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Airfix 1:72 RAF V Bomber Avro Vulcan B.2
AD3343

£72.49
£72.49
In stock

Description

A12011 Avro Vulcan B.2

Occupying a significant position in the history of post war British aviation, the Avro Vulcan was without doubt one of the most distinctive aircraft ever to take to the skies, with its huge delta wing profile becoming almost as iconic as the elliptical wing of the Supermarine Spitfire. Built to satisfy an extremely demanding Air Ministry requirement for a fast, high altitude strategic bomber, capable of carrying a special payload of 10,000 imperial pounds in weight (a nuclear device), the new aircraft was intended to serve as an airborne deterrent to any future military threat against the UK, with the required specifications representing a 100% increase in the capabilities of any previous British bomber aircraft. When the Vulcan made its maiden flight in August 1952, the Avro team were well on the way to presenting the Royal Air Force with not only the worlds first delta bomber, but also one of the worlds most effective strike bombers.

Interestingly, all this was achieved just nine years since the Avro Lancasters of RAF No.617 Squadron had launched their famous raid against the great dams of the Ruhr Valley. As the Avro Vulcan entered squadron service with No.83 Squadron at RAF Waddington in July 1957, Britain now possessed the fastest nuclear capable bomber in the world. It seems strange to describe an aircraft which possessed such potential for untold destruction as Britains most effective peace keeping asset, however, that is exactly what the Vulcan turned out to be. Throughout the aggressive posturing of the Cold War, the Warsaw Pact nations were in no doubt that if they dared to launch an attack against a NATO member country, the consequences of the inevitable retaliatory strike would be catastrophic. Without Doubt, during the early years of its service career, nothing represented this doomsday scenario more effectively than the mighty Avro Vulcan.

As the Royal Air Force exhaustively trained their new Vulcan crews to provide Britain with an effective Quick Reaction Alert strike force, Avro engineers were already working to improve the capabilities of their original, iconic design. In order to ensure the aircraft continued to maintain its effective deterrent threat and stayed one step ahead of advances in Easter Bloc fighter and surface-to-air missile technology, designers incorporated developments which endowed the aircraft with greater range, speed and altitude performance. The installation of more powerful versions of the Vulcans Bristol Olympus engines would result in a number of unforeseen stability issues with these first bombers, which concerned designers enough to necessitate a re-design of the original wing shape.

By the time the definitive B.2 variant of the Vulcan entered service, the aircrafts wing area had increased significantly and although still classed as a delta, would look quite different from the first bombers which entered service. To cope with the increased power availability from subsequent engine upgrades and to cure the instability issues of the original straight wing design, the B.2 wing had two defined kinks in its leading edge, well forward of the profile of the original wing design. Rather than detract from the pleasing aesthetics of the early Vulcans delta wing, the B.2 actually enhanced the profile of the aircraft and even though these changes were obviously made for reasons of operational effectiveness, as opposed to appearance, the B.2 would go on to be considered the most famous (and most numerous) of all the RAFs Vulcans. The service introduction of the Vulcan B.2 in July 1960 coincided with the availability of more capable nuclear weapons for the V-bomber force, both in number and destructive potential. It would also bring about a change in thinking regarding the delivery of such weapons, as significant advances in Soviet anti-aircraft technology now threatened the success of a free-fall gravity bomb mission. A significant new weapon would have to be developed in order to maintain the deterrent threat of the Vulcan and its V-bomber partners.

Developed to maintain the validity of Britain's nuclear deterrent threat, designers at Avro produced the powerful Blue Steel air-launched, nuclear stand-off missile, which would allow V-bomber crews to launch their attacks 100 miles away from their intended target and out of the range of Soviet surface-to-air missile batteries, allowing crews valuable additional time to avoid the resultant blast. Further boosting the effectiveness of the V-bomber force, the arrival of Blue Steel raised the nuclear stakes in Britains favour once more and would have caused much consternation amongst the Warsaw Pact nations.

The responsibility of providing Britain's strategic nuclear deterrent passed to the submarines of the Royal Navy in July 1969 and saw the RAF performing its final V-bomber Blue Steel mission late the following year. Although taking on a more conventional strike role, RAF Vulcans would retain a nuclear capability and maintain their position as one of the worlds most effective bombers for the next fourteen years, before finally being withdrawn from service. Due to the affection in which this aircraft was held by the British public, the Vulcan Display Flight was almost immediately formed to operate one aircraft on the UK Airshow circuit for a further nine years, before itself being disbanded.

