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Gloster Gladiator Mk 11 – 263 Sqn RAF, Norway 1940

Gladiator Mk 11 – 263 Sqn RAF, Norway 1940

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Availability:

4 in stock

£39.99

4 in stock

Corgi Aviation Archive 1/72 scale AA36201: Gloster Gladiator Mk 11 N5641 HE-G of 263 Sqn RAF based in Norway in Spring 1940.

Length 4.5 inches Wingspan 5.25 inches

PLEASE NOTE:Box may have the odd faint mark but nothing that detracts. Model is new

Operating from a frozen lake all the planes were destroyed in 3 days. Once re-equipped with Gladiators the Sqn reformed further North until the Allies pulled out of Norway in June 1940. As part of the retreat the Sqn embarked on the carrier HMS Glorious, which was sunk by the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in the North Sea with the loss of over 1,200 lives as it attempted to return to the UK.

Designed as an improvement over the Gauntlet, the Gladiator was first flown on September 12th, 1934. The Gloster Gladiator was a British-built biplane fighter, used by the Royal Air Force and Navy and exported to a number of other air forces. Though often pitted against more advanced modern aircraft, it achieved wartime fame in the hands of skilled pilots, fighting some of the most dramatic battles of the early war years. Sea Gladiators were successful as carrier-based aircraft because their slower speed made them suitable for carrier operations, and because they were less likely to be facing modern fighter opposition.

Powered by the 850 h.p. Bristol Mercury IX air cooled radial engine, the Gladiator carried four Browning Machine Guns, two mounted in troughs just forward of the cockpit at each side of the aircraft, and two mounted beneath the lower wing, contained in streamlined pods. The top speed in level flight was about 250 m.p.h., and on a full tank of fuel could stay in the air for some two hours, or approximately 420 miles. With a wingspan of 32′ 3″ , length of 27′ 5″ , wing area of 323 sq. feet and fully loaded weight of 4,750 lbs the aircraft were very maneuverable . This along with the remarkable courage and daring of their young pilots in combat against faster opposition aircraft made the story of these planes legend.

Model features include superbly accurate looking fine gauge wire to simulate the structural bracing wires found between the wings and above the rear control surfaces, two machine gun pods under the lower wing and two almost hidden synchronized guns mounted on the sides of the fuselage. The radial engine is also nicely detailed.

Sold By : Plane Store SKU: AA36201 Categories: ,
Weight 0.8 kg