The  Fairey Fulmar was developed as a matter of urgency from a light bomber design to give the Royal Navy an 8 gun -ala Spit/ Hurricane – fighter but with twice the ammo, 4 hour endurance and carrying an observer / navigator!

This of course made it a lot heavier, having a poor climb rate and a top speed of only 265mph- it could be dived to 400 mph though!

All 600 of them were built in Heaton Chapel  near Stockport (opposite the biscuit factory).

It held the fort for the RN from August 1940 until 1942 including the famous Pedestal convoy to Malta when it was joined by Sea Hurricanes and Martlets ( wildcats)

The Fulmar’s kills totalled 112 a third of the RN’s total.

The prototype is at the RN museum Yeovilton.

Rays model has been on the go for a few years now. He drew up the plan from a 1/72nd 3 view drawing at 1:9th scale so it comes out with a wingspan of 61.5 inch.

Built from balsa and covered in solartex the model will be painted in the colours of a 1941/42 Royal Navy aircraft. The Fulmar will be powered with a power52  eflite brushless motor running on 6 cells with a jeti opto 70 esc.