RAF Floatplane De Havilland DH82 Tiger Moth

Arobust little bi-plane of the 1930s, which was designed and built by De Havilland in the UK. The standard version was joined by the floatplane modification so the DH82 could touch down on both land and water and the aircraft was a popular choice for training new pilots who had not flown before. In addition, in 1935, the company developed the DH.82 Queen Bee which was a pilotless, radio-controlled target drone variant of the Tiger Moth. It was used in training anti-aircraft gunners by the Fleet Air Arm and the RAF. While it could be flown as a normal manned plane, the Queen Bee's rear cockpit position was equipped with RAE radio-control gear including pneumatically operated servo units linked to the aircraft rudder and elevator controls. The first Queen Bee was flown manned at Hatfield in 1935 and then remotely controlled at Farnborough later that year. Over 380 Queen Bees were built and operated by the FAA and RAF.

Our 1:72 scale model is the floatplane version Queen Bee and appears in a matt brown and dark green camouflage scheme with yellow and red underside. The RAF roundel and lettering L-5894 are printed on the lower undersides of the wings and also along the fuselage. Silver floats and struts and a green cockpit complete the detail on this interesting Tiger Moth variant.