1:72 Scale Metal Diecast - Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IIa P7290, Air Fighting Development Unit, RAF Duxford, 1942 - Length: 5" Wingspan: 6? The landing gear is optional, pieces are included to make the model look as if it were inflight or on the ground. A display stand is included. This is not a toy. Recommended for 15 and older. The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the war. The Spitfire was a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works, which operated as a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong from 1928. Mitchell modified the Spitfire's distinctive elliptical wing (designed by Beverley Shenstone) with innovative sunken rivets to have the thinnest possible cross-section, achieving a potential top speed greater than that of several contemporary fighter aircraft, including the Hawker Hurricane. Mitchell continued to refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith took over as chief designer.