AZ Model Plastic Model kit Gloster Gauntlet Mk.II RAF — 1:72

AZ Model is a Czech manufacturer specialising in aircraft subjects, particularly less-common military aircraft and variants. The company has produced numerous short-run and limited-production kits covering aircraft from the inter-war period through the Second World War.

AZ7524 belongs to an earlier generation of AZ Model's Gloster Gauntlet tooling. The tooling was subsequently reused and updated for later Gauntlet releases. The 2023 AZ7867, for example, is specifically described as an update of the tooling originally produced in 2008, with a new decal sheet and revised parts.
Kit contents

The original AZ7524 is an unassembled 1:72 injection-plastic aircraft model representing the RAF's principal production version of the Gauntlet.

The kit includes the principal components required to construct the aircraft, including:

Injection-moulded plastic fuselage

Upper and lower wings

Interplane and cabane struts

Bristol Mercury radial engine

Engine cowling

Propeller

Open cockpit

Pilot's cockpit components

Fixed landing gear

Tailplane and fin/rudder

Undercarriage and wheel components

Small external details

Clear/detail components where applicable

RAF decal sheet

Assembly instructions

The later AZ Model releases confirm the basic kit's 1:72 configuration and that the tooling was subsequently revised with a newly moulded engine and cowling. The later release specifically states that resin engine parts supplied with earlier versions are not included in the updated boxing.
History of the full-size aircraft

The Gloster Gauntlet was a British single-seat biplane fighter developed by the Gloster Aircraft Company during the early 1930s. It evolved from Gloster's earlier SS.18/S.S.19 fighter designs and was developed in response to RAF requirements for a modern interceptor.

The prototype flew in 1933. The aircraft combined a relatively powerful radial engine with a conventional open-cockpit biplane configuration. The Gauntlet represented the culmination of the classic RAF biplane fighter concept immediately before the transition to enclosed-cockpit monoplanes such as the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire.

The Mk.II was the principal production version. Approximately 204 Mk.IIs were produced, while total Gauntlet production is generally given as approximately 246 aircraft.
Engine and performance

The Gauntlet Mk.II was powered by the Bristol Mercury VIS2, a nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine producing approximately 640 hp.

Published specifications for the Mk.II give:

Engine: Bristol Mercury VIS2

Power: approximately 640 hp

Maximum speed: approximately 230 mph / 370 km/h

Service ceiling: approximately 33,500 ft / 10,200 m

Range: approximately 455 miles / 730 km

Wing span: 32 ft 9½ in / 9.99 m

Length: 26 ft 5 in / 8.05 m

Loaded weight: approximately 3,970 lb / 1,801 kg

Armament: two synchronised Vickers machine guns

For its time, the Gauntlet had an impressive rate of climb and was regarded as an effective interceptor. It was particularly significant because it became the RAF's principal fighter during the mid-1930s, before being overtaken by the new generation of monoplane fighters.
RAF service

The Gauntlet Mk.II entered RAF service during the mid-1930s. At its peak, the type equipped a substantial portion of Britain's fighter force, with 14 mainland RAF squadrons reportedly equipped with Gauntlets in 1937.

Among the important RAF units to operate the aircraft was No. 74 Squadron, while numerous other fighter squadrons flew the type during the inter-war period.

The Gauntlet was well suited to the tactics and requirements of the period. Its open cockpit, fixed undercarriage and fabric-covered biplane construction were conventional for early-1930s fighters, but these characteristics rapidly became obsolete as aircraft designers adopted retractable undercarriages, enclosed cockpits, all-metal construction and stressed-skin monoplane wings.
The transition to the Hurricane and Spitfire

By 1938–39, the Gauntlet was being replaced by much faster monoplanes. The arrival of the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire marked a fundamental change in fighter design.

Nevertheless, Gauntlets remained in secondary roles. By 1939, the RAF's British-based fighter squadrons had largely moved to Hurricanes, but Gauntlets continued operating overseas and in training and support roles.

The type was also used in the Middle East and participated in operations associated with the early stages of the Second World War. A detachment of six Australian-operated Gauntlets was employed by No. 3 Squadron RAAF in the Middle East in 1940 for dive-bombing and strafing duties.
Finnish service

One of the most interesting foreign operators was Finland.

Finnish Gauntlets were used principally as advanced trainers and remained in service during the Winter War period. The aircraft helped train a number of Finnish pilots who subsequently became prominent combat pilots.

This foreign service is one reason AZ Model later produced dedicated Gauntlet boxings with Finnish markings. The later AZ7868 “Special Markings” release includes British, Australian and Finnish subjects.