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Panavia Tornado GR.4 ZA548, RAF No.31 Squadron ‘Goldstars’ Retirement Scheme, RAF Marham, March 2019Wingspan 7.6"Having the distinction of being one of final two RAF squadron's to operate the Panavia Tornado, No.31 squadron were determined not to allow their long association with this exceptional aircraft go unheralded. During November 2018, Tornado GR.4 ZA548 emerged from the paint shop at RAF Marham wearing a distinctive new disbandment scheme, which marked 35 years of Tornado operations for the squadron and featured the silhouette of a Tornado on the tail of the aircraft, with the unit's famous 'Goldstar' emblem placed on top of it. The black spine of the aircraft also carries the wording '31 Squadron Tornado 1984-2019' and marks 35 years of Tornado operation, initially from bases in Germany, right up until the final days at RAF Marham. The gold star, which appears on the squadron's crest is a representation of the 'Star of India' and marks No.31 Squadron's heritage as the first military unit to fly in India. Tornado ZA548 would go on to undertake a series of high profile national flypasts and official RAF events during the final months of the Tornados service career, helping to give this Cold War warrior the fitting send-off it deserved. This scale representation of the aircraft is taking its place in the Aviation Achieve range alongside the other two specially presented disbandment Tornado models (AA33619 and AA33620) released earlier this year, with the trio making a fitting diecast tribute to an aircraft which served the Royal Air Force with such distinction. Even though the ground attack/reconnaissance variant of the Panavia Tornado was charged with performing some of the most demanding roles carried out by Royal Air Force aircraft, often acting as either an aviation peacekeeper, or hard hitting enforcer, the announcement of the aircraft's impeding withdrawal at the beginning of 2019 was greeted with an outpouring of affection by aviation enthusiasts, in addition to aircrew past and present. Thankfully, the last two squadrons operating these hard working aircraft were allowed to mark the final few months of RAF Tornado operation in some style, which included presenting no fewer

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Fairey Swordfish MkI V4448B A Flight No833 - Squadron FAA HMS Biter Operation Torch - November 1942 Swordfish aircraft used during 'Operation Torch' were assigned to provide anti-submarine patrols to protect the invasion force from enemy attack, with patrol operations commencing on 30th October whilst the task force was on approach to Gibraltar. An extremely busy period then followed for Swordfish crews, however, not everything went to plan during this time, with HMS Biter losing three of its Swordfish to landing accidents in just a few days, whilst aircraft were attempting to recover onto the carrier in rough seas. Indeed, two of these aircraft were so badly damaged that they were unceremoniously pushed over the side of the vessel into the angry seas which had caused their demise. On 7th November 1942, the Swordfish of both A and B flights of No 833 Squadron FAA put ashore at Gibraltar and commenced anti-submarine patrol operations from the island, as the work to finalise the huge assault groups began in earnest. HMS Biter was assigned to the Central Naval Task Force aimed at Oran, and whilst her Swordfish continued to protect force vessels from U-boat attack, her complement of Sea Hurricanes would be required to provide fighter top cover for other fighter attack aircraft tasked with taking out Axis airfields following the commencement of operations. Although enemy submarine activity posed a very real threat to the sizeable Allied assault force, the Swordfish screen helped deter any futile attacks by enemy units.

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Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress 43-37756G Milk WagonThe military airfield at Rattlesden in Suffolk was constructed for American use during 1942 and was classified as an A™ standard airfield. With three concrete runways and 50 dispersed aircraft hardstanding points, it was initially intended for use by twin engined Martin B-26 Marauder bombers, but when it was later felt that these aircraft would be better suited flying from bases further south, Rattlesden became home for the soon to arrive B-17s of the 447th Bombardment Group. The first bombing mission undertaken by aircraft of the 447th took place on Christmas Eve 1943, when their B-17s were sent to flatten a suspected V-1 flying bomb site near Saint Omer, a mission which would set the tone for a busy few months to come. Fully committed to the campaign in preparation for D-Day, the 447th would be sent against targets such as airfields, rail marshalling yards, suspected rocket sites, submarine pens and naval installations across France, Belgium and into Germany itself, interspersed with joining other units in concentrated attacks against city targets. On D-Day itself, the unit bombed the beachhead sectors in advance of the landings, following pathfinder aircraft for target identification.The weeks following D-Day saw no let-up in mission activity for the Fortresses of the 447th, as they undertook almost daily missions in support numerous strategic objectives, which included the Battle of the Bulge and Operation Varsity. They flew their final combat mission on 21st April 1945, targeting a marshalling yard at Ingolstadt in Germany and by the summer of the same year, all serviceable aircraft were flown back to the US, where the 708th Bomb Squadron was inactivated on 7th November 1945.One of the most enduring features of US air operations from Britain during the Second World War was their use of nose artwork to adorn many of their combat aircraft, a practice which was generally frowned upon by RAF hierarchy, but seemingly ignored by their American counterparts. The adoption of nose artwork is thought to have taken many forms, from being a good luck charm for the crew or highly visible warning to enemy fighter pilots to leave them alone, if they know what™s good

