Corgi AA35302 AA35302 North American B-25B Mitchell USAAF 17th BG Tokyo Raiders, #40-2344, Jimmy Doolittle, USS Hornet, Doolittle Raid, April 18th 1942

Corgi AA35302 AA35302 North American B-25B Mitchell USAAF 17th BG Tokyo Raiders, #40-2344, Jimmy Doolittle, USS Hornet, Doolittle Raid, April 18th 1942

On April 18, 1942, 16 B-25 bombers made history by taking off from the USAAF HORNET aircraft carrier while fully loaded, marking the first time ever that bombers had taken off from a carrier. This raid was the United States' response to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor four months earlier. Jimmy Doolittle's 80 volunteers, known as the Raiders, flew the B-25 Mitchell bombers on an air strike against Tokyo, becoming the stuff of legends.

Initially designed as an attack bomber for export to France and the UK, the North American B-25B Mitchell was first flown on August 19, 1940. Although it was rejected by the countries it was designed for in favor of the new Douglas DB-7, the B-25 later entered service with the Army Air Corps as a medium bomber. Early in its service, the B-25 gained fame for its role in the Doolittle Raid. Over the course of four decades, nearly 10,000 B-25s were built by North American Aviation, and the aircraft's name was in honor of aviation pioneer Billy Mitchell, making it the only US military aircraft named after an individual person.

Corgi's 1:72 scale B-25 series offers a range of variants, each with its unique features, including large greenhouse birdcage nose canopies and different engine cowlings. The most notable feature of this series is the variation in defensive and offensive gun emplacements found in each release, such as different tail gunner configurations, top turret positions, and waist gunner positions. Certain releases even feature side-mounted guns on the fuselage sides for strafing runs, waist gunners, and a non-extendable ball turret. The bomb doors open to reveal two detailed 1,000 lb bombs and a well-detailed bomb bay.