AA33301-C
Consignment
This is a Consignment sale piece we are offering. It comes in its original box and is in like new condition.
The Aviation Archive by Corgi
AA33301 Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress, USAAF 91st BG, 324th BS, #41-24485 Memphis Belle
World War II Europe & America
1:72 Scale, Measures 12.25" nose to tail x 17.25" wingspan
Memphis Belle was delivered on 15th July 1942 and assigned to Lt. Robert K. Morgan of the 324th BS, 91st BG. Named after Morgan's fiancee Margaret Polk, she was to become the most famous of all Flying Fortresses. Fate stepped in when Academy-Award winning film director William Wyler came to England in late 1942. He wanted to make a film which would show the kind of war the 8th Air Force was fighting and what it hoped to achieve. Wyler had decided to build his story around one aircraft and one crew completing their combat tour of 25 missions, a feat that was already steeped in folklore due to its rarity.
With no staging and no script there was always the chance that the Memphis Belle wouldn't make it, but in dramatic and morale-boosting style the mission was completed and the aircraft was flown home to raise money in the Sixth War Bond Drive and tour US training bases. The final mission was an attack on the U-Boat yards at Kiel on the 19th May 1943, piloted by Lt. C. L. Anderson. During her seven months of combat she had aborted three times for mechanical reasons but otherwise had completed every mission. In 1972 a committee led by Frank Donofrio began a crusade to save the B-17 and fifteen years later the restored aircraft was on permanent display at a specially built museum.
Designed to meet a US Army Air Corps requirement for a multi-engined bomber to replace the B-10, the B-17 first flew on July 18, 1935. Best known for its role in the US Army Air Forces' daylight strategic bombing campaign during World War II, the B-17 could fly high and had a long range, and was capable of defending itself from enemy fighters. It was also tough, withstanding extensive battle damage, and was capable of carrying a 6,000 lb bombload. The B-17 became one of the symbols of Allied air power, equipping 32 overseas combat groups and dropping a total of 580,631 metric tons of bombs on European targets.
Corgi "Aviation Archive" die-cast airplanes feature:
Die-cast 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 presentation 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.