With the much anticipated news that one of Corgi’s most heavily pre-ordered aviation models has finally arrived in stock, there really was only one possible subject for our latest Newsletter, particularly as we now find ourselves in the midst of Vulcan Mania! The brand new 1/72nd scale Corgi tooling of the Avro Vulcan B.2 has arrived at long last, following a much longer development period than was originally anticipated and more than a few challenges along the way for the Corgi engineers. This model has without doubt captured the imagination of die-cast aviation collector and Vulcan enthusiasts alike and we have genuinely seen more pre-ordering activity on this model, than any other in our eight year history – the Vulcan effect not only benefits Air Displays, but also the die-cast aviation world. With the hobby in something of a depression at the current time, it really did need new life breathing into it and new collectors to come to the table – would the new Corgi Vulcan be the model to perform this important task? We will take a closer look at this spectacular model a little later, but first, let’s explore the reasons behind our love affair with the ‘Mighty Delta’.
‘The Spirit of Great Britain’
Perhaps the most fearful period of European history following the end of World War II was the time referred to as the Cold War. During this time, the mighty nations of Europe armed themselves to the teeth and threatened to obliterate each other, should one attempt to attack another and weapons of mass destruction were proudly paraded and made available in large numbers. It was a fearful time for the populations of Europe, as politicians and military commanders flexed their muscles and ordinary people tried not to contemplate the possibility of another war and the ultimate destruction that this would bring. One of the British weapons which acted as our strike deterrent during this period was the RAF’s V-Bomber force, with the mighty Avro Vulcan becoming the most distinctive exponent of our ability to strike at the heart of our enemies. As the Cold War threat began to diminish and large bomber aircraft became less desirable from a tactical perspective, the V-Force was disbanded and the distinctive Vulcan Bombers were gradually retired, until just one aircraft remained flying with the RAF – XH558. Finally, in 1993 and after some significant effort to prevent it happening, the RAF sold off their last Vulcan and she was flown to Bruntingthorpe Airfield, which could quite possibly be her final resting place – surely we would not see a Vulcan fly again without the support of the RAF!
Vulcan to the Sky
For the next few years, this magnificent aircraft remained incarcerated in a hangar at Bruntingthorpe, with regular rumours that moves were afoot to return this much loved aircraft to British skies once more, but surely this would not be possible. Without the backing of the military, a privately operated Avro Vulcan was surely the stuff of fantasy – the sheer sums of money required to achieve this would be prohibitive. Slowly, but surely, a dedicated group of committed enthusiasts began to move this monumental project forward and actively sourced the financial support the Vulcan needed. Unbelievably, some 14 years after XH558 last flew and following some 7 million pounds of outlay, the mighty Avro Vulcan trumpeted down the runway at Bruntingthorpe – They had done it! On 18th October 2007, Avro Vulcan XH558 (G-VLCN) triumphantly returned to flight and in doing so, broke new ground in the world of historic aviation. The only flying Vulcan in the world, this has to be both the most significant historic aircraft in the world and without any doubt, the most distinctive Airshow performer in the world – this much loved aircraft is as popular as it is unique.
Since the world’s only flying Avro Vulcan was granted its permit to fly, she has been thrilling Airshow audiences all over the UK. The ‘Vulcan Effect’ is now a well known phenomenon and wherever the Vulcan is due to perform, you can guarantee that thousands of additional spectators will flock to that event, to catch a glimpse of this magnificent aeroplane. Unfortunately, XH558 is an extremely complex aeroplane, requiring a high level of skilled maintenance and spare components to keep her airworthy and as you may well imagine, this does not come cheap – she is a high maintenance sort of girl! Fortunately, she can boast an army of supporters and well wishers the world over, who regularly put their hands in their pockets to provide funds for the upkeep of their Vulcan, but however valuable this contribution is, a project as huge as this will always need more funding and a quick visit to the Vulcan to the Sky website to make a donation would be very gratefully received. Importantly, we will all have to accept that we are extremely lucky to have this magnificent aircraft to marvel at and all too soon, she will be gone for good – whether this is due to a lack of funds, or the operating life of the aircraft expiring, we are most definitely on borrowed time with Avro Vulcan XH558. Until then, she remains the most popular and actively supported aircraft in Britain and the legend she carries on her nose, proclaiming her as ‘The Spirit of Great Britain’ could not be more appropriate.
