- Corgi is a premier line of diecast products that feature aircraft, trucks, tanks emergency vehicles and buses that has been producing models for over 50 years.
- The Smithsonian celebrates human history through technological innovation highlighting exceptional moments that created progress through science, art, culture, and education. The museum educates the public on significant events in history from all over the world and hopefully inpires future generations by sharing these amazing stories and in turn sparks the imagination creating more innovators.
- Explore the history of flight through the Smithsonian Collection. Take off in these historical airplanes and discover the magic in the air that has been there since it was created, celebrating aviation and the brave pilots that flew them.
- Each of the Smithsonian models comes complete with its very own display stand, making it the perfect beginner range for model collectors. This fit the box scale model is made completely of die-cast, model is the perfect size as a desk or shelf ornament. Makes a perfect gift for any person interested in aviation!
- Each models contains small details such as the panel and rivet lines throughout the fully painted model that fits perfectly into the palm of your hand.
Setting a world record, that is still untouched today, the North American X-15 hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft helped launch space exploration into a reality. Operated by the United States Air Force and NASA congruently, the X-15 was able to reach the edges of the atmosphere and skim along the edges of space beyond this planet, providing data that was detrimental to space travel. A total of 12 pilots flew 199 flights in the 3 experimental X-15 spaceplanes during the program conducted from 1959 through 1968. The pilots came from NASA(5), US Air Force(5), Navy(1) and North American Aviation(1). This included Neil Armstrong, one of the US Air Force pilots, who would later become the first man on the Moon. Eight of these pilots immediately received their military astronaut wings, but in 2005, the rest of the pilots would be awarded their NASA astronaut wings as they had all exceeded the 50 mile altitude marker set by the Air Force spaceflight criterion needed for the presitigious award. The official world record for the highest speed ever recorded by a crewed, powered aircraft was set by William John "Pete" Knight on October 3rd, 1967 in which he reached an astounding Mach 6.7 equivalent to 4,520 miles per hour!