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Red Wrath - North American B-25D Mitchell The four squadrons making up the 345th BG 'Air Apaches' arrived in Port Moresby, New Guinea during the summer of 1943, routing from Australia, with crews intent on continuing the work started by the 38th BG 'Sunsetters' in using B-25 Mitchells as low flying, heavy hitting strafing gunships. Fitted with an additional eight forward firing .50 calibre machine guns, the aircraft of the 498th BS 'The Falcons' would become some of the most flamboyantly presented aircraft of the Pacific War, with the glazed section of their noses overpainted in a green, yellow and red representation of a falcon's head. With all those .50 cals firing in unison, must have made for a fearsome sight, particularly if you were unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of their attentions. This distinctive aircraft named 'Red Wrath', was one of the hard-working strafing Mitchells of the 498th BS and made a name for itself whilst leading a raid against Japanese forces on the Island of Rabul in October 1943, one of the first such operations. Piloted by Lt. Col. Clinton L True, 'Red Wrath' flew at the head of a force of 36 Mitchells leaving their base at Dobodura Airfield, with 200 miles of open ocean between them and their target. Bad weather forced the mission to be aborted, however, the leader of the B-25 Mitchell force apparently didn't receive the order and the Mitchells pressed on alone. True had a reputation for being a particularly aggressive pilot and wore his 'Fearless' nickname with pride, and whilst it was claimed he simply chose to ignore the order, that was never definitively proven. Pressing their attack home with ferocity, once the Mitchells were over the target, they pounded the Japanese airfield complex, claiming at least 22 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air and countless others put out of action on the ground. Only 2 B-25s failed to make the return flight home to Dobodura Airfield.

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Bristol Beaufighter TF X X2 No455 RAAF Squadron, June 1944 Features Include:• Detailed crew figures• Rotating Turret • Optional Armaments • Flight stand• Wingspan 9.6" • Optional landing gear No. 455 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force began operations in the ETO as part of RAF Bomber Command but transferred to Coastal Command at the end of April 1942. Still flying the Handley Page Hampden at that time, crews were immediately required to train in the delivery of airborne torpedo attacks, in advance of flying anti-shipping operations against Axis vessels operating in Norwegian coastal waters. Flying from their home base at Leuchars in Fife, their Hampdens were not particularly suitable for this type of mission and initial success rates were disappointing, with many crews paying the ultimate price for their aircraft's lack of capability. Things improved from December 1943 onwards, when the unit traded their Hampdens for Beaufighters, with crews immediately developing tactics to maximise the impact of their capable new aircraft. Operating in tandem with No.489 Squadron (RNZAF), the two formed the 'ANZAC Strike Wing', using the combined strength of both squadrons to launch devastating attacks against Axis shipping in the North Sea. Beaufighters configured as heavy fighters attacked and neutralised enemy anti-aircraft defences before the bomb and torpedo-equipped aircraft swooped to deliver their destructive blows. The Strike Wing's tactics proved so effective that they were later called upon to clear the sea lanes of the English Channel in the months leading up to D-Day, paying particular attention to the E-boats which posed such a threat to Allied invasion planning.