Corgi immortalise the mighty Avro Vulcan in 1/72nd Scale
When Corgi announced their intention to produce a 1/72nd scale Avro Vulcan in their hugely successful Aviation Archive range, the die-cast hobby was just a little bit excited – this was potentially the biggest news to hit the hobby since it became established. Almost immediately, pre-order activity for this proposed model reached unprecedented levels and collectors regularly began seeking updates on this exciting project – this was big news in our industry! Unfortunately, it was also a BIG model and from the very beginning, there were problems and challenges for the Corgi design team, which simply had not been encountered in this industry before – I think that I am right in saying that this was the largest die-cast tooling attempted in the industry, accepting that this is essentially a huge metal triangle. The simple mechanics of injecting molten metal into a tool of this size was throwing up massive issues – the metal was beginning to set before it had reached the centre of the mould. This was a huge problem and it was clear that a compromise was going to have to be reached, in order for this impressive model to actually reach production. Having been fortunate enough to be allowed to give my views on these issues during the production process, I can tell you that on several occasions, the engineers reported that this model simply could not be produced and that the project should be terminated – on each occasion, Corgi searched for a solution and persevered with their Vulcan model, determined to achieve their goal.
Corgi Vulcan – Construction Options
As with the real XH558, there came a day when a final decision had to be reached on whether to continue, or not and how to go about it. I can only speak from my experiences, but I was asked to comment on a number of potential production options. The options were all centred around the proposed construction of the new model and what the collector would be happiest with, bearing in mind that a compromise had to be reached, in light of the problems they had encountered in production. For a higher metal content and production similar to smaller models, the Vulcan would have to be made up of a number of separate parts, which would then have to be joined together. There were various production options tabled, but each one would result in unsightly joint lines on the new model, which were not on the real aircraft! My view was that this was unacceptable, as both a retailer and a collector – if it did not appear on the real aircraft, it should not be on the new model. Ideally, what the collector would be looking for was a scale representation of the real aircraft, which after all, is one of the best loved aircraft in the world. At this point, it became clear that the new model would be more of a mixed media product, with greater use of plastic, in order to produce the most accurate representation of the Vulcan possible, using the manufacturing techniques currently available to the Corgi engineers. We discussed also how there could be no compromise on the massive undercarriage assembles associated with the Vulcan, which must be as robust as they are accurate. Let us take a closer look at the model that Corgi eventually managed to produce.
AA27201 Avro Vulcan XH558 in 1/72nd Scale
All these images are of a production 1/72nd scale Vulcan on the Flying Tigers diorama and I have to say that it looks magnificent. I also have to be honest with my observations when describing this new model – when you initially pick the Vulcan up, you will be surprised at how light the model is, for such a big item and there has been more plastic used during construction than I was expecting, when we were discussing the project all those months ago. This has led to some rather strong comments from a number of collectors on a number of forums during the past week and whilst I can certainly understand where they are coming from, I don’t think that the strength of criticism is entirely fair. I am absolutely certain that the hobby would have been far more disappointed with a heavier Vulcan, which had unsightly joint lines down the centre of the fuselage and on the outer sections of the wings, just for the sake of a weightier model. What I mean by this is what do we actually collect these models for? Surely, it is because we love the real aircraft so much, that we want accurate representations of them on our desks and in our display cabinets. Once we have taken them out of their packaging (where the weight of the model is certainly apparent), we rarely pick them up again – we simply look at them and enjoy them! What Corgi have produced is a beautiful representation of the mighty Avro Vulcan, which looks absolutely superb. It does have a high plastic content and if this is going to be a problem for you, then this is probably a model you should pass on. Having spent the week viewing the new Corgi Vulcan from various angles, whilst it sits on my diorama, I can honestly say that it looks fantastic and I will be very pleased to have one in my collection, once we have sorted out all our pre-orders. It is a very impressive model indeed, but accuracy won the day over metal content and there is quite an amount of plastic used in its construction – those are the facts and I will be adding at lest one to my collection!
Latest Model Releases at Flying Tigers
Although it seems like our beloved hobby revolves around the new Corgi Vulcan, it does not and we have seen a number of other very heavily pre-ordered models arrive at Flying Tigers over recent days. It is definitely a case of the ‘little and large show’ though, as these magnificent new models look extremely diminutive when displayed next to the Corgi Vulcan, but in their own way are no less impressive. The Aviation 72 range of models has brought us an impressive array of models which have never been seen in die-cast metal previously, with a definite leaning towards British aviation subject matter. As you may well imagine, these models have proved to be incredibly popular, with many earlier releases selling out entirely, or being available in such low numbers that they are certainly on the endangered list. The latest trio of releases have been produced in even smaller quantities and you will have to act very quickly if you want to add one to your collection. At the head of the group is this superb 1/72nd scale Scottish Aviation Bulldog in RAF colours – a similar looking machine has been extremely active on the UK Airshow circuit this summer, flown by well known display pilot Rod Dean. Only 600 certificated pieces of this beautiful model have been produced and as far as I am aware, they have already sold out at the UK distributors! Also produced in just 600 units, the RAF Valley Folland Gnat T.1 has long been requested by the die-cast collector and these beautiful models are being snapped up at quite a rate. The final model is a beautiful black De Havilland Chipmunk, which is part of the much loved Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at RAF Coningsby – all the new models can be viewed by clicking on this LATEST RELEASES link.