Corgi Hawker Hurricane MK1 Nightfighter Die Cast Model

From a design perspective, the Hurricane was more evolutionary than revolutionary, taking many of its design characteristic from the successful series of sleek Hawker biplanes which preceded it - in fact, the new fighter was initially referred to as the Fury Monoplane™ project. 

A clever combination of traditional design and manufacturing techniques, whilst at the same time introducing many firsts™ for a British monoplane, such as an enclosed cockpit, retractable undercarriage and the adoption of eight machine gun armament, the Hurricane could be described as the right British aeroplane at the right time. In the days when speed was the main attribute required in securing superiority of the skies, the Hurricane was the first RAF fighter to exceed 300 mph in level flight, which at that time represented an incredible 100 mph increase over existing biplane fighters already in service.

Having already gained his pilot™s licence as a civilian, Ian Richard Gleed successfully applied for an RAF commission in 1936 and on completion of his training, was posted to No.46 Squadron at Kenley, to fly Gloster Gauntlet fighters. Later transferring to No.266 Squadron as a Flight Commander, Gleed was fortunate to survive an incident in early 1940 when the Spitfire in which he was flying broke up in mid-air and whilst he was able to get out of the aircraft safely, the incident did result in him requiring a period of hospitalisation. On his return to flying duties, Gleed was posted to No.87 Squadron, who were flying Hawker Hurricane fighters and quickly sent to France as part of the Royal Air Force component of the British Expeditionary Force. He would immediately make his mark on the fighting, not only showing great courage in the face of the enemy, but also taking a heavy toll of Luftwaffe aircraft in the process. 

Featuring a distinctive red spinner and unusual red painted area on the engine cowling behind the spinner, the aircraft also sports unique Figaro the Cat™ artwork on the starboard side of the fuselage, under the cockpit “ he appears to be enthusiastically destroying a swastika. Once transferred to night operations, the standard day camouflage of this aircraft was almost completely overpainted in black, except for the rudder and Gleed™s personal markings, which retained the camouflage sections on which they were originally painted, including the area under Figaro™ the cat.

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