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Government Aircraft Factories - GAF Canberra Mk20 A84-240 RAAF - No. 2 Sqn - Phan Rang Air Base SouthDuring the Vietnam War, eight Royal Australian Air Force Canberras from No.2 Squadron operated under a memorandum of understanding between the RAAF and the USAF, operating from Phan Rang Air Base in central South Vietnam, attached for the duration to the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing of the United States Air Force. These aircraft would provide crucial additional strike support for US units and were requested because of the aircraft's endurance, bombing accuracy and their ability to operate below the notoriously low cloud bases which often affected this region, if required. The first RAAF Canberra arrived at Phan Rang on 16th April 1967 having made the two hour transit flight from its base at Butterworth in Malaysia and the eight allocated aircraft would go on to serve with distinction during a four year period operating in support of the Vietnam War. With both RAAF air and ground crews operating at maximum efficiency, the Australian Canberras posted an impressive serviceability rate of 97%, but perhaps even more impressive than this, despite only flying 6% of the USAF 35th TFW's operational sorties during the conflict, they managed to inflict 16% of the damage inflicted. By the time No.2 Squadron returned to Australia in 1971, they had become the final operational Canberra unit in the RAAF, but returned with a proud record of both serviceability and operational effectiveness throughout their deployment.

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Messerschmitt Me262A-1a, 'Yellow 17', Lt Walter Hagenah III Jagdgeschwader 7 One of the most interesting engagements involving a Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter during WWII occurred on 10th April 1945, when pilot Lt Walther Hagenah and his wingman were ordered to intercept a heavy raid of USAAF bombers attacking an area north of Berlin. Knowing they would be massively outnumbered by Allied aircraft, the pair intended to attack the formation at high speed, using cannon and their underwing mounted R4M unguided rocket projectiles to break up the formation and spread confusion. With the mighty bomber stream in sight, Hagenah noticed a flight of six American P-51D Mustangs above them, which immediately dropped their external fuel tanks as they dived in to attack. Hagenah's experience told him that if he turned to face them, or made any violent evasive manoeuvre, the speed of the Mustangs would soon bring him into their gunsights, so instead, he pushed the throttles to full power and began a gentle dive towards the ground, but crucially, not changing heading. His wingman decided to take a different course of action, turning to face the Mustangs and immediately being enveloped in a hail of .50 calibre bullets. With his own jet now at full speed, Hagenah expertly positioned his Messerschmitt for an attack on the American fighters, opening up on them with everything he had, including ripple-firing his R4M rockets at the enemy fighter formation.

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EA-18G Growler - Electronic Attack Squadron VAQ-141, US Navy, USS George Washington, 2013

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EA-18G Growler - Grey Wolves Electronic Attack Squadron VAQ-142, US Navy, USS Gerald R. Ford, 2013 With 2x Next Generation Jammer (NGJ)

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Bristol F-2B Fighter - No.111 Sqn - Egypt, October 1917With the aeroplane becoming such a vital weapon during the Great War and with the Royal Flying Corps' Royal Aircraft Factory BE2c reconnaissance aircraft suffering so badly at the hands of the German Fokker Eindecker, an effective replacement in the armed reconnaissance/fighter role was desperately needed. At the Bristol Aeroplane Company, Chief Designer Frank Barnwell was determined that he was going to produce such an aircraft and he was uniquely qualified to deliver on his promise. A qualified Royal Flying Corps pilot with combat flying experience over the Western Front, he knew what qualities the new aircraft must possess and perhaps of even greater importance, what RFC crews would need from it. The new aircraft must be capable of effectively defending itself from enemy attack, but also to possess the ability to turn the tables in such circumstances and make any Luftstreitkräfte pilot regret their decision to tangle with the new British aircraft.The prototype Bristol Type 12 (F.2A) made its maiden flight on 9th September 1916 and powered by the new 190hp Rolls Royce Falcon I engine, posted impressive performance from the start. A relatively large and purposeful aircraft, suitably impressed War Office officials placed an order for further development aircraft and 50 production aircraft for RFC training units, all of which would eventually be assigned to No.48 Squadron. Following training in the UK, this unit would take their Bristol Fighters across the Channel and make their combat debut in April 1917 at the Battle of Arras.

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Bristol Beaufort Mk1 L9866 RAF No217 Squadron ST Eval CornwallAs arguably Britain's most capable maritime strike aircraft, the Bristol Beaufort was charged with carrying a heavy burden during the early years of the war, particularly when the RAF were engaged in targeting German surface raiders putting into port at Brest for repair and replenishment. Having already taken a heavy toll of Allied shipping during a previous Atlantic patrol, the mighty Admiral Hipper had successfully completed a period of repair in Brest and was almost ready to return to sea once more by the end of January 1941, something the RAF could not allow. Charged with the task of stopping her, several Beaufort torpedo bombers of No.217 Squadron were dispatched from RAF St. Eval in Cornwall just before 15:00 hrs on 1st February 1941, a force which included L9866/MW-J under the command of Sgt John Bell Rutherford. Setting a course for Brest Harbour, the Beaufort crews knew they were headed for one of the most heavily defended locations in Europe, but worse than this, they also knew that as the German ship was about to come under steam, enemy defences would be expecting a visit from the RAF and would be ready for them. If the British bombers were to successfully press home their attack, they would need much more than just flying skill to survive this withering German defensive onslaught, in addition to the unwanted attentions of the Luftwaffe before and after making their strike run.