To the amazement of the historic aviation world, the last flying Avro Vulcan, XH558, the aircraft which had previously served as the Vulcan Display Flight aircraft, triumphantly returned to the air once more, this time in the hands of a civilian organisation in October 2007. Over the course of the next eight years, the Vulcan thrilled millions of people around the country, becoming something of an aviation national treasure a relic of the Cold War which was held in great public affection.

Delivery

Delivery is charged as priced on each order. Once you have placed an order it will be dispatched the same day or the next day depending on the time the order was placed. If you wish to cancel your order after it has been dispatched, you will be charged for both delivery and collection cost.

If you are unavailable when our delivery partner tries to deliver your order, they will usually try to deliver again the next working day or they will drop a card in to offer you a collection from a local collection point. If you should refuse delivery of goods, or are not available to accept the delivery on both delivery attempts, you will be required to cover any extra costs incurred. Royal Mail staff sometimes leave parcels with a neighbour or in an outbuilding or at the rear of the property. If a parcel is too large to go through the letter box they may return it to the local sorting office and may not leave a card advising you. First Class may take up to 4 days, Second class may take up to 10 days delivery time. Please check there first before reporting non delivery.

All quoted delivery prices are for most UK Mainland addresses. Northern Ireland (BT), Isle of Wight (PO30-37), Isle of Man (IM), Scottish Highlands and Orkney Isles (PA, ML, EH, KA, G, KY, PH, DD, AB, IV, KW), Outer Hebrides and the Shetland Isles (HS, ZE), Channel Islands (JE and GY) will incur additional charges and may also experience delivery delays; morning, Saturday and "next working day" deliveries are optional and will also incur additional charges.

We will only deliver goods to the address on the order.

Due to postal restrictions we are unable to send liquids and aerosol products by Royal Mail . Some Couriers also refuse to take such products.

Returns

In accordance with your statutory rights as a consumer, claims for refunds, replacements or repairs will be offered, provided proof of purchase is produced, as applicable if goods are found to:

  • Not be of satisfactory quality
  • Not be fit for the purpose for which they were sold
  • Not correspond with their description
  • Not correspond with a sample on display , and/or
  • Be sold without good title

The cost of returning goods under the rights above will be borne by us if any of these situations is found to apply. No refunds can be made until the goods have been returned and assessed.

Goods returned to us as faulty which are found not to be faulty will incur a handling charge and return postage costs.

In addition, under the Distance Selling Regulations 2000, when you buy goods over the internet (or other distance medium) you have the right to cancel your contract at any time up to 7 working days after the receipt. You must notify us of your intention to cancel the contract under these provisions, within the cancellation period and preferably in writing. You must take reasonable care of the goods whilst in your possession, and they must be returned promptly and as far as is practicable in their original condition and packaging. You are entitled to remove the goods from their packaging for reasonable examination but you may be liable for any loss of value resulting from any damage or alteration to the goods or packaging caused whilst in your possession.

Goods supplied in kit form must be returned with all component bags unopened. If the kit has been started or any of the component bags have been opened we are unable to make a refund as we can not check that all parts are present.

The cost of returning goods under these provisions is to be borne by you and we strongly advise you to return goods valued at under £39.00 (The Post Office's standard compensation) by Recorded Delivery and retain the proof of posting. For higher value items we advise that you insure the goods for their full value during return transit.

Please note that certain goods are exempt from the cancellation rights detailed above, such as goods made specifically to order and perishable goods. Items such as magazines, catalogues and CD/DVDs are also excluded.

We ask that you examine all goods delivered as soon as reasonably practicable after delivery and notify us of any problem with the goods as soon as possible.

We will have a claim against our Couriers for any items they damage in transit to you and therefore we request that you keep all packaging with the goods in order to ensure such a claim is not invalidated. The Courier will require a signature on delivery, and the package should be examined for signs of external damage at that point and the Courier advised on the delivery sheet. Items despatched by Courier should arrive within 4 days. All claims for non delivery of Courier despatched parcels must be notified promptly so the Courier can investigate. You will normally be sent a tracking number for courier delivered items.

Goods sent by First Class Royal mail can take up to 5 days to arrive. Goods sent by Second class mail can take up to 10 days to arrive. Goods sent overseas including Northern Ireland may take longer. Postmen sometimes leave parcels with a neighbour, or in an outbuilding or at the rear of the property or even in a dustbin.. Parcels too large to go through the letter box may be returned to the local sorting office (and the Postman does not always leave a card) Please check with your local sorting office first before contacting us about a non delivery.

The above statements are not intended to be a full indication of all your rights as a consumer. Details of your rights when buying goods over the internet, and otherwise, are available from your local Trading Standards Dept and/or Consumer Direct.

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