SCALE MODELS: ARE YOU A BUILDER OR A COLLECTOR? OR SOMETHING ELSE?

Much of the scale model passion divides pretty neatly into two worlds - the craft-driven hobby of scale modelling, and the collector-driven desire for a ready-built collection.

BOMBER ALERT: AIRFIX 1:72 SCALE LANCASTER INCOMING

A welcome return to form for the famed World War II Avro Lancaster from Airfix, this version comes in two marking schemes and has plenty of welcome detail. Once upon a time, the Lancaster was the ‘first of the many’ big kits from Airfix - now it’s a ‘return of the first.’

INCOMING: SUPER-GIANT 1:32 SCALE AVRO LANCASTER FROM HONG KONG MODELS

It looks like the Hong Kong Models Avro Lancaster will be available sometime in June. And it looks a can’t-miss-out hit with modellers.

CONGRATULATIONS CORGI - ‘GRAND SLAM’ LANCASTER WINS THE VOTE FROM MAGAZINE READERS

David Jefferis reports
Corgi was among the first to kick off the wave of accurate diecast aircraft collectibles with its Aviation Archive products. They are still among the most popular of their kind, and the readers of the UK specialist magazine Model Collector recently voted Corgi’s 1:72 scale Avro Lancaster as Best Aircraft Model of the Year.

Model Collector magazine
The magazine is one of the UK’s two magazines that focus on diecast models, and its pages are always worth a read as they are packed with reviews and in-depth articles. Some 9000 readers got the chance to vote for Model of the Year, so their accolade must make Corgi proud of that Lancaster.

Earthquake bomb
The model is a B1 Lancaster, specially modified to carry a single 10-tonne (22,000 lb) ‘Grand Slam’ bomb under its belly. The Grand Slam was designed by ‘Dam Busters’ bouncing-bomb designer Barnes Wallis and was dropped from a height of about 6 km (20,000 ft). Falling vertically, Grand Slam hit the surface at more than 1100 km/h (700 mph), enabling it to penetrate deep underground, where it exploded to create an instant cavern called a camouflet, into which anything above or nearby collapsed immediately.

The Corgi Lancaster model
Corgi’s Royal Air Force Lancaster represents the 617 Squadron machine used to attack the concrete fortifications of the Valentin U-boat pens at the port of Farge, Germany, in March 1945 - the pic above shows some of the damage caused by the raid. The Corgi Lancaster has the nose and dorsal gun turrets removed, and the bomb is correctly semi-recessed underneath. Day camouflage is neatly applied, and crew figures are visible under the flight deck glazing. For the diecast fan, a fine addition to a World War II themed collection.
 
Visit Corgi here.

Visit Model Collector magazine here.

Lancaster books, kits, ready-builts and other stuff are also available here and here.

AIRFIX DAMBUSTER LANCASTER DIORAMA TO 1:72 SCALE

David Jefferis reports
Airfix takes us back to the night of May 16-17, 1943, and the classic raid ‘Operation Chastise’ on German dams in the Ruhre river valley. The aircraft featured is a 1:72 scale Avro Lancaster, containing 125 parts and a wingspan of some 430 mm (16.9 in).

There are plenty of Lancs around from manufacturers that include Revell’s 1:72 version, but Airfix is the granddaddy of them all, with its first kit dating back to the early 1960s. This ‘Chastise’ edition is considerably better than that early kit (and so it should be!) but still features a not-quite-right fuselage cross-section.

Section of dam
Not to worry though, as the kit makes up well and looks great with the included section of dam, which turns the whole assemblage into something of a shelf-filler. There has been some license taken with the actual architecture, but the general effect is impressive.

Upkeep bomb
Also included in the kit is a separate ‘bouncing bomb’, inventor Barnes Wallis’s brainchild device that made the Dambuster raid possible in the first place. Named ‘Upkeep’ the cylindrical bomb was spun up to 500 rpm by an auxiliary motor before being dropped, then it skipped across the water to sink down the face of the dam, where it exploded.

