Aircraft Collection

Official Marketing Text:

A beacon of defiance in its darkest hour, the Supermarine Spitfire is Britain’s most famous World War II fighter. The brainchild of Reginald Mitchell of Supermarine Ltd., the Spitfire was developed in response to a 1934 Air Ministry specification calling for a high-performance fighter with an armament of eight wing-mounted 0.303inch (7.7mm) machine guns. The aeroplane was a direct descendant of a series of racing floatplanes designed by Mitchell to compete for the coveted Schneider Trophy in the 1920s. One of these racers, the S.6, set a world speed record of 357mph (574km/h) in 1929. Mitchell created a more radical design for the Spitfire than the steel, wood and cloth-derived Hawker Hurricane, the favourite of many a RAF Commander for the 1930s. It featured a stressed-skin aluminium structure built around a 1,000hp, 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce PV-12 engine (later known as the Merlin). The design featured a graceful elliptical wing with a thin airfoil that, in combination with the Merlin’s efficient two-stage supercharger, gave it exceptional performance at high altitudes. Due to the aluminium body, the Spitfire was not only tougher to build, but harder to repair, prompting concerns that it may be too advanced to be practical. The wing-mounted guns were all oriented to fire at a centre point in front of the aircraft. To aid with targeting, Spitfires were also equipped with an electric sight that pilots could turn on and off. Once activated, an orange dot would appear on the windscreen in front of the pilot’s field of view in an extremely early precursor to the digital heads-up displays (HUDs).

The Spitfire first flew in March 1935 and entered service with the British Royal Air Force in July 1938, with the first operational aircraft arriving at 19^th Squadron’s Duxford airfield on August 4^th. Sadly, Mitchell never saw his creation reach service, passing away from cancer in June 1937. Even after learning that he was terminally ill, Mitchell continued to pour himself into the effort, against the advice of his doctors and family.

In the early months of the war, Spitfires were largely kept out of the fighting, though they were involved during the evacuation of Dunkirk, as the Ministry of Defence favoured the use of Hurricanes squadrons. The first kills by a Spitfire occurred on 16^th October, as fighters from Nos 602 and 603 Squadrons shot down two German Junkers Ju 88s in the Firth of Forth. In the summer of 1940, the German offensive began. Many within England and her allies (including prominent figures in France and the USA) saw war with Germany as a losing enterprise after the rapid Nazi advance through Belgium and the Netherlands, and British pilots were not only contending with more advanced opponents, even with the Spitfire, they were also squaring off against vastly superior numbers. RAF estimates at the time made it clear that the Spitfire was, by every metric, the underdog.

Spitfires were sent by preference to engage German fighters while the slower Hurricanes went for the bombers. More Hurricanes than Spitfires served in the Battle of Britain, and they were credited with more “kills,” but it can be argued that the Spitfire’s superior high-altitude performance provided the margin of victory. Throughout the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe sent an average of 1,000 aircraft into British airspace a day, striking at London with more than 1,100 in one massive wave, but just as they had each time before, the RAF beat them back, with Spitfires leading the way.

Mk 1s Spitfire were not solely used by the British, but were also delivered to Portugal, Turkey and France. In all, 1533 Mk1 Spitfires were built by Supermarine, with an additional 50 by Westland Aircraft. All Mk 1s were declared obsolete by February 1945.

This fine Amalgam scale model is a faithful 1:16 scale reproduction of the Mk 1a aircraft flown by Geoffrey Wellum of 92 Squadron in September 1940, and is undoubtedly the most accurate and highly detailed model of the Spitfire ever produced. Every minute detail of the aircraft has been reproduced including the thousands of rivets, every tiny detail of the cockpit and the top end of the Rolls Royce Merlin Engine. Like all Amalgam’s work, this model is the result of a powerful combination of art and technology, using original digital scanning combined with high sculpting and finishing skills to create a model indistinguishable from the real aircraft in photographs. It has been developed using extremely accurate digital scan data gathered from aircraft in the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight based at Coningsby in Lincolnshire and is offered in a ‘bare metal’ finish to reveal every detail of the refined engineering of this most beautiful aircraft. Every Spitfire is built to order, so please contact our friendly sales team to discuss any bespoke requirements.

The Mk 1a Spitfire is limited to just 50 pieces.

Please note that, due to the large size of this piece and complexities of shipping, additional costs will be calculated and billed separately based on delivery location.

Please note that the gallery only shows photos of the original aircraft - the manufacturer doesn't provide any photos of the model.

