Corgi Douglas™ AC-47 Gunship ‘Spooky 086™’ CAF Gulf Coast Wing (1:72)

Douglas™ AC-47 Gunship ‘Spooky 086™’ CAF Gulf Coast Wing (1:72)   When it comes to allowing the public to interact with historic aeroplanes, nobody does so quite like the Commemorative Air Force (CAF). Honouring the heroes of yesterday by inspiring the heroes of tomorrow, those involved with CAF are dedicated to this vital mission, inspiring millions of people by educating them about their aircraft and the people who built, flew, and maintained them. One of the latest aircraft to join the CAF fleet is a Douglas AC-47 Gunship, known as ‘Spooky 086.’ The aircraft is assigned to the CAF’s Texas-based Gulf Coast Wing, where members have worked hard to prepare it for its debut on the US historic aviation scene. The AC-47 is a beautiful example of the fire support platforms that served with distinction during the Vietnam War.  This aircraft was originally built as a C-47B in 1944 and later assigned to the US Navy as an R4D-6. Although this aircraft didn’t serve in Vietnam, the CAF intends for this project to highlight the aircraft's adaptability, which enabled its conversion into an airborne fire support platform 25 years after it was originally built.  Spooky gunships could loiter over a battlefield, circling and concentrating fire, making them an effective early counterinsurgency aircraft. The code markings worn by “Spooky 086” do not designate a specific AC-47 that served but rather pay tribute to 86 individual AC-47 crew members who lost their lives whilst serving during the Vietnam War.

Corgi Panavia Tornado GR1A, ZA371/C, Norway, 1995 (1:48)

Panavia Tornado GR1A, ZA371/C, Norway, 1995 Tracing its lineage back to the formation of the Royal Flying Corps at Farnborough in May 1912, No.II(AC) Squadron is the most senior squadron in the current Royal Air Force. It also has the honour of being the first fixed-wing aircraft unit anywhere in the world. The first British unit to cross the Channel to operate in France at the start of the Great War, ‘Shiny Two’ became specialist in the role of aerial Army cooperation flying and aerial reconnaissance.  The Unit served throughout the Cold War period, operating a variety of classic aircraft types, including the Hawker Hunter, McDonnell Douglas Phantom and SEPECAT Jaguar. It began an impressive 27-year association with the Panavia Tornado from the end of 1988, only broken when they exchanged their aircraft for Eurofighter Typhoons. During that period, the most strikingly presented Tornados were those benefitting from a temporary winter camouflage scheme in support of their deployment to Norway on Arctic operations. These combined defence and readiness exercises saw various aircraft types from different nations regularly coming together to test their capabilities in meeting the threat posed by Eastern Bloc forces in the high north of Europe, a show of strength to deter any thoughts of aggression.  The GR.1A variant of the Tornado was a dedicated reconnaissance platform, made up of 16 converted GR.1 airframes and 14 newly constructed aircraft. This 1:48 scale Aviation Archive die-cast model replicates the Panavia Tornado in high detail, making it perfect for an aviation collector. - 1:48 Scale