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JB II - Hawker Typhoon IB, John R Baldwin By the end of his first tour of duty in April 1944, pilot John Robert Baldwin had amassed at least 13 aerial victories, having flown an incredible number of missions supporting pre-D-Day operations in his trusty Hawker Typhoon. He would return to operational flying after taking a short break, having been promoted to the position of Wing Commander RAF No.146 Wing, again flying Typhoons and again embarking on a punishing schedule of flight operations, this time in support of the Allied ground advances through France and missions against V-1 Doodlebug sites. Leading the entire Wing on at least sixteen occasions, Baldwin’s logbook shows at least 110 sorties flown in support of these missions, with other official records suggesting that figure should be closer to 170, as this Wing Commander was determined to lead his men from the front during these dangerous missions. Baldwin’s reputation was such that he was assigned at least two Typhoons, each configured for different missions. One was equipped with bombs, whilst the one referred to as ‘JBII’ sported the rocket projectiles RAF Hawker Typhoons became so famous for using. One wartime picture shows two of Baldwin’s Typhoons parked next to each other, which is a fascinating record of this ace pilot’s wartime contribution. John Robert Baldwin would end the war as the highest-scoring Hawker Typhoon ‘Ace’, with 15 confirmed victories, 1 shared and 4 probables to his name.

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Spad XIII , S.7714, Captain Robert Soubiran A French-born American citizen, Robert Soubiran felt it was his duty to go and fight for the country of his birth at the start of the First World War, travelling to France at his own expense, to join the French Foreign Legion on his arrival. He joined with fellow future Lafayette Escadrille pilots James Bach, Bert Hall, Kiffin Rockwell, Paul Rockwell and William Thaw and served with the 2nd Foreign Regiment in the Battle of Champagne, with the 170th Line Infantry Regiment. Injured during the fighting in October 1915, he spent four months recuperating, during which time he applied for and was accepted into the French Service Aeronautique, graduating on 20th October 1916 and joining Escadrille Américaine two days later. Around one year of combat flying later, Soubiran was awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palm for actions covering an attack against German Drachen balloons, where he was credited with his only aerial victory of the war. He transferred to the 103rd Pursuit Squadron US Army Air Service following America's entry into the war, where he continued to fly combat missions, eventually rising to the position of Commanding Officer. One of the first American nationals to arrive in France in 1914, Soubiran was also one of the last to leave in 1919 following the end of the war, having accumulated over 400 hours of combat flying.

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Messerschmitt Me109G-6 Trop - Maggiore Antonio VizzottoRegia Aeronautica, 150 Gruppo, Sicily, July 1943 Just as the famous Fokker Eindecker had previously done during the Great War, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 would re-define aerial warfare and was an aircraft which was intended to dominate the sky. An aircraft which incorporated all the latest technological developments the aviation world had to offer, this project may have advanced as a lightweight monoplane fighter, but possessed the one attribute all hunting aeroplanes needed, and that was great speed. Produced in response to a Reich Aviation Ministry requirement for an advanced single-seat fighter aircraft, the design submitted by Bayerische Flugzeugwerke was radical in the extreme, diminutive and lightweight in construction and utilising the most powerful in-line aero engines in development in Germany at that time.Taking much of its design inspiration from the successful Messerschmitt Bf108 Taifun four-seat sports touring aircraft which preceded it, the Bf 109 was a relatively small, yet powerful monoplane fighter, one which was incredibly fast, heavily armed and highly manoeuvrable. At a time when the world's major air forces were mainly equipped with biplane designs for their front line fighter force, you might think that German pilots were desperate to get their hands on an aircraft which was so advanced that it was at the very forefront of world aviation, but that didn't initially prove to be the case. As they were used to slower, highly manoeuvrable aircraft with open cockpits, the enclosed cockpit of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 must have been more than a little claustrophobic for them, however, they soon warmed to the many impressive qualities of this aviation phenomenon, an aircraft which would allow them to dominate the skies. Interestingly, due to the advanced nature of the design and the fact that the new German built powerplants were not ready, the prototype aircraft was actually powered by a British Rolls Royce Kestrel engine, something of a strange dichotomy for a fighter which would go on to become the scourge of the Royal Air Force.Proving successful during flight trials with competing rival aircraft from other famous German aircr