Official Marketing Text:

The aircraft that dropped more bombs than any other during World War II, the Boeing B-17 “Flying Fortress” quickly became the symbol of American air power during the conflict. Flying missions in every combat zone during the course of the war, the B-17 saw its most significant service in Europe, forming the backbone of the USAAF strategic bombing force alongside the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, and playing a crucial role in crippling Germany’s war industry. Legendary for its ability to take punishment and return with its crew, the “Flying Fortress” more than earned its moniker in the heat of battle.

The B-17’s design emphasised high altitude flight, speed, and heavy defensive armament. Four advanced turbo-supercharged radial engines allowed it to fly up to about 30,000 feet with a combat load, while powered turrets and flexible guns covered all areas around the aircraft to provide protection against attacking fighters. Bombing accuracy was to be achieved with the Norden bombsight, developed and fielded in great secrecy during the 1930s. In the hands of a skilled bombardier, the Norden was a remarkably accurate sight.

The B-17 design took form as the Boeing Model 299 prototype and first flew in 1935. Richard Williams, reporter for The Seattle Times, coined the now eternal name "Flying Fortress" when observing the large number of machine guns sticking out from the new airplane before its first test flight, describing the machine as a "15-ton flying fortress" in a picture caption. Seeing this, Boeing quickly trademarked it for use.

Boeing initially lost out on the Air Corps contract for which the B-17 was developed. Whilst Model 299 was clearly superior to its twin-engine rivals, the Douglas DB-1 and the Martin Model 146, at the USAAC ‘fly-off’ competition, it crashed. Command pilot Major Ployer Peter Hill and Boeing’s Chief Test Pilot Leslie R. Tower both succumbed to their injuries sustained in the accident, and Model 299 was disqualified, unable to complete the competition. The Air Corp were also nervous about the cost, as it was almost twice the cost of the option from Douglas. Regardless, the USAAC had been impressed by the prototype's performance, and in early 1936 ordered 13 YB-17s through a legal loophole.

Only a relatively small number of B-17s were in service when the US entered the war in 1941. Production rapidly increased, and three companies, Boeing in Seattle, Washington, Douglas Aircraft Co. in Long Beach, California, and Lockheed Vega Aircraft Corp. in Burbank, California, began mass-producing Flying Fortresses by the thousands.

Designed to attack strategic targets by precision daylight bombing, penetrating deep into enemy territory by flying above the effective range of antiaircraft artillery, the B-17 was continuously refined and improved based on lessons learned in battle over the ensuing years through many different variants and sub-variants, each featuring differing arrays of armament, engines and payloads. The B-17F was the fastest model and the primary heavy bomber early in the strategic bombing campaign.  Development eventually culminated in the definitive B-17G, which entered service in the summer of 1943, equipped with a nose turret for better frontal defence, and it was also the most numerous, representing about two thirds of all B-17s made.  Each aircraft was operated by a crew of 10, including the pilot, co-pilot, navigator-radioman, bombardier, and gunners. Production of the B-17 ended in May 1945 totalling 12,731 units, making it the third-most produced bomber of all-time.

Despite their outstanding firepower, formations of B-17s proved unable to fight their way unescorted to targets deep inside Germany without incurring excessive losses from enemy fighters. Long-range raids to target German industry were called off in mid-October 1943 and were not resumed until February 1944, when long-range escort fighters such as the P-51 Mustang became available. A 4,000-pound (1,800-kg) bomb load was typical for long missions, though the B-17 could carry up to 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg) internally for shorter distances at lower altitudes and even more on external racks beneath the wings. These increased bomb loads were used to good effect in attacks on the German aircraft and oil industries before the Normandy Invasion of June 1944 and in “carpet-bombing” raids supporting the Allied breakout into Brittany and northern France later that summer. Of the roughly 1.5 million tons of bombs dropped on Germany and its occupied territories by USAAF aircraft, over 640,000 tons (42.6%) were dropped from B-17s.

Rendered obsolete by the larger, more powerful and more advanced B-29 Superfortress, the B-17 was quickly phased out after the ending of World War II, though some examples served on after the war in second-line roles such as VIP transports, air-sea rescue and photo reconnaissance. A few others continued in various civil roles, particularly as fire bombers, in the post-war years. Overall, the B-17 had excellent flight characteristics and, unlike the B-24, was almost universally well regarded by those who flew it, much preferred for its greater stability and ease in formation flying. Its electrical systems were also less vulnerable to damage than the B-24's hydraulics, and the B-17 was considered easier to fly than a B-24 when missing an engine.

