Airfix 1:72 A50135 Dogfight Doubles Spitfire Mk1a and Messerschmitt Bf109e-4 Military Aircraft Gift Set,White

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Airfix 1:72 A50135 Dogfight Doubles Spitfire Mk1a and Messerschmitt Bf109e-4 Military Aircraft Gift Set,White

Airfix 1:72 A50135 Dogfight Doubles Spitfire Mk1a and Messerschmitt Bf109e-4 Military Aircraft Gift Set,White

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His opponent was clearly an experienced pilot and May simply could not shake him from his tail - his only chance of survival was to dive for the ground and try to make it over Allied lines, in the hope that his enemy would not follow. What he didn't know at the time was that he was being chased by the distinctive red Fokker Dr.1 of Manfred von Richthofen, the greatest air ace the world had ever known. An impressive vessel in every respect, the German Deutschland class ‘Armoured ship’ Admiral Graf Spee was built during the 1930s, around the restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, following the end of the Great War. Although this prohibited Germany from building warships with a weight greater than 10,000 long tons, the country knew that if they were to prevail in any war to come, they would have to challenge the dominance of Britain’s powerful fleet and have some presence on the world’s oceans. Working loosely around the restrictions, this new ship had a nominal weight which did conform to the weight limitations, however, when she was fully fitted out, she significantly exceeded it.

Just as it seemed the hapless May would either hit the ground or appear large one final time in the red Fokker Dr.1's gunsights, the German aircraft was seen to rear up and immediately attempt to make a forced landing in a nearby beet field, with the undercarriage being ripped off the aircraft due to the rough ground. Mortally wounded, Manfred von Richthofen shut down the engine of his machine and cut off the fuel supply, before succumbing to his injuries at the controls of his aircraft, the result of a single bullet wound to his body. This historic victory was initially attributed to (although not claimed by) Captain Roy Brown, however, subsequent research revealed that the bullet lodged in von Richthofen’s chest was most likely fired by a trooper from an Australian machine gun position on the Morlancourt Ridge. Airfix Gift Sets are ideal for more advanced modellers and include glue, acrylic paints and brushes. Full scheme details of the final aircraft flown by Manfred von Richthofen and the one in which he flew his final sortie.The primary fixed armament of the A-4B Skyhawk was a pair of Colt Mk.12 cannons, one located in each of the aircraft’s wing roots. These powerful guns would make short work of anything in their path, either in the air or on the ground, however, they only carried a relatively modest ammunition capacity of just 100 rounds each, meaning a Skyhawk pilot could never allow himself to become trigger happy. The vehicle presented here is one which was the subject of several famous wartime photographs, with its crew using a welcome lull in the fighting to enjoy an ‘Al fresco’ meal by the side of their fighting machine. Christened ‘ANZIO’ by her crew, this Priest was involved in the heavy fighting which took place during the Italian campaign, as the Allies attempted to break the stubborn resistance of the Gustav Line and to finally use this second front as a springboard to launch offensives into Germany itself. Total loss statistics for both aircraft types during the conflict are difficult to definitively corroborate, however, it is though that 282 Douglas A-4 Skyhawks were lost (195 in combat), compared with 63 MiG-17 losses. What is certain is that when talking about basic, rugged, no frills jet aviation types, both the MiG-17 and A-4 Skyhawk definitely occupy the same historic airspace.

