<p>Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Workbench blog, and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix.</p><p>For those of us who have a few years invested in this wonderful hobby of ours, we know only too well how the model kits we’ve enjoyed building over the years, particularly early on in our modelling journeys, helped to provide us with a different perspective on the facts we learned about in our history books at school, if not by actually bringing those details to life, but certainly by allowing them to take physical form and becoming appealingly tactile. In this latest edition of Workbench, we will be making reference to this by featuring two kits which are both currently available in the 2026 range, both 1/72nd scale representations of fighting aeroplanes, and both writing their names into the annals of aviation history from the very earliest days of aerial combat.</p><p>Our main subject is an aircraft which possesses unrivalled aviation credentials, the first <em>‘hunting’ </em>aeroplane, one developed specifically to prey on other aircraft, dominating the skies and creating a new breed of fighting aeroplane. The second subject ended up being prey for the first one, despite the fact that it was an impressive aircraft in its own right, one which performed exceptionally well in the role for which it was intended. Unfortunately, a new breed of enemy aircraft ensured that history records its service years as being extremely challenging, despite its many commendable qualities.</p><p>We’re in the presence of true aviation pioneers and their aircraft in this latest edition of Workbench.</p>