From the perspective of a student pilot, the de Havilland Tiger Moth was a relatively stable and forgiving aircraft to fly, possessing few handling vices and being generally supportive of the odd silly mistake by the novice pilot.
It quickly gained a reputation as being an ‘easy aeroplane to fly, but a difficult one to fly well’, qualities which seemed to make this the ideal aircraft to serve as a primary/basic trainer for large numbers of pilots destined to fly operationally during WWII.
At the start of the war, the RAF had around 500 Tiger Moths in service, but would requisition hundreds more from flying clubs up and down the country.
A computer rendered image created from the design files produced in support of this 1/48th scale de Havilland Tiger Moth kit. Most Workbench readers would probably agree that the vast majority of aviation enthusiasts have a particular fascination for fighting aeroplanes, those which contested both world wars and continue to patrol world skies to this day, but how did all those pilots who flew those aircraft so expertly gain their wings in the first place? Certainly, during the Second World War, all new pilots would have had to successfully negotiate the flight training programme of their respective air forces and if you were a British and Commonwealth student pilot, that would invariably mean spending time at the controls of the same aircraft, the de Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth. 
De Havilland’s intention with the Moth series was to produce aircraft which would have wide appeal across the world of aviation, possessing qualities which put them at the forefront of the industry when it came to effectiveness and usability. Central to his thinking was to produce a training aeroplane suitable for Royal Air Force use and whilst he thought his DH60 Moth was eminently suitable for this role, the Royal Air Force were less enthusiastic. Although the DH60 was loved by flying clubs up and down the country, the RAF felt that with the top wing being located over the forward cockpit, if an instructor or pilot had to get out of the aeroplane in an emergency, they might have difficulty doing so whilst wearing a parachute 
Two design screenshot images produced during the design phase of this exciting 1/48th scale tooling project. 
Pilot maker extraordinaire, the de Havilland Tiger Moth has to be considered one of the most important aircraft of the 20th century and continues to provide the same flight training support it was originally designed to do back when it made its first flight in 1931. Construction of the aircraft was of relatively traditional design, with welded steel tubing being covered with fabric and the extensive use of wood throughout. Adopting traditional flight controls, the flight instrumentation was almost identical in both cockpits, however, only the rear cockpit had a mixture control lever for the 4 cylinder in-line inverted 130 hp Gypsy Major engine. To maintain the aircraft’s centre of gravity, if the aircraft was being flown by a single pilot, they would use the rear cockpit, hence the placement of the engine mixture controls 
Always a highlight in any edition of Workbench, new box artwork serves to identify and inspire modellers looking for a new build project, but if you are looking to add a fabulously historic project to your 2024 build schedule, you’d do well to find one more appealing than this latest Tiger Moth release. 
Another development look at one of the files produced during the Tiger Moth design project. As Britain prepared for possible invasion during the early summer of 1940, there were even advanced plans for the mild-mannered Tiger Moth to show a much more aggressive side of its nature, supporting the Spitfire and Hurricane pilots of Fighter Command they had previously helped train by attacking any potential invasion force by all means at their disposal. ‘Operation Banquet’ called for the use of every available aircraft in the defence of Britain’s coastline, equipping even the most unlikely aircraft with bomb racks and giving them an offensive capability. Should a German invasion have been attempted, there would have been the very real possibility of seeing swarms of bomb laden Tiger Moths raining fury down on the enemy troops below, as Britain planned to hurl everything at any such cross-channel invasion, ensuring it had little chance of success. Thankfully, due in no small part to the contribution this effective ‘pilot maker’ made in training the heroic pilots of Fighter Command, Germany’s invasion plans for England were indefinitely postponed following the Luftwaffe’s inability to score a decisive aerial victory during the Battle of Britain, and the distinguished Tiger Moth didn’t have to besmirch its reputation by being forced to carry bombs. An aircraft which possesses an enduring heritage which can only be matched by a handful of historic types, the de Havilland Tiger Moth was clearly an aircraft which attracted the attention of Airfix designers and in our own heritage, a scale representation of the Tiger Moth was one of the first aircraft kits to join the growing range, which it did in 1957. This original 1/72nd scale kit was replaced by a newly designed model kit in 2014, however for many modellers, what they really wanted was a Tiger Moth in the larger 1/48th scal 
Scheme A – de Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth BB852/E, Britannia Flight, Britannia Royal Naval College, Roborough, Plymouth, Devon, 1st July 1965, the last biplanes to land on a British Aircraft Carrier (HMS Eagle). 
Full scheme details for this completely fascinating Royal Navy Tiger Moth. 
Scheme B – de Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth N-9496/17, No.9 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School, Royal Air Force Ansty, Warwickshire, England, October 1940. 
Full scheme details of this No.9 Elementary Flying Training School Tiger Moth, an aircraft which had not yet benefitted from the addition of anti-spin strakes. 
box presentation 
Full branded box presentation for what will only be the second release from our new 1/48th scale de Havilland Tiger Moth tooling.
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