Dewoitine D.520 Vichy French Air Force, and similar items

1:72 Scale Metal Diecast - Dewoitine D.520 ? 18-victory ace Pierre Le Gloan, GC III/6, Vichy French Air Force, Syria, 1941 ? Length: 5" Wingspan: 5.5? This model is a single seat plane. The cockpit is glue shut. It has no pilot/crew figures included. The landing gear is optional, the pieces for the landing gear will need a little glue to be kept in place. The landing gear can be made to look in the retracted position (in flight) with the optional pieces. A display stand is included. This is really a "no-play" model or a "display-only" model. It is mostly metal and very heavy. It also has a number of antennas which look great but are very fragile. The box is labeled as not suitable for children under 14. The maker of this model did a good job, specifically the color scheme and the markings are very crisp and clear. The panel lines and hatches are very nicely done (engraved). This is not a toy. Recommended for 15 and up. The Dewoitine D.520 is a French fighter aircraft that entered service in early 1940, shortly after the beginning of the Second World War. The D.520 was designed in response to a 1936 requirement from the French Air Force for a fast, modern fighter with a good climbing speed and an armament centred on a 20 mm cannon. At the time the most powerful V-12 liquid-cooled engine available in France was the Hispano-Suiza 12Y, which was less powerful, but lighter than contemporary engines such as the Rolls-Royce Merlin and Daimler-Benz DB 601. Other fighters were designed to meet the specifications but none of them entered service, or entered service in small numbers, too late to play a significant role during the Battle of France.