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Hawker Hurricane Mk 1 Nightfighter When the Hawker Hurricane entered squadron service at the end of December 1937, it heralded a new era of aviation for a Royal Air Force which could now boast the introduction of their first high speed monoplane fighter. From a design perspective, the Hurricane was more evolutionary than revolutionary, taking many of its design characteristic from the successful series of sleek Hawker biplanes which preceded it - in fact, the new fighter was initially referred to as the Fury Monoplane™ project. A clever combination of traditional design and manufacturing techniques, whilst at the same time introducing many firsts™ for a British monoplane, such as an enclosed cockpit, retractable undercarriage and the adoption of eight machine gun armament, the Hurricane could be described as the right British aeroplane at the right time. In the days when speed was the main attribute required in securing superiority of the skies, the Hurricane was the first RAF fighter to exceed 300 mph in level flight, which at that time represented an incredible 100 mph increase over existing biplane fighters already in service.An extremely rugged aeroplane the traditional manufacturing techniques adopted by Hawker designers meant that the Hurricane was less complicated and much cheaper to produce than the revolutionary Spitfire which followed it into service and perhaps of even greater importance, it was easier to repair having sustained combat damage - these aircraft needed to be in the air fighting, not in a hangar being patched up. Despite the Spitfire taking the reputation of being Britain™s saviour during the Battle of Britain, the competent and dependable Hurricane actually accounted for 2/3rds of the RAF™s aerial victories claimed during the Battle of Britain, a fact which arguably makes the Hawker Hurricane the most important aircraft in British aviation history. Having proved instrumental in defeating the Luftwaffe by day during the summer of 1940, the Hurricane was also called upon to challenge them by night as they moved to a nocturnal bombing campaign following their defe

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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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Top Gun Mavericfk - Mavericks FA 18 Super Hornet Top Gun featured the best fighter pilots in the US Navy; wanting to be the best in the school with the same name. Featuring the modern F/A-18 Super Hornet Jet that is also flown by the Blue Angels. The true star of Top Gun, showcasing its speed, maneuverability and displaying some of the latest technological advances in aircrafts out there. Nicknamed the "Rhino" to differentiate from the standard Hornet, the Super Hornet is much heavier and equipped with an aerial refueling system for long range missions for this multirole fighter jet.

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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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Supermarine Spitfire - Flying Aces- Corgi Showcase SeriesRegarded by many people as the most famous aeroplane the world has ever seen, the Supermarine Spitfire was one of the first all-metal monoplane fighters, at a time when many of the worlds air forces were still equipped with biplane designs. Establishing its reputation during the aerial dogfights of the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire would go on to see service throughout the Second World War and earn the distinction of being the only Allied fighter to be in continuous production during the conflict. With the beautiful elliptical wing making the Spitfire instantly recognisable, the stunning good looks of the aircraft masked the fact that this was a deadly fighting aeroplane and one which was continually improved to ensure it was a match for anything in the skies. In the years which followed the end of the Second World War, the iconic Spitfire came into the hands of many private collectors all over the world and it became a popular aircraft on the Airshow scene. With many aircraft undergoing restoration to flying condition in the post war years, there are probably more Spitfires flying today than at any point since the end of WWII and they are sure to play a starring role in this years Battle of Britain 80th Anniversary commemorations. Corgi Showcase is a series of top quality die-cast model aircraft suitable for children aged five and over. Each model comes with a display stand. This series is ideal for the young aviation fan and offers a wide range of models to collect including biplanes, fighters, bombers and modern jets.

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F/ -18 Super Hornet -Flying Aces - Corgi Showcase SeriesOne of the toughest fighter jets currently in service, the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet is the US Navy's primary carrier-capable fleet defender and strike fighter, proven in combat and destined to remain in service for many years to come. As an evolutionary redesign of the original F-18 Hornet, the Super Hornets airframe is 25% larger than its predecessor and incorporates a host of weapons and avionics improvements, which make this one of the most effective naval aircraft in the world today. The F-18 Super Hornet is one of the aircraft currently operated by the famous US Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program, better known as Top Gun.Following combat experiences during the Vietnam War, the US Navy established this program to better equip their pilots for future deployment against enemy air forces, using specially prepared aircraft to simulate the tactics and appearance of potential adversaries. It was hoped that these training experiences would better prepare them for success in the challenging environment of aerial combat.Produced under licensed. (Vehicle/Aeroplane Models) the distinctive logos, product markings, and trade dress are all trademarks of The Boeing Company. Corgi Showcase is a series of top quality die-cast model aircraft suitable for children aged five and over. Each model comes with a display stand. This series is ideal for the young aviation fan and offers a wide range of models to collect including biplanes, fighters, bombers and modern jets.

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