Corgi AA31917 Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIII Royal Australian Air Force A58-497/RG-V Wg Cdr Robert Gibbes, Deputy Wing Leader, No80 Wing, Sattler Field, Northern Territory, 1944

Decertificated by Corgi, no Limited Edition certificate

Serving as Deputy Wing Leader to Clive Caldwell, Robert Gibbes achieved no victories in this Mk VIII due to the dearth of enemy activity in the area. Squadron Leader Gibbes had returned to Australia in 1944 and flew Spitfire Mk VIIIs min the southwest Pacific until the end of the war. After flying for various private concerns after the war, he established Gibbes Sepik Airways in January 1948 and began operations out of New Guinea with surplus war aircraft. For the next 10 years, his airline played an important role in the exploration and development of the Sepik River and central highlands of this area.