Although the Bristol F2.B Fighter would go on to be regarded as one of the finest fighting aeroplanes of the Great War, its combat introduction on the Western Front was inauspicious to say the least. Intended as a replacement for the much maligned Royal Aircraft Factory BE2c, the Bristol Fighter was rushed into service so that Britain's latest combat aircraft could take part in the Second Battle of Arras in April 1917 and demonstrate the advancement in Allied aircraft design. During its first operational sortie on 5th April, six aircraft from No. 48 Squadron RFC, led by famous Victoria Cross recipient William Leefe Robinson, were bounced by Albatros fighters of Jasta 11, led by Manfred von Richthofen, the famous Red Baron. During the ensuing melee, four of the new fighters, including the one flown by Robinson, were shot down, with a further machine suffering serious damage. Providing effective mobile artillery support to ground troops, each US Armoured Division had up to three battalions of M7 HMC’s assigned to it, which reflected the importance in which these vehicles were held when planning any ground operation. Used by all the Allied armoured fighting units in Normandy and the battles to come, the M7 may have been something of an unsung armoured hero of WWII, however, its combat effectiveness could never be called into question.If you don’t have either of these kits, which have already enjoyed previous separate outings (and been subjects of full builds in Airfix Model World), they are little gems, with good panel line engraving, moulded tyre tread patterns and many other pleasing embellishments. Above: Fine panel line engraving is just one feature on the Me 262 kit parts shown here and (below) the P-51D. There’s plenty of detail all round. Referred to as 'The Red Devil' by French airmen by virtue of the distinctive colour of his aircraft, the legend of the Red Baron would only begin to form in the years after his death, once all the facts about his heritage and flying prowess had become more widely known. Arguably the world's first aviation celebrity figure, the legend of von Richthofen was made more compelling by the chivalrous manner in which he flew combat missions, something which proved an irresistible distraction from the indiscriminate carnage of trench warfare for many people. The classic combination of Spirit and any other worthwhile adversary would lead to a classic kit combination. However in this case, the rather strange pairing of these two craft in a realife dogfight led to Airfix combining these two in a 'one-of-a-kind' Dogfight Double. The legendary tale of the first encounter of this other-worldly craft by Flight Lieutenant Paul Dugget in 1944 and an unknown and unnamed Nazi airman has left an imprint on our collective minds much greater than the impact of the actual battle on the outcome of events in World War II. Dugget's encounter was the first reported example of an allied aircraft being engaged by what the Allied pilots began to call "a tinhat". The brief encounter can barely be called a dogfight as the Haunebu MkII was merely making its fast vertical assent when a chance came to fire a burst of 20mm cannon at the unaware Allied craft cruising in horizontal flight. The fact that the allied plane was untouched by fire and was unable to engage the enemy craft in return does reduce this 'dogfight' to the more prosaic realms of a mere encounter. However, the concept of these two craft, built for entirely different roles, trying to engage each other in mortal combat has an enduring appeal that has had modellers, over the decades, creating far more Haunebu models than ever were constructed in real-life. How many children have run around the Christmas bedroom holding a model of the 'tinhat' flying saucer pursuing a spirit in a life-or-death mortal struggle to the bitter end? In reality we know that Paul Dugget survived the encounter but how many more allied craft succumbed to such an encounter unable to report their own destruction? We shall never know. The above is an account of undoubtedly one of the most famous incidents in the history of aviation and when this is combined with the fact that this new release also occupies quite a historic position in an Airfix modelling sense, could there be a more appropriate build project for us to embark on this year? With this kit destined to be the first Dogfight Double kit to be inducted into the Vintage Classics hall of fame and with it boasting a restored version of its original iconic artwork, we think this release will strike a chord with many a modeller in the weeks and months ahead. The Fokker Dr.1 was developed following the introduction of the British Sopwith Triplane fighter in 1917, an aircraft which having met one in combat, was described by von Richthofen and the most manoeuvrable aircraft in the skies and unquestionably the most capable Allied fighter at that time. The prowess of the new British fighter in a combat scenario led von Richthofen to lobby his superiors to instruct the German aviation industry to develop their own triplane design as a matter of urgency and following the capture of several RFC Sopwith Triplanes, German industry responded. In fact, the development of a new triplane fighter became something of an obsession in Germany over the next few months, as many companies embarked on their own triplane projects, with at least twenty different designs progressing to the production of a prototype aircraft.

The Vintage Classics range is about to welcome the return of two much loved and eagerly anticipated warship kits, one British and one German, but both possessing strong links to the sea battles of the Second World War. This latest stunning box artwork shows the meeting of two of aviation’s most agile early jets, both extremely advanced in their own right This fantastic image shows built examples of both scheme options which are included with this latest 1/35th scale armour kit

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Welcome to this latest edition of our Workbench blog and all the news, updates and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix. Welcome to this latest edition of Workbench and all the news, updates and exclusive announcements from the fascinating world of Airfix modelling. The RAF Museum at Hendon in London is planning an exhibition about Airfix which is due include examples of Roy Cross’ artwork for the company. The exhibition is due to open in June 2013 and is planned to relocate to the RAF Museum at Cosford in Autumn 2014. Both RAF Museums are free. Initially Maltas only defending fighter aircraft were outdated Gloster Gladiators and then Hawker Hurricanes but at the height of the battle, cannon armed and tropicalized Spitfire Mk.Vbs were used to intercept the German Junkers Ju88 and Ju87 Stuka dive bombers which were escorted by Messerschmitt Bf109Es. It became a struggle that was in some ways similar to the Battle of Britain. Eventually at the end of 1942, the war in North Africa had been won by the Allies so Malta was no lo of such important to the Axis powers and the bombing stopped allowing the starving civil population to be re-supplied by sea. Both of these magnificent ships were popular additions to the Airfix model range and their inclusion in the growing Vintage Classics range has been welcomed by many. We are pleased to announce that both are now ‘on the water’ and scheduled for imminent release. An armoured minister of wrath



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