Aoshima 1/700 Scale British Aircraft Carrier HMS Ark Royal 1941 Model Kit

Known for their accuracy and attention to detail, Aoshima's precision Waterline Series focuses on naval ship models, depicting the ship's structure from the waterline and above. Models in this series are designed to be seen as if floating on the water, highlighting the above-water structure, whilst also making for a more practical and space-efficient display on a flat surface.

HMS Ark Royal was the second purpose-built aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy, and the first on which the hangars and flight deck were an integral part of the hull. Ark Royal was designed to carry a large number of aircraft for the time, and included two hanger decks to accomodate them.

HMS Ark Royal was in service during the period that first saw the extensive use of naval air power; consequently, several carrier tactics were developed and refined aboard her.

During her time, Ark Royal served in some of the most active naval war-zones of early WW2, including off the coast of Norway, hunting the Bismarck, and the Malta convoys; she was also a member of the renowned Force H for much of this time. It was a torpedo hit to the steering aparatus of the Bismarck, launched from Ark Royal's Swordfish biplanes, that doomed the German battleship.

Returning from ferrying aircraft to Malta, Ark Royal was torpedoed on 13th November 1942, by the German submarine U-81; she finally sank in the early morning of the 14th. Lessons learned from the sinking informed design improvements made to subsequent British carriers.

Aoshima's precision Waterline Series model kit represents HMS Ark Royal as she would have appeared in 1941, including embarked Swordfish and Fulmar aircraft.

• 1/700 scale precision model kit
• Waterline design
• Assembly required
• Glue, paint, and tools not included - available separately
• Not a toy: not intended for children under 15 years old
• Made in Japan