{"product_id":"matchbox-pk-601-supermarine-stranraer-flying-boat-1-72-scale-plastic-model-kit","title":"Matchbox PK-601 Supermarine Stranraer Flying Boat — 1\/72 Scale Plastic model kit decals damaged","description":"\u003cp\u003eManufacturer: Matchbox \/ Lesney\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Kit number: PK-601\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Barcode: 035995460126\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Subject: Supermarine Stranraer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Scale: 1\/72\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Original kit release: 1979\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Parts: 121\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Plastic: Three colours\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Type: Twin-engine biplane flying boat\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Status: Out of production\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Original box: Large Matchbox \"brown series\" packaging\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is one of the larger and more ambitious Matchbox aircraft kits. Its 121 parts make it considerably more substantial than many of the company's smaller 1\/72 aircraft. The specialist Matchbox archive also records an interesting production error: the instruction sheet was originally printed with the PK-551 number and a correction notice was supplied with the kit.\n\u003cbr\u003eManufacturer and kit history\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMatchbox was the model-kit division of British toy manufacturer Lesney Products, best known for its Matchbox die-cast vehicles. During the 1970s the company developed an increasingly broad range of plastic aircraft kits, often choosing unusual British and Commonwealth subjects that were poorly represented by other manufacturers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe PK-601 Stranraer was introduced in 1979 and belongs to the larger \"brown series\" Matchbox aircraft kits. Its 121 parts, multiple-colour moulding and unusually large box reflect the size of the finished aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe kit is particularly interesting to collectors because the Stranraer is an unusual subject even today. It is a large interwar biplane flying boat with extensive external struts, twin engines and a boat-like hull, giving the finished 1\/72 model a considerable physical presence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA surviving build examination of the kit describes two grey sprues, a green sprue containing the fuselage, tails, floats and engine nacelles, and a brown sprue containing additional tailplane, flight-deck, bulkhead, propeller and wing-bracing components, plus a clear sprue.\n\u003cbr\u003eKit contents\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe original kit contains approximately 121 parts, moulded in three colours.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe principal components include:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    large flying-boat hull\/fuselage;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    upper and lower wings;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    extensive wing struts;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    twin engine nacelles;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    two Bristol Pegasus engine representations;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    propellers;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    tailplane;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    vertical tail surfaces;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    wingtip floats;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    cockpit\/flight deck;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    internal bulkheads;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    pilot\/crew details;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    clear cockpit and cabin glazing;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    underwing and hull details;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    propeller assemblies;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    external bracing;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    decals;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    assembly instructions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA modern inspection of an original kit confirms the presence of the large hull, wing assemblies, engine nacelles, floats, tail components, flight-deck parts and clear glazing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the kit's more interesting historical quirks is the instruction-sheet numbering error. Matchbox accidentally printed PK-551 on the construction sheet, and a correction notice was included to identify the kit properly as PK-601.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat correction sheet is therefore something a collector should retain with a complete example.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe real aircraft — Supermarine Stranraer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Supermarine Stranraer was a British twin-engine patrol flying boat developed during the early 1930s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt was the final Supermarine flying boat design to reach production in the lineage that included the Southampton and Scapa.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft was designed by the Supermarine team headed by R. J. Mitchell, the same designer who would later become famous for the Spitfire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Stranraer was developed in response to Air Ministry Specification R.24\/31, which called for a general-purpose coastal reconnaissance flying boat. The requirement included the ability to maintain level flight after losing one engine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft retained the characteristic biplane flying-boat configuration of the period, but incorporated an all-metal hull and modernised construction.\n\u003cbr\u003eDevelopment\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSupermarine initially proposed an enlarged derivative of the Scapa.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Air Ministry initially preferred a competing Saunders-Roe design, but Supermarine continued development privately. The project was initially associated with the designation Southampton V before becoming the Stranraer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1933, an order was placed for a prototype.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe prototype, K3973, was powered by two 820-hp Bristol Pegasus IIIM engines and made its first flight on 24 July 1934, with Supermarine test pilot Joseph Summers at the controls.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe prototype subsequently underwent official trials at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Felixstowe.\n\u003cbr\u003eProduction aircraft\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Air Ministry ordered the first batch of 17 production Stranraers in August 1935.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe first production-standard aircraft flew in December 1936.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Stranraer entered RAF service on 16 April 1937, initially with No. 228 Squadron at Pembroke Dock.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe final British-built aircraft was delivered on 3 April 1939.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe RAF Museum confirms that the original production contract was for 17 aircraft and that the first aircraft entered service with No. 228 Squadron in early 1937.\n\u003cbr\u003eCanadian production\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Stranraer had a particularly important Canadian connection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCanadian Vickers Limited produced the aircraft under licence for the Royal Canadian Air Force.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA total of 40 Canadian-built aircraft were produced.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe RAF Museum notes that the RCAF selected the type and that Canadian Vickers built forty examples.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTogether with the British production aircraft and prototype, total production was approximately 58 aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat makes the Stranraer a relatively rare aircraft even by the standards of interwar flying boats.