Corgi Aviation Archive Collector Series AA36213
Gloster Gladiator Mk II Diecast Model
RAAF No.3 Sqn, N5752, Alan Boyd | |
| 1:72 Scale | | Length | | Width |
|---|
| Gloster Gladiator Mk II | | 4.5" | | 5.25" |
PLEASE NOTE: This item is not currently in stock and has a planned arrival date of December 2026.- Orders may not ship until complete. If you wish to receive in-stock items prior to pre-ordered items, you must place separate orders.
- Arrival dates are subject to change. Consider them to be estimates as manufacturers frequently revise them.
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Although the Gloster Gladiator represented the very pinnacle of fighter capability on entering Royal Air Force service at the beginning of 1937, the pace of aviation development at that time dictated that it would be considered essentially obsolete with the arrival of the eight-gun Hawker Hurricane later that same year. By the start of the Second World War, Gladiators were not considered capable of defending Britain's airspace against Luftwaffe attack, however, the impressive fighting qualities of the Gladiator were to be demonstrated in combat far away from home skies.
Pilot Alan Boyd was one of several notable Australian pilots to fly the Gladiator against Italian CR42 fighters in the Middle East, one of the RAAF's celebrated No.3 Squadron "Originals" who served with such distinction during WWII, credited with three enemy aircraft destroyed and a further one as "probable" during the RAAF's very first combat engagement in theatre. On 13th December 1940, Boyd claimed a further two enemy aircraft destroyed, but had his own fighter damaged during the combat, forcing him to make a landing on the desert floor. Incredibly, he managed to make running repairs to the control lines of his fighter, and was later able to take off again to make the flight back to Gerawala airfield. During a six week period, Boyd would become a Gladiator "Ace", credited with at least six enemy aircraft destroyed, with four, possibly five of this number secured whilst flying his usually assigned fighter, N5752.
Designed as an improvement over the Gauntlet, the Gladiator was first flown on September 12th, 1934. The Gloster Gladiator was a British-built biplane fighter, used by the Royal Air Force and Navy and exported to a number of other air forces. Though often pitted against more advanced modern aircraft, it achieved wartime fame in the hands of skilled pilots, fighting some of the most dramatic battles of the early war years. Sea Gladiators were successful as carrier-based aircraft because their slower speed made them suitable for carrier operations, and because they were less likely to be facing modern fighter opposition. © Copyright 2003-2026 The Flying Mule, Inc.
Corgi's 1:72 scale Gladiator series includes the early two bladed propeller Mk I, the three bladed propeller Mk II and a Sea Gladiator (an Mk II fitted with an arrester hook). The models in this series faithfully recreate this aircraft, the last RAF biplane fighter. Features include fine gauge wire to simulate the structural bracing wires found between the wings the rear control surfaces, two machine gun pods under the lower wing and two almost hidden synchronized guns mounted on the sides of the fuselage. The radial engine is nicely detailed and clearly visible through the cowling.
© Copyright 2003-2026 The Flying Mule, Inc.
The Corgi "Aviation Archive" range presents highly-detailed, ready-made diecast models of military and civilian aircraft. The vast Aviation Archive range has become the standard by which all other diecast airplane ranges are judged. Each Corgi model is based on a specific aircraft from an important historical or modern era of flight, and has been authentically detailed from original documents and archival library material. Famous airplanes and aviators from both military and commercial airline aviation are all honored.
Corgi "Aviation Archive" diecast airplanes feature:
- Diecast metal construction with some plastic components.
- Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels and surface details.
- Pad printed markings and placards that won't fade or peel like decals.
- Interchangeable extended/retracted landing gear with rotating wheels.
- Poseable presention stand to display the aircraft "in flight".
- Many limited editions with numbered certificate of authenticity.
- Detailed, hand-painted pilot and crew member figures.
- Authentic detachable ordnance loads complete with placards.
- Selected interchangeable features such as speed-brakes, opened canopies and access panels.
- Selected moving parts such as gun turrets, control surfaces and swing-wings.
© Copyright 2003-2026 The Flying Mule, Inc.
