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Between June 1940 and December 1942, Malta became one of the most bombed places on Earth. The battle for this tiny island proved to be one of the most decisive turning points of World War II. Malta, like Britain, was ill-prepared for war and when the first Italian bombers arrived over the island on June 11, 1940, had just a handful of loaned and modified Royal Navy Gloster Gladiator biplanes with which to defend the island. The first few Hurricanes arrived shortly after, although as soon as the Luftwaffe appeared over the island in January 1941, these fighter planes, which had done such sterling work during the Battle of Britain were shown to be massively inferior both in terms of numbers and performance to the German Messerschmitt 106Fs & Gs. Compounding the problems were the lack of spares and maintenance equipment, which meant that Malta's aircraft rarely operated at maximum performance anyway. By the end of January, the island had just 28 Hurricanes remaining from the 340 that had been delivered since the siege began. Many had been destroyed on the ground; the island's three airfields were bombed and strafed repeatedly. In March 1942, Takali airfield became the most bombed Allied airfirld in the history of warfare: 302 tons of bombs were dropped in a 24 hour period, more than had destroyed Coventry in November 1940. As elsewhere, Malta's fighter pilots were drawn from around the world: Britain, Canada, USA, Rhodesia, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Many men made their reputations in the frantic struggle over Malta's skies, but perhaps none more than Canadian George "Screwball" Beurling. Arguably the most naturally gifted Allied fighter pilot of the war, Beurling shot down no less than 26 confirmed enemy aircraft between July and October 1942. No other Allied pilot could claim more victories in such a short time.

Designed by R.J.Michell to meet a British Air Ministry specification, the Supermarine Spitfire first flown on March 5th, 1936. With its combination of beautiful fighter design, the excellent performance of its Rolls-Royce Merlin powerplant and firepower provided by twin cannons and four machine guns, the Spitfire became an unrivaled symbol of victory. The Spitfire had 40 major variants and was built in greater numbers than any other British aircraft of the time. It flew operationally on every front between 1939 and 1945 and was engaged in every one of the Royal Air Force's major actions.

Hobby Master's 1:48 scale Spitfire Mk I is cleverly designed to provide the collector with a reasonably-priced, top quality product with just the right number of features. This beautiful model features a canopy that slides open or is removable, providing a clear view of the pad-printed gauges and correctly-rendered control stick with loop stick grip. The all-metal propeller spins freely and the engine exhaust stack has been separately applied. The near-solid metal wing has hinged metal landing gear with integrated metal gear doors, and the wing root fairing is integrated in the wing's casting, which creates a flawless transition between the fuselage and the near-razor thin trailing edge.

Info: Supermarine Spitfire Mk V - RAF No.249 Sqn, EP706, George Beurling, RAF Takali, Malta, 1942