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Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX W/Cdr. - J.E. JohnsonWearing full D-Day identification markings, Spitfire MK329 JE-J 'Junior' was the personal mount of RAF ace pilot James Edgar 'Johnnie' Johnson, one of the RAF's top scoring fighter aces of WWII and one who's impressive tally of 34 confirmed aerial victories was scored exclusively against Luftwaffe single engined fighters. Flying extensively in support of the D-Day landings, Johnson and the squadrons under his command would be employed in aggressively clearing the skies of northern France of Luftwaffe fighter opposition, something they proved rather effective at doing. In fact, by D-Day, Johnson was one of the most successful Allied air aces still flying operationally, with his victories showing no sign of abating. Johnson and his No.127 (RCAF) Wing were one of the first fighter units to be sent to operate from forward landing bases in France following the successful Normandy landings, which is where the unusual story of this particular aircraft comes from. It appears that Spitfire Mk.IX MK329 was something of a hybrid machine and not the one Johnson actually flew in combat, but more of a hack airframe.It is reputed that once his unit had been sent to operate in France, he used this Spitfire to fly back to the UK on unofficial 'Beer Runs', returning to their temporary home with two beer kegs attached under the wing of his aircraft. This practice was frowned upon by the RAF top brass, so units came up with ingenious ways around the restrictions, using standard external fuel tanks which had been thoroughly washed out for the purpose of transporting their beer, however, despite their very best endeavours, the beer still had a nasty aftertaste of fuel. It is thought that as Johnson was particularly highly regarded by both his men and his superiors, a blind eye may have been turned on his unofficial Spitfire sorties and the refreshing ordnance they ferried. There are few details regarding the actual production and service career of Spitfire MK329 in existence, which Johnson described in his memoirs as being a collection of components from various different Spitfires, something of a mix and match airframe. This is borne out by the fact that its seri

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Supermarine Spitfire MkIXc - GC Colin Gray - Operation Husky - July 1943Desperate to ensure the Spitfire maintained its ongoing combat effectiveness, designers at the Vickers Supermarine Company were almost constantly engaged in modifying, upgrading and improving their famous fighter throughout the Second World War, however, during that time, there were occasions when unexpected Luftwaffe advancements called upon their flexibility and ingenuity. With a significant new variant of the Spitfire at the advanced stages of development, the introduction of a capable new German fighter aircraft in the skies over occupied Europe caused great concern amongst RAF officials, who were now losing Spitfires at an alarming rate and needed an immediate response. With the proposed squadron introduction of the new Spitfire Mk.VIII variant still some months away, Supermarine designers had the idea of mating the intended new powerplant for this aircraft, the Rolls Royce Merlin 60 series engine, with existing Spitfire Mk.V airframes already on the production line, a temporary solution which might just buy them the time they needed.The idea was given official approval and the RAF's Emergency Interim Fighter Programme got underway, with the new variant given the designation Spitfire IX, a stop-gap solution which would actually prove to be something of a fighting thoroughbred. In actual fact, this undertaking was not without several rather significant challenges for the team at Supermarine to overcome and but for the severity of the situation in the skies over Europe, may have actually been regarded as too problematic. Attaching the powerful new variant of the Merlin engine to existing Spitfire airframes was fraught with challenges, as the new unit was larger, wider and featured a redesigned rear section, all of which made this far from a simple exchange of engines. Supermarine technicians had to remove all existing systems and connections, design a new engine mount, then replace all fittings with newly upgraded components, all of which were essentially hand built. In fact, it could be argued that many of the first Spitfire Mk.IX fighters were hand built, with each one having an incredible number of man hours devoted to their p

