Spitfire

The Spitfire began life as a racing seaplane. R.J. Mitchell had spent the Schneider Trophy years chasing outright speed. When he drew that elliptical wing in 1936, he was answering a question of pure aerodynamics: the shape that sheds the least drag, thin enough to be quick, deep enough at the root to hide everything else.

Part of the Authentic Models Elements of the Skies collection, honouring the moment in 1936 when the Spitfire first flew and showed what a wing could do once it was drawn for speed alone.

Spitfire is the compact piece in the range, and the one most people can name without prompting. Its elliptical wing reads as a single unbroken curve from every angle.

Each piece features hand-formed elliptical wings, a sliding cockpit canopy, a working tail rudder, and retractable main wheels, finished in polished aluminium and mounted on an aluminium stand with an engraved plate.

It takes up less space than airliners and holds a room just as firmly for the person who knew this shape long before they knew its name.