Welcome to my listing for a superb,
rare and desirable 1/72 Scale Corgi Aviation Archive Supermarine Spitfire Mk1
this is AN31919.
This baby Spitfire Mk.I was part of
Corgis first 1/72 Aircraft range, It has special red white and blue packaging and
pays homage to the 60th anniversary of the battle of Britain. This is one
of 4 aviation archive models in the 60th series covering WW2
-Classics, Spitfire x2 & Hurricane, BF109
This example represents K9953 ZP * A, A 74 Squadron RAF example flown by Flt Lt
(and soon to be ace) Adolf "Sailor Milan", as used in the first
official battle of the Battle of Britain, an encounter over convoy "bread. She is resplendent in early battle of Britain
camouflage of dark green and earth brown topsides and an early war black and
white ½ (identification) scheme undersides.
Note the radio mast behind cockpit is
not painted (an oversight – not the first from Corgi!)
1/72 UN limited release from corgi
Limited year 2000.
Model is as New 10/10. Box is 9.0/10. Minor marks & shelf wear
Listed at what I consider fair, I will consider reasonable offers.
one of a number of Rare, limited or interesting releases I'm
putting up for sale over the next few days. I will happily combine
postage, answer questions or provide additional images International offers
welcomed, the E-Bay system used but I can and will quote for other methods if
it suits.
Spitfire
Designed by R.J.Michell to meet a British Air Ministry specification,
the Supermarine Spitfire first flown on March 5th, 1936. With its combination
of beautiful fighter design, the excellent performance of its Rolls-Royce
Merlin powerplant and firepower provided by twin cannons and four machine guns,
the Spitfire became an unrivalled symbol of victory. The Spitfire had 40 major
variants and was built in greater numbers than any other British aircraft of
the time. It flew operationally on every front between 1939 and 1945 and was engaged
in every one of the Royal Air Force's major actions.
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was
used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the
Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and
in secondary roles into the 1950s. It was produced in greater numbers than any
other British aircraft and was the only British fighter in production
throughout the war.
The Spitfire was designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor
aircraft[6] by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation
Works (since 1928 a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong). Mitchell continued to
refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937, whereupon his colleague
Joseph Smith became chief designer. The Spitfire’s elliptical wing had a thin
cross-section, allowing a higher top speed than several contemporary fighters,
including the Hawker Hurricane. Speed was seen as essential to carry out the
mission of home defence against enemy bombers.
During the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire was perceived by the public as the
RAF fighter of the battle, whereas in fact, the more numerous Hurricane
actually shouldered a greater proportion of the burden against the Luftwaffe.
The Spitfire units did, however, have a lower attrition rate and a higher
victory to loss ratio than those flying Hurricanes.
After the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire became the backbone of RAF Fighter
Command, and saw action in the European, Mediterranean, Pacific and the
South-East Asian theatres. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire served in
several roles, including interceptor, photo-reconnaissance, fighter-bomber,
carrier-based fighter, and trainer. It was built in many variants, using
several wing configurations. Although the original airframe was designed to be
powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine producing 1,030 hp, it was adaptable
enough to use increasingly more powerful Merlin and the later Rolls-Royce
Griffon engines; the latter was eventually able to produce 2,035 hp.