Summation
All in all, a useful addition to the annals of World War II era aircraft models, and one that will look mightily impressive when displayed. It will almost certainly take a lot longer to put together than the ‘four flying hours’ suggested by Airfix though, even though brushes, cement and eight Humbrol acrylic paints are included in the box. Perhaps that’s just for a quickie basic-build, because the SMN crew plans to allow a week of evenings to do the kit justice.

Upkeep bomb picture courtesy Martin Richards.

The Mohne Dam pictured above was taken after the raid by Flying Officer Jerry Fray, flying a Spitfire PR IX.

For a video view out of the bomb-aimer's nose bubble, visit The English Eye here.

The Airfix Dambuster kit is available from Airfix directly or model stores and online suppliers, including Amazon here.

The Airfix 1/72 Avro Lancaster B1 (Grand Slam)bomber is also available as a kit.

AIRFIX 1:72 SCALE DAMBUSTERS DIORAMA DISPLAY

Barnes Wallis, inventor of the bouncing bomb used in the World War II raid against a series of enemy dams, died 30 years ago today, so it’s a fitting moment to see how kit makers have treated the subject. The video shows a longish clip from the 1955 movie of that raid, The Dam Busters.

A new Dambusters release from Airfix should certainly be on the ‘maybe treat myself’ list as, although it’s marked as a gift set that includes paints, cement and brushes - and indeed as a Level 2 (8 years-old and up) product - the draw is really the potential display-factor. The kit comes complete with a fairly realistic German dam, with a 1:72 scale Avro Lancaster flying over the top. Strictly speaking, the dam is somewhat undersized but even so, the combo will make a fine talking piece, especially if side-lit by a small desk lamp in a darkened room. It’ll look impressive, as the dam measures some 432 mm (17 in) across.

The Lancaster itself is a fair representation of the real thing, though the 1:72 scale Revell kit is more accurate and cheaper - but you don’t get a dam in the box. Tamiya’s big 1:48 Dambuster is packed with detail, but is pricey, and has a few inaccuracies too. So there’s no one perfect kit, though there are aftermarket conversions available, mostly aimed at improving the Airfix kit. Your choice!

A brief afterword on packaging - congrats to Airfix on the steadily improving look and feel of its kit boxes. The latest ones show that there are people who seem to really care about design and marketing.

The pictures above show:
1 Airfix Dambusters kit.
2 Barnes Wallis.

Barnes Wallis picture, courtesy IWM/PD-BritishGov.

The Airfix Dambusters gift set is available from Amazon here.

Revell and Tamiya Dambuster Lancs are available here.

FAB FIVE: AIRFIX AIRCRAFT WE LOVE

We’ve all got our favourite kits, and this Airfix Fab Five is the second in a series that started with diecasts and will go - well, who knows exactly - but it will span the whole world of scale miniatures. So, here we go - Mr J’s five faves from the vaults:

1 1:144 Handley-Page HP-42
Maybe this is an unusual choice, but 1930s biplane airliner kits are not common, and the HP-42 was a significant aircraft in the days of the British Empire. It’s a nice little kit that assembled well, with pleasant cover art by ace artist, the late Roy Cross.
2 1:72 Avro Lancaster
This was a birthday present as a boy, and I recall expecting it to be in a big plastic bag - and was a bit miffed for a few moments when a ‘trad’ cardboard box was revealed! No matter, it built up into a young man’s dream of air power.
3 1:48 TSR-2
Its accuracy and build-quality are no great shakes - it’s here because it just looks so great and because of the tragedy factor. The real thing could and should have been a world-beater that would have still been flying today, but for the crass ineptitude of British politicians.
4 1:24 P-51D Mustang
This was a knockout kit at the time, and occupied a substantial part of the tiny little London flat I occupied when it was released. Sad to say, the first one did not survive an extremely noisy Saturday night party - the replacement never got finished!
5 1:24 de Havilland Mosquito
OK, so it’s not released yet, but the sales material that Airfix has released so far makes it an absolute must-have. I predict a massive hit for this one - there’s room on the bench for it, even now.

OK, that’s my Airfix Fab Five - what are your own choices?

Another HP-42 picture can be viewed at the German Modellversium site here.