CAF + CORGI Models Available for Pre-Order
From the First to the Future: Two CAF Warbirds Are Coming to CORGI
(Dallas, August 27, 2026) - For generations, people have traveled to airshows, museums, and CAF events to see the Commemorative Air Force’s historic aircraft up close. Soon, two of the most recognizable aircraft in the CAF fleet will be small enough to take home.
CORGI®, one of the world’s best-known names in die-cast aviation collectibles, has opened pre-orders for the first two aircraft in its new multi-year collaboration with the Commemorative Air Force: the P-51 Mustang Old Red Nose and the AC-47 gunship Spooky 086. The choices are anything but accidental. Together, the two aircraft tell a remarkable story about where the CAF began and where it is going.
The Aircraft That Started It All
It is hard to imagine a more fitting aircraft to launch the collection than Old Red Nose. In 1957, what would become the Commemorative Air Force began with the acquisition of a single P-51 Mustang. From that one fighter grew an organization that today cares for more than 180 historic military aircraft and works to keep the stories of the people who built, flew, maintained, and supported them alive. That first Mustang is still here.
Today, P-51D Mustang 44-73843, better known as Red Nose, is operated by CAF Airbase Georgia and remains one of the most recognizable aircraft in the CAF fleet. Now CORGI has recreated the Mustang as a highly detailed 1:72-scale die-cast model.
For CAF members who know the airplane from airshows and hangar visits, the model represents something more than a famous P-51. It is a miniature version of the aircraft that helped launch nearly seven decades of CAF history.
A Model Pointing Toward the Future
If Red Nose represents where the CAF began, the second release represents where its mission is headed next. The CAF Gulf Coast Wing’s AC-47 Spooky 086 is one of the newest additions to the CAF fleet and an important part of the organization’s growing effort to preserve and interpret the aviation history of the Vietnam War.
CORGI’s 1:72-scale model captures Spooky 086 in its distinctive split livery, reflecting the appearance of the CAF aircraft that audiences will increasingly see at events around the country. The number “086” carries special meaning. The CAF aircraft itself did not serve as Spooky 086 during the Vietnam War. Instead, the number was chosen in remembrance of the 86 AC-47 crew members who lost their lives during operations in Southeast Asia.
That makes this model more than a representation of a newly restored CAF aircraft. Like the airplane itself, it helps carry the story of the AC-47 and the people who served aboard these gunships to a new audience.
Years in the Making, Down to the Details
For the CAF, getting these aircraft right mattered. The organization has been represented in model form before, but it has been many years since the CAF has worked this closely on a series of highly detailed models specifically based on aircraft in its flying collection. The partnership began taking shape in 2025 and was formally announced in January 2026. Since then, CORGI and the CAF have worked together to research aircraft configurations, markings, finishes, and other details needed to make the models recognizable not simply as a P-51 and an AC-47, but as these CAF aircraft.
That distinction is important.
CAF aircraft have personalities, histories, familiar markings, and devoted followings of their own. For members and enthusiasts who have watched Red Nose fly or followed the restoration of Spooky, these models offer the opportunity to put a familiar aircraft on the shelf.
Pre-Order Through the CAF GiftShop
With the first models now officially revealed, the CAF GiftShop has opened pre-orders so collectors can reserve theirs ahead of the general release. Interest is expected to be strong, particularly as the models reach collectors during the upcoming release period. Those who want to make sure Old Red Nose or Spooky 086 finds a place in their collection are encouraged to reserve one early.
And collectors may want to leave a little extra room on the shelf. Old Red Nose and Spooky 086 are only the beginning of the CAF-CORGI collaboration.
You Can Help Choose What Comes Next
Work is already underway to determine which CAF aircraft could join the collection next, and this time, aviation enthusiasts are helping make the choice. The CAF is currently asking members, fans, and collectors to vote for the CAF B-25 Mitchell they would most like to see recreated as a future CORGI model.