\n\u003cbr\u003eConstruction\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Stranraer was a substantial aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIts hull was constructed from metal, while the wings had fabric-covered surfaces.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft's two engines were mounted between the upper and lower wings in conventional flying-boat biplane fashion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe enormous wing cellule required numerous struts and bracing wires.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese features are exactly what make the Matchbox kit visually distinctive: even though the tooling is now more than four decades old, the completed model has a very impressive outline.\n\u003cbr\u003eEngines\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eProduction aircraft were powered by two Bristol Pegasus X radial engines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEach produced approximately 920 hp.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe radial engines were mounted in nacelles between the wings and drove four-bladed propellers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Pegasus was a mature and widely used British radial-engine family, giving the Stranraer a dependable powerplant for long-range coastal patrol operations.\n\u003cbr\u003ePerformance\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRepresentative Stranraer Mk I specifications include:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Crew: approximately 6\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Engines: 2 × Bristol Pegasus X\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Power: approximately 920 hp each\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Maximum speed: approximately 165 mph\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Range: approximately 1,000 miles\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Service ceiling: approximately 18,500 ft\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Armament: up to three .303-inch machine guns\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Bomb load: approximately 1,000 lb.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft was not designed to be fast. Its strengths were range, endurance, seaworthiness, payload and the ability to operate from water.\n\u003cbr\u003eArmament\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Stranraer was intended primarily for coastal reconnaissance and anti-submarine work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIts defensive armament consisted of three .303-inch machine guns, mounted in positions around the hull\/fuselage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt could also carry approximately 1,000 lb of bombs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft therefore had sufficient offensive capability for anti-submarine patrols, although its relatively slow speed and open biplane configuration increasingly made it vulnerable as more modern aircraft entered service.\n\u003cbr\u003eRAF service\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen Britain entered the Second World War in September 1939, Stranraers were still in RAF service.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe RAF Museum records that two operational units were equipped with the aircraft during the early part of the war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStranraers performed:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    coastal patrol;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    reconnaissance;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    anti-submarine patrol;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    convoy protection;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    training.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThey operated from coastal bases and were particularly suited to the maritime environment for which they had been designed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe type was withdrawn from front-line operational service in March 1941, after which surviving aircraft continued in training roles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe last RAF Stranraer was retired from service in October 1942.\n\u003cbr\u003eRoyal Canadian Air Force service\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Stranraer had a much longer operational career in Canada.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCanadian aircraft were used for patrols over both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt the outbreak of war, eight Canadian Stranraers were operational.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe type equipped several RCAF squadrons and undertook anti-submarine and coastal patrol duties.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCanadian Stranraers remained in service until 1944, when they were finally withdrawn from operational use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis Canadian service is an important part of the aircraft's history because the type's production in Canada actually exceeded its British production.\n\u003cbr\u003eCivilian career\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Stranraer's story did not end with military retirement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSeveral aircraft were registered for civilian use after their military careers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe most notable operator was Queen Charlotte Airlines, which operated Stranraers along the Pacific coast of British Columbia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft continued to operate commercially into the 1950s, particularly in remote areas where its flying-boat characteristics remained useful.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis gives the Stranraer an unusually long overall operational life for a 1930s biplane.\n\u003cbr\u003eSurviving aircraft\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA complete Stranraer survives at the Royal Air Force Museum London.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe RAF Museum identifies its aircraft as Stranraer serial 920 and displays it in Hangars 3 and 4.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis aircraft is particularly important because the Stranraer is one of the world's last surviving examples of the large interwar biplane flying-boat concept.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor a modeller, the museum aircraft provides an excellent reference for:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    hull shape;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    cockpit arrangement;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    engine nacelles;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    wing bracing;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    floats;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    gun positions;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    external fittings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFull-size aircraft selling price\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA particularly useful historical price reference comes from wartime-era discussions of Canadian-built Stranraers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA New Zealand government\/aviation-history source records that in 1940 a Canadian-built Stranraer was being considered for purchase and that the aircraft cost approximately C$200,000 each.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat is a useful contemporary figure, although it should be treated as a specific quotation rather than a universal production price because aircraft prices depended upon configuration, equipment and contract terms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor catalogue purposes:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDocumented approximate 1940 price: C$200,000 per aircraft\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere is, of course, no meaningful ordinary current selling price for a complete original Stranraer. The surviving aircraft are museum pieces rather than aircraft normally traded on the open market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCurrent full-size market value: effectively museum\/heritage value; no reliable open-market transaction price.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Matchbox","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57512972484988,"sku":"Matchbox-PK-601","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0432\/8584\/0033\/files\/F93E737A-4012-4D49-B8C3-2FCFC9491C6B.jpg?v=1790662155","url":"https:\/\/sussex-model-centre.co.uk\/products\/matchbox-pk-601-supermarine-stranraer-flying-boat-1-72-scale-plastic-model-kit","provider":"Sussex Model Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}