Revell 04683 Gloster Gladiator Mk.I — 1/72 Scale Plastic kit

Manufacturer: Revell

Kit number: 04683

Barcode: 4009803046839

Aircraft: Gloster Gladiator Mk.I

Scale: 1/72

Release: 2010

Type: Injection-moulded plastic aircraft kit

Status: Out of production
Manufacturer and kit history

Revell is one of the major European scale-model manufacturers, with a particularly extensive range of aircraft, armour, ships, cars and science-fiction subjects.

The 04683 belongs to Revell's extensive 1/72 military-aircraft range and was introduced in October 2010 as a reissue.

The kit is consequently a relatively inexpensive representation of an important British aircraft rather than a modern, highly elaborate limited-production kit.

The 2010 release was moulded in silver/grey plastic with a separate clear sprue, and was supplied with decals and assembly instructions. A contemporary kit review records:

two silver plastic sprues;

one transparent sprue;

decal sheet;

assembly instructions;

safety-information sheet.

This makes the kit fairly straightforward to catalogue and, when complete, relatively easy to identify.
Kit contents

The Revell 04683 contains the components required to build a Gloster Gladiator Mk.I in 1/72.

The contents include:

fuselage halves;

upper and lower wings;

interplane and cabane struts;

Bristol Mercury radial engine;

engine cowling;

propeller;

cockpit;

pilot's position;

instrument-panel components;

undercarriage;

wheels;

tailplane;

rudder;

elevators;

cockpit canopy/windscreen;

smaller external fittings;

clear parts;

decals;

assembly instructions.

The documented kit contents specifically comprise two silver sprues, one clear sprue, decals and instructions.

The Gladiator is a relatively small aircraft, so even at 1/72 the completed model has a compact footprint. The biplane structure does, however, give the kit considerably more visual complexity than a simple monoplane.
What the kit represents

The subject is specifically the Gladiator Mk.I, rather than the later Mk.II or naval Sea Gladiator.

The Mk.I was powered by the Bristol Mercury IX radial engine.

That distinction is important when comparing the kit with other Gladiator releases because later versions had different engine installations and equipment.
The real aircraft — Gloster Gladiator

The Gloster Gladiator was Britain's final production biplane fighter.

It was developed from the earlier Gloster Gauntlet, but incorporated a number of important advances, most notably an enclosed cockpit, retractable landing gear and a powerful radial engine.

The prototype, designated S.S.37, first flew on 12 September 1934.

By the time the Gladiator entered RAF service in 1937, however, fighter design was changing rapidly.

New monoplane fighters such as the Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire and German Messerschmitt Bf 109 were already pointing toward the next generation of fighter aircraft.

The Gladiator nevertheless represented an extremely refined version of the biplane fighter concept.
Design and development

The Gladiator was designed by the Gloster Aircraft Company at Hucclecote, Gloucestershire, under chief designer Harold P. Folland.

The design incorporated:

all-metal fuselage construction;

fabric-covered flying surfaces;

enclosed cockpit;

retractable main undercarriage;

radial engine;

two-bay biplane wings;

four machine guns.

It was a significant technological step beyond earlier British biplane fighters.

The enclosed cockpit was particularly notable because it offered the pilot substantially better protection from the weather than the open cockpits of earlier fighters.
Gladiator Mk.I

The first production version was the Gladiator Mk.I.

The aircraft was powered by the Bristol Mercury IX, producing approximately 830 hp.

The engine drove a three-bladed propeller.

Representative Mk.I specifications are:

Crew: 1

Engine: Bristol Mercury IX

Power: approximately 830 hp

Maximum speed: approximately 407 km/h / 253 mph

Length: 8.36 m

Wingspan: 9.83 m

Height: 3.58 m

Range: approximately 689–708 km

Service ceiling: approximately 10,000 m

Armament: 4 × .303-inch machine guns.

The aircraft was a very capable fighter by mid-1930s standards.
Armament

The Gladiator's four .303-inch machine guns were mounted in the wings and fuselage.

This was a considerable improvement over the armament of many earlier British biplane fighters.

The four-gun arrangement allowed the pilot to concentrate fire through the propeller arc and wing-mounted positions.

The aircraft's armament was adequate against many contemporary aircraft, although the arrival of heavily armed monoplane fighters quickly changed expectations.
Entry into RAF service

The first production Gladiator was accepted by the RAF in February 1937, with the initial production batch completed by March.

The Gladiator became an important component of the RAF's pre-war fighter force.

At the time, it represented the culmination of British biplane-fighter development.

RAF pilots generally appreciated its handling qualities and manoeuvrability.

The aircraft was particularly well suited to dogfighting because of its relatively low wing loading and responsive controls.
Production

Production was concentrated at Gloster's Hucclecote factory.

The complete production programme amounted to approximately 747 aircraft.

The production breakdown included:

378 Gladiator Mk.I

270 Gladiator Mk.II

98 Sea Gladiators, including interim and production aircraft

18 Swedish J 8A aircraft

prototype and related aircraft.

Aeroflight's production breakdown totals 747 aircraft.

