Special Hobby 1/72 DH.94 Moth Minor (Under the Southern Cross) Kit 72494

Decals will be RAAF, RNZAF and a civilian South African machine. In 1937, De Havilland designed the DH.94 Moth Minor as a modern replacement for the DH.82 Tiger Moth biplane.

The DH.94 was produced for civilian customers until 1940, when the production was switched for the military.

Civilian aircraft were confiscated for the needs of the RAF. They were used as couriers and liaison aircraft.

One aircraft, delivered to Egypt, served with the USAAF during the war and flew with American markings.

Five DH.94s flew with the RNZAF in New Zealand and two ex-civil aircraft were used to train SAAF pilots in South Africa.

All production tools, unfinished aircraft and materials for the production of the DH.94 were shipped to Australia in 1940 to the subsidiary De Havilland Australia.

There, DH.94 production was resumed, on order from the RAAF which eventually received forty DH.94 airframes.

Then production was stopped in favour of the DH.82 Tiger Moth, which was chosen as the standard RAAF trainer. DH.94s were used to train RAAF pilots until the end of the war.

The surviving machines were sold to civilian interested parties and were at the birth of sport aviation in Australia.

Similarly, machines confiscated during the war for the RAF and FAA were returned to civilian users.

At least two DH.94s were converted to Coupe versions after the war.

Several machines still fly today, in Britain, Australia and the USA.

The Moth Minor model kit consists of two grey styrene sprues and a clear windshield parts sprue.

Decals are offered for two RAAF machines, an RNZAF machine and a civilian machine from South Africa

Additional items are required to complete kit as illustrated