Airfix SLS: Artemis Gift Set (1:144)

SLS: Artemis Gift Set - Plastic Kit Gift Set Includes Glue & Paints - 1:144 Scale -No. parts 79 History Allowing a new generation of the earth’s population to witness the development and achievements of a NASA space program, the Space Launch System is their latest and most powerful rocket launch system, intended to take mankind to the moon and beyond.  The latest generation of super-heavy-lift launch vehicle, to the uninitiated, SLS and the Orion spacecraft capsule almost appears to be a combination of Apollo and Space Shuttle technologies, however, this incredible program represents the pinnacle of engineering technology taking man deeper into space than ever before.  Blasting off for an unmanned maiden launch on 16th November 2022, the first manned launch is planned for 2025, when the Orion capsule will embark on a lunar flyby.

Airfix Gift Set: 617 SQN. Dambusters 80th Anniversary (1:72)

Dambusters 80th Anniversary - Gift Set As the first of 20 modified Avro Lancasters arrived at RAF Scampton on 8th April 1943, the specially assembled volunteer crews of specialist 'Squadron X' (later allocated the RAF squadron number 617) from within 5 Group Bomber Command must have been intrigued. The new aircraft were B.III (Specials), referred to at Avro's Woodford factory as Lancaster Type 464 Provisioning and each one had been modified with equipment to deliver the Vickers Type 464 'Upkeep' mine. Although the mines had not been delivered to Scampton at that time, talk amongst the crews inevitably turned to discussing their intended target, with most assuming they would be sent to attack the massive German battleship Tirpitz. As more Lancaster's arrived, the commander of this new squadron, Wing Commander Guy Gibson, selected Lancaster ED932/AJ-G as his own aircraft, due to the fact that the bomber's codes were the same as his father's initials, Alexander James Gibson. Gibson and the crew of ED932 were amongst the first to train with their new aircraft and their unusual bombs, releasing their mines at a test site at Reculver on the north Kent coast from 12th May 1943, just five days before crews embarked on their historic raid. After a period of intense training and on the day prior to the raid, Gibson was finally briefed on the intended targets - 'Operation Chastise' would be striking at the industrial heart of Germany, the great dams of the Ruhr Valley. At 21.39 on 16th May 1943, Gibson and Lancaster ED932 took off from RAF Scampton at the head of the first attack wave of nine Lancasters heading for the Mohne Dam, flying a route over Suffolk, then the North Sea, crossing the Dutch coast at Zeeland, before heading inland attempting to avoid known areas of Luftwaffe defences. As Gibson and his crew made their attack run on the Mohne Dam, the other Lancasters of the first wave circled the target area, watching the effectiveness of the attack run and waiting for the instruction to commence their own attack. Having released their mine, Gibson and his crew flew alongside the other aircraft during their attacks, attempting to draw enemy fire away from the attacking aircraft, giving them the best chance of effecting a breach. The fifth mine dropped was a perfect run and exploded in exactly the right place to cause the already weakened dam to fail – they had done it. In the years which followed, this incredible operation was referred to as the 'Dambusters Raid' and No.617 Squadron would become one of the RAF's most famous units. 'Operation Chastise' was heralded as a spectacular success for Bomber Command, but at a heavy cost, as eight Lancasters and 53 airmen failed to return. Includes: - Detailed plastic kits of F-35B Lightning and Avro Lancaster - Cockpit detailing includes Pilots - Optional undercarriage (up or down positions) - Lancaster Features the famous "Bouncing Bomb" designed and developed by Sir Barnes Wallis - Armament detailing - Waterslide transfers/decals - 2x Display stands - Glue, paints and brushes included - 1:72 Scale

Airfix Starter Set: Sherman Firefly (1:72)

Sherman Firefly Set As Allied forces began to move off the D-Day beaches and into the Normandy countryside, they knew they would be facing strong opposition from German Panzer units, including the feared Heavy Tank Battalions. Fortunately, they now had a tank which was capable of taking on the Tigers and Panthers, in the form of the Sherman Firefly, a British designed marriage of the M4 Sherman and their famous 17-pounder anti-tank gun. Usually deployed in a ratio of one Firefly to four standard Shermans, German tank commanders soon learned to look for the longer barrel of the Firefly and attempt to knock these tanks out first. In order to make identification more difficult, British crews would camouflage the front of their guns with light coloured paint, giving their tank the appearance of a standard 75mm equipped Sherman, hoping this deception would give them enough time to get in the first shot during any engagement. Includes: - Sherman firefly tank - Waterslide Transfers/decals - Glue, paints and brushes included - 1:72 Scale

Airfix Classic Conflict - Tiger 1 vs Sherman Firefly (1:72)

Classic Conflict Tiger 1 vs Sherman Firefly Set Includes: - PZKPFW Tiger 1 AUSF E Commanded by Michael Wittmann, schwere Panzer-Abteilung 101, Normandy, France, 1944. - Sherman Firefly Vc Staffordshire Yeomanry, 27th Armoured Brigade, Operation Goodwood, Normandy, France, June 1944. - Waterslide transfers/decals - Glue, paints and brushes included - 1:72 Scale The mighty clash of armour which followed the successful Allied landings on the D-Day beaches of Normandy held the potential to determine the outcome of the war. This time, the dominance of the feared Tiger 1 would be challenged by rocket firing Typhoons from the air and a recently introduced Allied tank on the ground - although appearing outwardly similar to the standard Sherman at first glance, the 17-pounder anti-tank gun mounted on the Firefly was more than capable of knocking out a Tiger. The Germans soon learned to look for the long barrelled Sherman's first in any engagement and to make the Firefly a priority target. However, there were so many Shermans in Normandy that misidentification was highly likely and could prove fatal. The days of the mighty Tigers dominance may have been numbered, but no Allied tank commander would relish the prospect of facing one in combat.

Airfix D-Day Operation Overlord Set (1:76)

D-Day Operation Overlord Set Early on the morning of June 6th 1944 the combined forces of the Allied armies landed on the Normandy beaches in Northern France in the most ambitious and important operation of the Second World War. With airborne troops already on the ground and fighting, the sea-borne element of the force began landing. This phase of the operation was codenamed Neptune and consisted of five invasion beaches, three British and Canadian (Sword, Gold and Juno) and two American beaches (Omaha and Utah). The landings themselves were preceded both by a powerful air attack and by a fierce naval artillery barrage from a vast armada of ships anchored off-shore. The majority of the beaches were taken with casualties, but no severe losses, except for Omaha where the American troops were pinned down after the naval bombardment failed to destroy the German defences. But even this obstacle was overcome and once the beach-heads were secure, Allied troops and equipment were quickly brought ashore, ready to continue on and liberate the occupied countries of Western Europe and ultimately to defeat Germany and win the war. Includes: - Plastic kit - Battlefield diorama base with D-Day coastal defense fort - Higgins LCVP - Willys MB Jeep with Trailer and Howitzer - LCM Landing Craft - Cromwell Mk IV Tank  - Bedford QLD Troop Carrier  - Sherman M4 Tank  - WW2 British Infantry  - WW2 German Infantry - Glue, paints and brushes included - 1:72 Scale