Gloster Gladiator MK II – G-GLAD, Preserved as 141 Sqn RAF, Duxford 2013

Corgi Aviation Archive 1/72 scale AA36210: Gloster Gladiator Mk II of The Fighter Collection, Duxford, England. Limited edition of 1,400 pieces.

Length 4.5 inches Wingspan 5.25 inches

Built in 1939 by Gloster Aircraft at their Huddlecoate factory, Gladiator N5903 is now one of just two examples of the type still airworthy. Restored by the Fighter Collection over a period of more than ten years this Gladiator is an excellent example of the late 1930s biplane. On entering service it flew with 141 Fighter Squadron at Turnhouse in Scotland before being replaced by Boulton Paul Defiants in April 1940. The Gladiator survived the war, being used for various training and hack duties, before being purchased back by Gloster in 1948. Used as an instructional airframe it was given to the Shuttleworth Collection in 1960 along with the other flying Gladiator L8032. After this it was loaned to the Fleet Air Arm Museum before being purchased for restoration by The Fighter Collection in 1994.

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.