This fine scale model will be based upon the famed B-17F Flying Fortress “Memphis Belle”, one of the first USAAF B-17 heavy bombers to complete 25 combat missions, and the first to return to the United States. The ten-strong crew at times featured: pilot Captain Robert K. Morgan; co-pilot Captain James A. Verinis; navigator Captain Charles B. Leighton; bombardier Captain Vincent B. Evans; crew chief Joe Giambrone; radio operator Robert Hanson; engineers and gunners Gunner Leviticus "Levy" Dillon, Eugene Adkins, Harold P. Loch; gunners Cecil Scott, E. Scott Miller, Casmer A "Tony" Nastal, Clarence E. "Bill" Winchell and John P. Quinlan; and mascot Stuka the Scottish Terrier, belonging to Verinis. The Memphis Belle was named after Morgan’s sweetheart back in Memphis, Tennessee, after Morgan and Verinis had watched the film Lady for a Night, in which the leading character owns a riverboat named the Memphis Belle. After proposing the name, the crew voted and swiftly adopted the new moniker. Morgan then contacted George Petty at the offices of Esquire magazine and asked him for a pinup drawing to go with the name which, once Petty had supplied imagery from the magazine's April 1941 issue, was transferred to both sides of the forward fuselage by the 91^st Bomb Group artist, Corporal Tony Starcer. The Belle was depicted in her swimsuit in blue on the aircraft's port side and in red on the starboard side. Later, the nose art later included 25 bomb shapes, one for each mission credit, and eight Nazi swastikas, one for each German aircraft claimed shot down by the crew. Station and crew names were stencilled below station windows on the bomber after its tour of duty was completed.

The Belle was at first briefly deployed to Prestwick, Scotland, in September 1942 before moving to its operational base in Bassingbourn, England, in October 1942. The 25 missions completed by the crew were all flown between the 7^th of November 1942 and the 17^th of May 1943 and were centred in France, though sorties were flown over the Netherlands and Germany, whilst the Belle was also flown by a different crew on five other occasions during this period. The Memphis Belle was flown back to the United States on the 8^th of June 1943 by a composite crew chosen by the Eighth Air Force, which Morgan then led on a 31-city war bond tour. Morgan's original co-pilot Verinis was promoted to Aircraft Commander of another B-17 for his final sixteen missions but finished his own tour on the 13^th of May, re-joining Morgan's crew as co-pilot for the flight back to the United States. Following its tour of the United States, Memphis Belle was assigned to MacDill Field, Florida, where it became a training aircraft until Victory in Europe Day, after which it travelled to Altus AAF, Oklahoma, for storage and eventual reclamation.

After the war, it was claimed by the city of Memphis and displayed at the city’s National Guard armoury. Sat outdoors for years, the Belle’s once proud frame deteriorated due to weather and vandalism. In the 1970s, custody was returned to the USAAF and the Belle moved to Mud Island in the Mississippi river for continued display. The aircraft was disassembled for restoration in 2003, and eventually, in 2005, moved to its current location at the National Air Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton Ohio. Following years of meticulous restoration, a reconditioned Memphis Belle was revealed on the 17^{th of} May 2018, 75 years to the day of its twenty-fifth combat mission. The Belle now resides in the museum’s World War II gallery.

The B-17F Flying Fortress ‘Memphis Belle’ is limited to just ten pieces at 1:32 scale.

Please note that, due to the large size of this piece and complexities of shipping, additional costs will be calculated and billed separately based on delivery location.

[Model information forthcoming]

Official Marketing Text:

No reconnaissance aircraft in history has operated globally in more hostile airspace or with such complete freedom than the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. With a futuristic organic design that originated back in the 1950s, it remains the world's fastest jet-propelled aircraft more than two decades after its final retirement. The Blackbird's performance and operational achievements placed it at the pinnacle of aviation technology developments during the Cold War.

In May 1960, the CIA were flying the Lockheed U-2 spy plane. Lockheed themselves were already working on their submitted proposal for a new reconnaissance aircraft, codenamed A-12 that would fly faster than any aircraft before or since, at greater altitude, and with a minimal radar cross section, avoiding interceptors and missiles. However, the 1960 U-2 Incident, when Francis Gary Powers was shot down in Soviet airspace, ruthlessly reinforced the vulnerability of the subsonic U-2 and spurred on the development of the A-12.

