Corgi Aviation Archive Collector Series AA36302
Fairey Swordfish Mk I Diecast Model
RNFAA No.810 NAS, HMS Ark Royal, 1939 | Limited Edition
3580
Pieces Worldwide |
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| 1:72 Scale | | Length | | Width |
|---|
| Fairey Swordfish Mk I | | 6" | | 7.75" |
W5856, the oldest surviving Swordfish in the world, was built in 1941 by the Blackburn Aircraft Company at Sherburn-in-Elmet. Situated between Selby and Leeds, this plant was built as a wartime shadow factory to take over production of Swordfish from the Fairey company. W5856 was flown from Sherburn-in-Elmet to Litchfield on 21 October 1941. Very little is known of the aircraft while she served in the Mediterranean. Unfortunately in 1956 the individual records of every naval aircraft built before 1956 were pulped so it is now very difficult to trace individual histories. North Front was the RAF station at Gibraltar which had lodger facilities for the Fleet Air Arm. The only confirmed sortie of W5856 during her time in the Mediterranean theatre was one on 22 July 1942 from North Front which was a simulated attack on HMS EAGLE flown by pilot Sub Lt Smith and Observer Sub Lieutenant (Air) Arthur Timberlake who at the time were serving in 813 Squadron. Without further reports on the aircraft's activities in the Mediterranean , the best guess is that she remained in the pool at Gibraltar as a replacement aircraft until the Swordfish was replaced as the RN's principal torpedo bomber aircraft by the Albacore, and then returned to Fairey's factory at Stockport by Fairey's chief production pilot Flt Lt D Menzies on 4 February 1943, and by 14 April 1943 was on the strength of No 9 (P) AFU (Pilot Advanced Flying Unit) at RAF Errol situated a few miles West of Dundee. "A" and "B" Flights were equipped with Miles Masters (later Harvard's ) and Hurricanes , and "C" and "D" Flights used Swordfish and Albacores. The Unit's task was to take trainee pilots who had completed basic flying training through more advanced aircraft type flying and weapons training. In February 1944 a number of Errol Swordfish were transferred from RN to RAF charge, and the RAF issued a log card for W 5856. The entry for 9(P) AFU is scored through and the next allocation is "on loan RAF Manston tactical trials". It is thought that these trials were to see if Swordfish were suitable for operations flown by No 415 Squadron RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) using Albacores and later Swordfish which were directed against "E" and "R" Boats operating in the English channel. Details of the trials and for how long they lasted are unknown. W5856 was taken on charge at No 1 NAGS ( Naval Air Gunner's School) at Yarmouth Nova Scotia on 15 December 1944. This RCAF station had been transferred to Fleet Air Arm use on 1 January 1943 and was known to the Royal Navy as No 2 TAGS (Telegraphic Air Gunners School). The school could accommodate up to 480 pupils and was part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. On 30 March 1945 No 1 NAGS disbanded. As all training had ceased eleven days earlier, W 5856 was stored in reserve and declared as APDAL (Aircraft Pending Disposal). After the war, the Swordfish were all stored at the former base at mount Hope Ontario, after being taken over by the War Assets Commission. W5856 was eventually sold by the War Estates Commission , and passed through the hands of two civilian operators (used for crop-spraying) before being purchased (in a fairly dilapidated state) by Sir William Roberts and brought to Scotland to join his collection of static exhibits at the Strathallan Museum. In 1990, the remains of W5856 which had been partly restored to static display standard , were brought by British Aerospace (now BAE Systems) and the aircraft was restored to flying condition at BAE's Works at Brough North Humberside. Following the successful test flight at Brough on 3 May 1993, she was donated by BAE to the Swordfish Heritage Trust for display flying with the RN Historic Flight. In September 1996 W5856was adopted by the City of Leeds and now proudly wears the City's coat of arms and name on her port side just forward of the pilot's cockpit. W5856 is painted in the pre-war color scheme of an aircraft serving in 810 Squadron from HMS ARK ROYAL. The horizontal stripes on the fin denote the personal markings applied by the Squadron CO to "his" aircraft. The blue/red/blue fuselage stripes were the color code for all aircraft embarked in the ARK ROYAL, the letter code signifies "A" for the ship, "2" for 810 Squadron, and the second "A" as for "Able" the call-sign of the aircraft. The long yellow fuselage stripe identified 810 Squadron as part of the "Yellow" Forces taking part in the summer air exercises held in 1939. This spotter-reconnaissance aircraft, built by the Fairey Aviation Company for the British Royal Navy, was first flown on February 22nd, 1934. Nicknamed "Stringbag" after a housewife's string shopping bag, the Swordfish could carry an unlikely combination of loads. It could lift off a carrier deck with a standard torpedo, although this made it vulnerable to fighter attack. Its low speed and stable stance made it easy to line up for a torpedo attack, as it did against the German Bismark and on the Italian naval base at Taranto, where 21 Swordfish destroyed three battleships, a cruiser, two destroyers and other warships. © Copyright 2003-2025 The Flying Mule, Inc. Corgi's 1:72 scale Swordfish series demonstrates this aircraft's versatility. Each release highlights its roles as a spotter-reconnaissance aircraft and a torpedo-bomber. One of the most impressive features of this model is its replicated folding wings, a feature uncommon in 1:72 scale. The wings are both pinned and keyed to insure proper alignment when fully deployed. Fine gauge wire is used to recreate the structurally significant bracing wires found between the wings and on the horizontal stabilizer. The open cockpit allows for easy viewing of the three-man crew, correctly poised for action with pivoting machine gun at the rear. © Copyright 2003-2013 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 2003-2025 The Flying Mule, Inc. |
