1:48 Gladiator MkI

The end of the era of two flying surfaces

The Gloster Gladiator Mk I stood, in design terms, on the boundary of two epochs. A pair of flying surfaces and fixed landing gear belonged to the past; an enclosed cockpit and four machine guns already suited the 1930s. When the fighting broke out in northern Europe in 1940, it was the only type the British could get to the place quickly and operate from improvised strips. Dismantled, the aircraft fitted into a ship's hold and under the tarpaulin of a railway wagon alike.

The squadron that took a frozen lake for an airfield

The British squadron sent to Norway had no prepared runway at its disposal. The machines therefore settled on the ice of a mountain lake, where the snow was rolled into a strip and tents were pitched beside it. The finish stayed as it came from the factory, that is brown and green above and light below, with a roundel on the side and a pair of unit letters. Within a few days most of the aircraft ended up destroyed in raids on the strip, yet the crews managed several victories. It is precisely this episode that gave the type its reputation as a machine that flew from where flying was impossible.

Framing, and plenty of it

The cockpit of the Gladiator is made up of several flat panes and it has a fair amount of framing. Tape applied by hand crumples in the corners and the paint gets under it. A cut shape removes that risk and, thanks to the inner set, the glass stays clean from both faces. The insignia stencils are laid on only over dried camouflage and are used for the roundel. The struts and bracing wires come right at the end, when the whole airframe is sprayed and dry.