Lockheed's clandestine 'Skunk Works' division, headed by the gifted design engineer Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson, worked on the A-12, attempting to develop an aircraft, for which everything had yet to be invented, in just twenty months. The A-12 was designed to cruise at Mach 3.2 and fly well above 60,000 feet (18,288 m). To meet these challenging requirements, Lockheed engineers overcame many daunting technical challenges. Titanium alloy was used to build the airframe, combatting the extreme external heat that would melt conventional airframes when travelling at three times the speed of sound. Special titanium tooling was fabricated when it was realised conventional tools embrittled the metal alloy on contact. A complex air intake and bypass system was designed for the twin afterburning turbine engines to prevent supersonic shock waves from moving inside the engine intake causing flameouts. Later in development, black paint was applied to the exterior of the aircraft to dissipate the heat across the entire airframe, earning the A-12 its nickname: “Blackbird”. The U.S. government requested an even smaller radar profile, so a radar-absorbing element was added to the paint, whilst the airframe was carefully reshaped to reflect as little radar energy as possible. This treatment became one of the first ever applications of stealth technology.

The original single seater A-12 ‘Blackbird’ made its first official test flight on April 30, 1962, not counting an unintentional lift-off the week prior during high-speed taxi trials. Experience gained from the A-12 program convinced the Air Force that flying safely required two crew members, and the design evolved into the larger SR-71, the SR standing for “Strategic Reconnaissance”. The SR-71 had room for a pilot and a Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO), who would operate the wide array of monitoring and defensive systems installed on the aircraft, including a sophisticated Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) system that could jam most acquisition and targeting radar.

After the SR-71’s first flight on December 22 1964, the Blackbird nearly broke records every time it flew. In 1976, the SR-71 set the records it still holds to this day: flying at a sustained horizontal altitude of 85,069 feet (25,929m), and reaching a top speed of 2,193.2 mph (3,529.6 km/h), or Mach 3.3, the fastest speed for a manned and non-rocket powered aircraft. At that speed and altitude, even the best air defence systems had no hope of catching the Blackbird.

Piloting the Blackbird was an exacting endeavour, requiring a full operational staff for each mission and demanding complete concentration from all involved, much like a space mission did. Pilots were giddy with their complex, adrenaline-fueled responsibilities, with one describing the act of flying the Blackbird as “almost a religious experience”. Zooming across the sky at 3,000 feet per second required the rules of navigation to be rewritten: visual references for conventional flying, like roads, rivers, and urban areas, were rendered obsolete, giving way to mountain ranges, coast lines, and large bodies of water. The pilots also wore specialised pressure suits, similar to those of astronauts, due to the extreme conditions found at high altitude. These suits were required to protect the crew in the event of sudden cabin pressure loss while at operating altitudes.

The SR-71 was retired twice in the 1990s, after a brief politicalised reactivation in 1995. In total, 50 Blackbirds were built, 32 in the SR-71 variation. 13 original A-12s were also constructed including one training variant nicknamed the “Titanium Goose”, together with two of the M-21 variant, which carried unmanned drones, and three YF-12 prototype interceptors. Most importantly to the US government, the aircraft delivered on its strategic responsibilities globally, providing the United States detailed, mission-critical reconnaissance for more than two decades across a number of theatres. Only a select few know the true extent of the role the Blackbird’s intelligence played in the Cold War, but it is known that the Blackbirds and their crews provided information that proved vital in formulating successful US foreign policy on many occasions, particularly in the Middle East, filling the intelligence gaps left from the orbiting reconnaissance satellites. Its legacy as a technological masterpiece will be admired for generations to come.

This fine scale model will be based upon US Air Force SR-71 A (SN 61-17972) as it was on its record-breaking final flight in the hands of pilot Lieutenant Colonel Ed Yielding and reconnaissance systems officer Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Vida. SN 61-17972 accrued about 2,800 hours of flight time during 24 years of active service with the U.S. Air Force. On its last flight on March 6, 1990, Lt. Col. Ed Yielding and Lt. Col. Joseph Vida set a speed record by flying from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds, averaging 2,124mph (3,418 km/h) per hour. At the flight's conclusion, they landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport and turned the aircraft over to the Smithsonian. It is now exhibited at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. At that time, Lt. Col. Vida had logged 1,392.7 hours of flight time in Blackbirds, more than that of any other crewman.

