaissance and light bombing missions. The Battle of France was disastrous for Lysander units, proving the vulnerability of the aircraft and its inability to defend itself against fighter attack, however, despite this, large numbers of Lysanders would have been sent...

If the intrepid pioneers of flight inspired the world with their determination to achieve manned, powered flight in the years before the First World War, then a similar fascination was surely held for the men engaged in the US Space Programme during the 1960s and 1970s. Millions of people would be glued to their televisions as mighty rockets blasted men into space, with everyone holding their breath until the astronauts safely returned a few days later and the sight of their protective space...

In order to ensure the defeat of Germany and the end of the Second World War, the Allied powers knew that they would have to launch a full scale assault against continental Europe, an undertaking fraught with potential dangers. In support of this plan, Allied aircraft began a concerted bombing campaign, targeting aircraft and munitions manufacturing plants, as well as attacking strategic targets in the intended landing areas, all designed to diminish Germany�s fighting capabilities. These...

Although the history of British aviation can boast many famous aeroplanes amongst its ranks, there can be few that were as visually striking as the mighty Phantom FG.1s of the Royal Navy, which operated from the diminutive deck of HMS Ark Royal. In the seconds prior to launch and whilst connected to the ship�s steam catapult, the aircraft�s nose wheel oleo would be extended to its maximum 40 inch position, giving the Phantom a distinct nose up attitude to increase the efficiency of engine...

One of the most crucial elements of the D-Day air campaign was the gathering of detailed reconnaissance photographs of the entire intended invasion area, which included the assessment of previous bombing raid effectiveness and the identification of future targets. In lessons learned during the disastrous Dieppe raid of 1942, military planners knew they had to have the very latest intelligence information in order to prepare for invasion, disrupting enemy communications and destroying defensive...

Few aeroplanes have had such a dramatic impact on the history of aerial warfare as the Fokker Eindecker series of monoplanes, aircraft which are regarded as the first true fighter aircraft in the history of aviation. It was not that these single-wing aircraft were such advanced aeronautical designs, as many of the world�s successful early aircraft were monoplanes (such as the Bleriot XI which crossed the English Channel in 1909), however, they did make use of a particularly sinister...

One of the most significant factors in reducing the effectiveness of Luftwaffe bombing operations during the Second World War was their lack of a capable heavy bomber which could be deployed in large numbers. By comparison, the Allies were almost spoilt for choice and following the introduction of the four engined Short Stirling, Bomber Command�s operations took on a new dimension of offensive capability. The second four engined �Heavy� to enter squadron service was the Handley Page Halifax,...

As the Royal Air Force prepared to mark their centenary year in some style, there was no doubt that the world famous Red Arrows would have a significant role to play throughout 2018. Coming at the end of an intensive period of winter training, where approximately 150 practice sorties would need to be flown before the team�s display authorisation could be granted, every Airshow event and ceremonial flypast would hope to boast an appearance from the Red Arrows during the RAF�s centenary year....

Fokker D.VII (OAW) 4649/18 "Seven Swabians" Alfred Bader Jasta 65 September 1918 by Corgi Diecast Aviation Item Number: AA38906Although the air war had turned inexorably in favour of the Allies by the late summer of 1918, the Luftstreitkrafte were still able to introduce an aircraft which is generally considered to be the finest fighter of the Great War, the Fokker D.VII. German pilots had a saying that this new fighter could make a mediocre pilot good and a good pilot into an ace, but...