Corgi Aviation Archive Collector Series AA38104
Sopwith Camel Diecast Model
RAF No.43 Sqn, Henry Winslow Woollett, Spring 1918 | Limited Edition
1500
Pieces Worldwide |
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| 1:48 Scale | | Length | | Width |
|---|
| Sopwith Camel | | 4.75" | | 7" |
Henry Woollett began the war serving with the Lincolnshire Regiment and fought at Gallipoli in 1915. In 1916 he transferred to the RFC and quickly gained a reputation as a fearless balloon busting pilot. He returned to England in 1917 to work as a flight instructor but returned to the front in March 1918 and served with No. 43 Sqn RFC. On 12th April 1918, flying Sopwith Camel D6402, he achieved no fewer than 6 kills in one day and set an unbeaten record for a fighter ace of the First World War. He finished the war with a total of 35 kills and was awarded the Military Cross (and bar), the DSO as well as the French Legion d'Honneur and Croix de Guerre. Woolett died in October 1969.
Designed as a heavier, more powerful refinement of the Sopwith Pup, the Camel was first flown in 1917. Earning its name from the distinctive humped fairing surrounding its twin .303 Vickers machine guns, the Camel's unforgiving flight characteristics claimed the lives of many students in flight training. In the hands of a skilled pilot though, it was an extreme dogfighter that could out-maneuver any contemporary with the possible exception of the Fokker Dr.I. Common for airplanes of that era, a fixed crankshaft configuration allowed the entire engine to spin with the propeller, creating strong gyroscopic forces that adversely affected the airplane's handling under power. Together with the S.E.5a, the Camel helped gain superiority over the German Albatros and is credited with shooting down 1,294 enemy aircraft, more than any other Allied fighter. © Copyright 2003-2025 The Flying Mule, Inc.
Corgi's 1:48 scale Camels are some of the most historically significant aircraft included in their WWI aircraft series. WWI fighters were relatively small in comparison to their WWII counterparts and 1:48 scale captures significant details that would be lost in smaller scales. The model uses fine gauge wire to represent the structurally significant bracing wires found on the actual aircraft. Additionally, the mold faithfully replicates the complex contours of the entire aircraft, simulating a stretched fabric covering. A detailed pilot figure sits behind the twin Vickers machine guns while the top wing includes the inboard cut-outs, so essential to the pilot's forward visibility in a dogfight. Up front, the propeller and engine are nicely detailed and free to rotate in unison behind the cowling, just as with the real aircraft. The model rests on rolling rubber tires that accurately reproduce the gray color vulcanized natural rubber takes on after prolonged exposure to sunlight.
© 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.