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Boulton Paul Defiant Mkl N1801 PS-Y Nightfighter Colmbatore II Although the Boulton Paul Defiant fought alongside Spitfires and Hurricanes during the air battles above the Dunkirk evacuation beaches and the Battle of Britain which followed, it enjoys nothing of the widespread public recognition its two contemporaries could boast. Surprisingly, the Defiant actually made its first flight and RAF squadron introduction quite some time after both the Hurricane and Spitfire, something which may explain its limited success when used in the day fighter role during WWII. The idea behind the Defiant™s unusual design came from inter-war thinking that future air combat would be fought by fast, heavily armed bomber formations, which would not need the protection of dedicated fighter cover.In order to combat this, the Defiant, equipped with its quad dorsal turret mounted machine gun armament, could engage these bombers with a beam attack, similar to how battleships might engage, or from below, where the bomber was most vulnerable and where the fighter could concentrate the firepower of its four .303 in Browning machine guns. This same thinking also dictated that this new bomber defence fighter would not need forward firing armament, as the high closing speed of modern monoplane fighters would render frontal attacks useless, so the Defiant incredibly ended up being a fighter aircraft with no forward firing armament at all.Having a similar profile to the Hawker Hurricane which preceded it into service, the Defiant initially scored some significant combat successes against Luftwaffe aircraft, even the much vaunted Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter. Attacking the Defiant as they would a Hurricane, Messerschmitt pilots soon realised their mistake, as they lined up to press home their flank attacks, only to be met by a hail of bullets. The shock of this misidentification was soon relayed to other pilots and the Defiant would soon become easy prey for the highly manoeuvrable Messerschmitts, which would attack the turret fighter from the front or from below, where the British aircraft simply could not defend itself.Withdrawn from the day fighter role during the Battle of Britain, the Defiant would go on to prove itself

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Curtiss P40 Warhawk -USAAF- 2nd Lt. Kenneth M Taylor - Wheeler Field, Pearl Harbor Raid - 7th December, 1941Wingspan 6.2"Having been posted to the US Army Air Corps’ 47th Pursuit Squadron at Wheeler Field on Honolulu Island in April 1941, Second Lieutenant Kenneth Taylor quickly showed his flying abilities and was given the position of flight commander soon after his arrival. In late November, the 47th Pursuit Squadron and their Curtiss P-40B fighters were sent to nearby Haleiwa Field for aerial gunnery exercises, shooting at flag targets and perfecting their aim. At the end of a busy period, Taylor and his squadron mate friend George Welch were granted weekend leave, so on the evening of 6th December and wearing full black tie dress, they headed for the Officers Club at Hickham Field, expecting a ‘real good time’. In the morning, while still sleeping off the effects of the previous night, the pair woke to the sound of low flying aeroplanes, explosions and machine gun fire - Wheeler Field was under attack. Pulling on their tuxedo trousers, Taylor rang ahead to Haleiwa and told them to prepare his and Welch’s fighters, before jumping in his Buick and traveling the ten minutes to the airfield at high speed. Immediately taking to the air and heading back towards Wheeler, the pair chased the Japanese aircraft towards Pearl Harbor, raking any aircraft which entered their sights with machine gun fire.

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Bristol Beaufighter TF10 No45 Squadron Operation Firedog RAF Kuala Lumpur Malaya 1949 Features Include:• Detailed crew figures• Drop Tank• Wood grain, rotating propellers • Rotating Turret • Optional Armaments • Flight stand• Wingspan 9.7" • Optional landing gear By the end of the Second World War, the Royal Air Force saw little need to retain the large number of Bristol Beaufighter squadrons it currently had in service, so most units were simply disbanded, a couple were retained for home duties, with the remainder prepared for deployment to the Far East. One notable exceptionto this rule were RAF No.45 Squadron,who replaced their wartime Mosquitoes with the Beaufighter TF.X fighter bomber, before moving out to operate from a new base in Ceylon. In August 1948, the squadron moved to Kuala Lumpur in response to the Malayan Emergency, where it would take part in the combined Commonwealth actions to quell the guerrilla activities of the Communist backed Malayan National Liberation Army. Using the legendary range and hard hitting attributes of this capable heavy fighter, the unit’sBeaufighters would loiter over the jungle, waiting to unleash a withering barrage of rocket and cannon fireon enemy positions, once given targeting instructions from Commonwealth troops patrolling in the vicinity. These ageing WWII warhorses were replaced by the new Bristol Brigand ground 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.

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