By the end of the Second WorldWar, the Royal Air Force saw littleneed to retain the large numberof Bristol Beaufighter squadrons itcurrently had in service, so most unitswere simply disbanded, a couple wereretained for home duties, with theremainder prepared for deploymentto the Far East. One notable exceptionto this rule were RAF No.45 Squadron,who replaced their wartime Mosquitoeswith the Beaufighter TF.X fighter bomber,before moving out to operate from a newbase in Ceylon. In August 1948, the squadronmoved to Kuala Lumpur in response to theMalayan Emergency, where it would takepart in the combined Commonwealthactions to quell the guerrilla activities ofthe Communist backed Malayan NationalLiberation Army. Using the legendary range and hardhitting attributes of this capable heavy fighter, the unit’sBeaufighters would loiter over the jungle, waiting tounleash a withering barrage of rocket and cannon fireon enemy positions, once given targeting instructions fromCommonwealth troops patrolling in the vicinity. These ageingWWII warhorses were replaced by the new Bristol Brigandground attack aircraft by the end of 1949, leaving the situationin Malaya to rumble on for a further ten years and with RAFsupport very much moving into the jet age during that time.

This limited edition model from Corgi is part of the highly collectable Aviation Archive range of die-cast model aircraft.  Scales include 1:48, 1:72 and 1:144 and features aeroplanes from World War I, World War II and the modern era.  Most models in the Aviation Archive range are limited editions.