Approximately 216 aircraft were exported to 13 countries, demonstrating that the Gladiator was an internationally marketable fighter before the outbreak of war.

Export customers included countries such as:

Belgium;

China;

Egypt;

Finland;

Greece;

Iraq;

Ireland;

Latvia;

Lithuania;

Norway;

Portugal;

South Africa;

Sweden.

Battle of France

The Gladiator entered the Second World War still in front-line RAF service.

It was used during the Battle of France in 1940, although by this stage German fighter aircraft such as the Bf 109 were generally faster and more heavily armed.

RAF Gladiator squadrons nevertheless participated in combat and demonstrated the aircraft's manoeuvrability.

Its biplane configuration was by then a substantial technological disadvantage, particularly in speed.
Norway

Gladiators also saw combat during the Norwegian campaign in 1940.

No. 263 Squadron operated Gladiators from the frozen Lake Lesjaskogsvatnet and became heavily involved in the air fighting during the campaign.

The Norwegian campaign became one of the Gladiator's more famous early-war deployments.

The aircraft's ability to operate in difficult conditions was useful, although the rapid German advance ultimately forced the Allied forces to withdraw.
Battle of Britain

The Gladiator was still present in Britain during the Battle of Britain, although it was no longer the RAF's principal fighter.

Only No. 247 Squadron operated Gladiators during the main Battle of Britain period.

The aircraft's appearance in the battle is therefore historically interesting, but the principal RAF fighter force consisted of Hurricanes and Spitfires.
Malta

The Gladiator is particularly famous for its association with Malta in 1940.

Three aircraft became closely associated with the island's defence and were popularly known as Faith, Hope and Charity.

The three aircraft formed part of the island's limited fighter defence during the early stages of the Italian campaign.

The story subsequently became one of the most famous episodes in Gladiator history.

The surviving aircraft Faith is preserved at the Malta Aviation Museum, while the identities and histories of the three aircraft have generated considerable historical discussion.
North Africa and the Middle East

Gladiators were extensively used in the Mediterranean, North Africa and Middle East.

They participated in operations against Italian forces and in the defence of British bases.

Squadrons operating Gladiators included:

No. 33 Squadron;

No. 80 Squadron;

No. 94 Squadron;

No. 112 Squadron.

These operations provided some of the type's most substantial combat experience.
Sea Gladiator

The aircraft was also adapted for naval service as the Sea Gladiator.

The naval version included:

strengthened airframe;

arrestor hook;

catapult attachment points;

naval equipment;

provision for a dinghy/lifeboat beneath the fuselage.

Approximately 98 Sea Gladiators were built or converted.

The Sea Gladiator is closely associated with the defence of Malta and the Fleet Air Arm.
Foreign service

The Gladiator had a surprisingly broad international career.

Sweden operated the type as the J 8 and J 8A.

Norway operated it as the Gloster Gladiator Mk.I.

China received Gladiators and used them against Japanese forces.

Finland, Greece, Belgium, Portugal and other countries also operated the type.

In several cases the aircraft saw combat against considerably more modern opposition.
China

Chinese Gladiators were used during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

The aircraft participated in the defence of China during the late 1930s and were involved in combat against Japanese aircraft.

This was one of the Gladiator's earliest operational combat environments.
Sweden

Sweden purchased Gladiators and operated them as the J 8 and J 8A.

The Swedish aircraft were equipped for local requirements and served as part of Sweden's pre-war fighter force.

Some of the Swedish aircraft were subsequently used for training.
Retirement

The Gladiator's front-line usefulness declined rapidly after 1940.

Modern monoplane fighters offered:

substantially greater speed;

better climb performance;

heavier armament;

improved high-altitude performance.

The Gladiator therefore increasingly moved into:

training;

communications;

meteorological work;

secondary duties.

The type nevertheless had an unusually long overall service history.

The final known operational examples were used by Portugal, with the type remaining in service until 1953.
Significance of the aircraft

The Gladiator occupies an interesting position in aviation history.

It was both:

the final British production biplane fighter, and

one of the last highly developed biplane fighters to enter major military service.

It was therefore already approaching obsolescence when it entered RAF service, but it was nevertheless a technically mature, well-designed and highly manoeuvrable aircraft.

Its combat history demonstrates the rapid transition from biplane to monoplane fighter during the second half of the 1930s.
Full-size aircraft price

There is unusually good historical pricing evidence for the Gladiator.

A UK defence-cost study gives a November 1937 contract unit price of £3,050 for the Gladiator. The same source converts that to approximately £142,106 in 2014 purchasing-power terms.

This is a much more useful figure than trying to infer a price from modern warbird values.

So for your catalogue:

Documented 1937 contract price: £3,050 per aircraft

The figure is a procurement-contract unit price, not necessarily the fully equipped final cost of every Gladiator.
Current full-size value

There is no normal open market for complete original Gladiators.

The aircraft is extremely rare, and surviving examples are museum aircraft or highly valuable historic warbirds.

Consequently:

Current full-size selling price: No dependable standard market price.

A surviving, airworthy original Gladiator would be a specialist museum-grade asset, and an advertised value would depend heavily on provenance, airworthiness, originality and ownership circumstances.