Designed and assembled completely from scratch in our Bristol Workshop, this model is the result of a powerful combination of art and technology; the use of technical drawings and archival imagery have allowed us to perfectly recreate every detail at scale to create a model indistinguishable from the real aircraft in photographs. Individual panels and finishes were extrapolated from original technical drawings and images of the plane exhibited at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. 3D printing technology is used to produce the majority of the components, before our model makers use traditional machining and hand working techniques to create the most precise, accurate and faithfully detailed pieces. Multiple paint techniques and materials have been used to accurately replicate real life patination. It will be reproduced at 1:40 scale, meaning the model will measure 820mm long. The model will be mounted as if in flight, held above a base by aluminium columns.

The Lockheed SR-71 ‘Blackbird’ is limited to just 10 editions.

Please note that, due to the large size of this piece and complexities of shipping, additional costs will be calculated and billed separately based on delivery location.

Official Marketing Text:

• Limited to just 5 pieces
• Each model hand-built and assembled by a small team of craftsmen in Bristol
• Extreme temperature scorching effects precisely applied by artisans in Bristol using archive photographs
• 1:20 scale model, with dimensions of 76cms (30 inches) long  X  33 cms (13 inches) wide.
• Made using the finest quality materials
• Over 5000 hours to develop the model
• Over 500 hours to build each model

Hypersonic research aircraft X-15A-2 is a famous and significant part of aviation history. Part of the X-15 program, the X-15A-2 remains the official world record holder for the highest speed ever recorded by a crewed, powered aircraft, despite being set over half a century ago, in October 1967 by pilot William J. Knight. Knight flew at Mach 6.70 (4,520 miles per hour (7,274 km/h) or a staggering 2,021 m/s) at 102,100 feet (31,120 m).

The X-15’s purpose was to fly high and fast, testing the machine, subjecting pilots to conditions that future astronauts would face and returning with valuable data used in aircraft and spacecraft design, making it an important tool for developing spaceflight in the 1960s. It made the first manned flights to the edges of space and was the world’s first piloted aircraft to reach hypersonic speeds, or more than five times the speed of sound. Like other rocket planes, the X-15 was launched in mid-air from a B-52 “mothership” at about 45,000 feet. Once its powerful rocket ignited, the X-15 streaked upward to the limits of the atmosphere, then glided unpowered to land on a dry lakebed. Typical flights lasted about 10 minutes. The X-15 program was a joint U.S. Air Force/Navy/NASA project involving twelve pilots. Together they flew a combined 199 flights between 1959 and 1968. Eight of the twelve exceeded an altitude of 50 miles, thus qualifying them as astronauts. Ironically, one of the four who remained in the Earth’s atmosphere whilst piloting an X-15 later became the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong. Only three X-15s were built for the program and two examples survive.

X-15A-2 is the second of the three X-15s, originally designated X-15 #2. On November 9 1962, X-15 #2 had to make a high-speed emergency landing after NASA research pilot Jack McKay discovered that his rocket engine was producing only 30 percent of its maximum thrust. As the aeroplane slid across the lakebed, the left skid collapsed, turning the aircraft sideways and flipping it onto its back. McKay suffered back injuries but was eventually able to resume X-15 pilot duties, making 22 more flights. The X-15 was severely damaged, sent back to North American Aviation and rebuilt into the X-15A-2. During the rebuild, North American modified it for even greater speed, equipping it with a Reaction Motors XLR-99 engine capable of 50,000+ lbs. of thrust, adding the large orange and white propellant tanks and lengthening the fuselage about 18 inches. X-15A-2 made 53 free flights in total, 31 of those as X-15 #2.

On 3 October 1967, with pilot William "Pete" Knight of the U.S. Air Force in control, X-15A-2 reached its maximum speed of 4,520 miles per hour (7,274 km/h), setting the official world record for the highest speed ever recorded by a crewed, powered aircraft, which remains unbroken to this day. After the record flight, it was discovered that the aircraft received thermal structural damage and the covering was severely pitted and charred. Repair was considered too uneconomical and the aircraft was grounded. It was delivered to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in 1969, where it remains to this day.

This fine model is of the X-15A-2 at 1:20 scale. Designed and assembled completely from scratch in our Bristol Workshop, the use of technical drawings and archival imagery have allowed us to perfectly recreate every detail at scale. Individual panels and finishes were extrapolated from NASA’s technical drawings and images of the plane held at the USAF museum. 3D printing technology is used to produce the majority of the components, before our model makers use traditional machining and hand working techniques to create the most precise, accurate and faithfully detailed pieces. Multiple paint techniques and materials have been used to accurately replicate real life patination.

The X-15A-2 is limited to just five pieces.

Please note that, due to the large size of this piece and complexities of shipping, additional costs will be calculated and billed separately based on delivery location.