Corgi AA28804 Aviation Archive

Corgi Aviation Archive series AA28804 is a 1/48-scale diecast model of the F2B Fighter serial number A6/C4636 named “Devil-In-The-Dusk” of No.39 Squadron, Royal Air Force (RAF) 19/20 May, 1918.

Night Victory Over the Gotha

On the night of 19/20 May 1918, Lieutenant Anthony Arkell and First Air Mechanic Stagg flew their Bristol Fighter “Devil-in-the-Dusk” from 39 Squadron at North Weald. During a night patrol, they intercepted and shot down a German Gotha bomber over Hainault, sending it crashing into a beanfield near East Ham. For their gallantry in this action, Arkell recieved the Military Cross (MC) and Stagg the Military Medal (MM). The preserved ‘Devil in the Dusk’ name fabric now resides in the Imperial War Museum collection.

Bristol F2 Fighter

The Bristol F2 Fighter was a British WWI tandem-seat, single-engine biplane reconnaissance and fighter aircraft. It first flew in September 1916 and entered service with No.48 Squadron, RFC, in March 1917.

Intended as a replacement for the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c reconnaissance aircraft, it had the performance of a two-seat fighter and could hold its own against single-seat fighters. It remained in military service into the 1930s. Post-war, modified F.2 Bs were used for civilian as the Bristol Type 47 Tourer, powered by the Siddeley Puma engine. Production ended in 1927, with 5,329 airframes built.

The airframe is made of wood with a fabric covering and uses a single Rolls-Royce Falcon liquid-cooled V12 piston engine, driving a two— or four-bladed wooden propeller. Armaments consist of a machine gun in the upper fuselage, one or two in a Scarff ring mounted in the observer’s cockpit, and up to 110 kg (240 lb) of bombs.