Gloster's incredible-looking Javelin was perhaps one of the most distinctive shapes to take to the skies during the immediate post-war years. Remembered by many as the 'Flying Flat Iron', the unmistakable shape of the Javelin has been a favourite with modellers, if not model kit manufacturers. Until Airfix released their new 1:48 kit, the Javelin had seen scant attention from the modelling world with only a handful of kits in 1:72 from Frog, Hawk and Heller and in 1:48 from Dynavector and Airwaves (both vac-forms) to whet the appetite, it is therefore a delight to be able to assess a new kit of this famous aircraft and one that is most likely to be the final word on this subject in miniature - the brand-new Air fix kit in 1:48. Let's take a look, shall we? The Javelin was the RAF's first purpose-built interceptor aircraft, major aerodynamic features of the type include its adoption of the then-new delta wing and a large tailplane. Both the aircraft's fuel and guns were housed in the delta wing, while the engines and crew were contained within the fuselage, two of each being deemed necessary for this new aircraft's proposed role. The delta wing and tailplane combination were incorporated by Gloster as a means of ensuring effective manoeuvrability at high speed and for the aircraft to maintain controllability at low landing speeds. In one instance during testing, when both elevators had been torn off by elevator flutter, the Javelin remained controllable in part due to the aerodynamic qualities of the large tailplane used.
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