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Airfix 1:72 Avro Lancaster B.III The Dambusters Aircraft Model Kit, Multicolor, 29.21 x 43.18 x 8.89 cm

£9.995£19.99Clearance
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Some of the pieces for this model are quite thin and delicate so there are times when painting the pieces before sliding them in to place makes it more difficult. Whilst this is good first hand reporting from what would appear to be a reliable source, the late date and the unusual scheme would indicate this is one of the trials schemes.

Lesson: Have a look on the outside of the box and at the instructions to see if there’s anything you haven’t got that you’ll need later. Pleasingly, the wing panel lines are based on panel skins and not rivet lines, so the wings do not share the patchwork quilt appearance of its Japanese and German competitors. This advantage balances out some of the downside to having deeper and wider surface detail compared to the Hasegawa and Revel kits. I did notice that the panel lines on the wings look wider at first glance than they actually are. This is because the plastic surface has a minutely pebbled finish*, other than a very narrow smooth surface finish either side of the recessed panel lines. These smooth strips either side of the panel line stand out against the pebbled surface making the unpainted line appear wider. Lancaster wings are a pretty basic shape, so I was not expecting too much variation between brands. None agree exactly on the engine datums, and Airfix has its engines a bit wider out from the fuselage than the other two, not by miles, but there is a noticeable difference. The Matchbox kit is little more than a curiosity at this point. It does have the bulged Bombay doors for a Talboy aircraft but the overall level of detail is poor and the wings have trench-like panel lines. The kit gives the impression that it will build well with few hassles; but bear in mind the warning about errors and omissions that others have already found in the instructions.The best of the three modern Lancaster kits, accurately shaped, good interior detail, promise of several variants, and good value. As an aside, I often think finished models using the 1981 Airfix kit with its raised surface detail, either retained or sanded off, look more realistic than models using the Hasegawa or Revell kits with their extensive engraved panel lines. However, the more modern kits are clearly easier to build and weather, thanks in a large part to their recessed surface detail. As I have already stated, Airfix do not yet equal Hasegawa or Revell in terms of recessed panel line finesse, but the surface detail of this new tool Lancaster is tolerable. On the plus-side, Airfix have fewer panel lines represented on the wings compared to the other two brands. Moulding quality is about equal across all three brands, with equal levels of finely moulded small parts. I like the texture of Airfix’s plastic more than the more brittle type used by the other two. Airfix has I think the best shaped paddle blade props, and possibly the best pointed type too, although this latter type appears to be a bit narrow in chord; in which case Hasegawa could have the edge. Sorry to be vague on this point, but I could not make a firm call. However, Revell definitely comes third in the prop stakes. Note some Lancasters were fitted with the larger Lincoln vertical tails. This includes the BBMF aircraft. I think there might be resin aftermarket parts that cover this but no kit has them to my knowledge.

If you choose Hasegawa you have a lot more to spend, especially if you dress up the interior detail or replace the radiators. Common with many kits, as it eases the release of parts by reducing mould suction associated with a perfectly smooth finish. I think that Airfix has the best lines, and equal best internal detail. Surface detail is a bit heavier than its rivals, but this is balanced by there being less of it. On the market for 80 years now, the Airfix brand has been one of the leaders in modeling in Great Britain. It is none other than the oldest manufacturer of plastic model kits. The British company was founded in 1939 by Nicholas Kove,a Hungarian businessman. In the early days, Airfix only manufactured inflatable rubber toys.The IWM photo of 2 of them together with a standard B1 in standard bomber command colours clearly shows the upper surface colours to be the same, and not the Light Earth/Light Green combination observed by C Rupert Moore. Hasegawa released the first modern engraved detail kit of the Lancaster in 2005. This is a nice kit, and is typical of the brand with clean crisp moulding, and fine surface detail. However, it suffers from indifferent engine radiators and incorrect escape hatch and oversized tail wheel, and fit of the engine nacelles is not as good as it might be. Interior detail is basic, and the number of panel lines excessive, as every rivet line is represented by an engraved line, as opposed to sheet of metal forming a panel. This makes the wing surfaces look like a patchwork quilt. True to form, Hasegawa has released numerous boxings, including Tallboy and Grand Slam boxings, a life-boat carrier, and a dambuster variant. The Lancaster’s development and operational history must be one of the best known amongst aircraft modellers and enthusiasts. With this in mind I shall not provide an account here. For those who want to know more the Internet is replete with information on this famous WW2 bomber and the famous Dams Raid, not to mention numerous publications and video documentaries. The wings include nicely detailed flaps that can be modelled raised or lowered, with two different inboard nacelle end-caps to suit raised or lowered flaps. In fact, on the real plane, the full size end-cap fitted to the flap partially disappears inside the open end of the engine nacelle, but the way the kit simulates this at least serves to set the flap angle. Slightly less pleasing is the slightly sagged fabric effect on the ailerons; why some tool makers insist on representing fabric covered control surfaces this way I do not know. Take a look at a real example and they would see that the fabric is drum-tight with rib-tapes indicating the location of the structure beneath. In 1/72-scale there should be at most just a hint of the tape reinforcement outlining the structure beneath. Airfix’s ailerons really need to filled and smoothed out, with perhaps decal strip rib-tapes, to appear more authentic. On the plus side, as I have already mentioned, Airfix’s recessed panel lines are restricted to representing panel skins rather than occurring on every rivet line. So, despite being perhaps a little deep, they are at least restrained in frequency. There are no clear parts for wingtip lights, something more noticeable than the under-fuselage signalling lights that are supplied! At least some fine aileron actuators are provided, and there are cable-cutters on the leading edges. The sprue gates are reasonably fine and far better than Airfix’s new tool Typhoon I recently reviewed. There are some quite fine parts; and these are some of the best I have seen in a new tool Airfix kit, conceding little if anything in refinement compared to other brands like Hasegawa. The clear canopy parts are thin with good clarity. Airfix’s tool makers have managed to leave a few prominent ejector pin marks that will need cleaning up, as will sink marks in a few areas. The bomb doors on my sample were a little warped, but should straighten out with some hot water treatment.

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