EVEN BIGGER BOMBER - 1:32 SCALE B-17 FLYING FORTRESS FROM HK MODELS

SMN Report:

We make no apologies for featuring another World War II bomber from Hong Kong Models - this one adds two more engines, and a lot more size, to represent the famed Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Manufactured to 1:32 scale, it’s a biggie all right.

Coming soon

The HK Models Boeing B-17 is not available yet, and the pictures here show the assembled prototype, not an on-sale model. But we expect the big beast, which will be available to complete in either ‘F’ or ‘G’ version, sometime soon. When assembled, the Hong Kong Models B-17 will have a wingspan of some 788 mm (31 in) and a length of 988 mm (38.9 in).

Legendary defences

The B-17's multi-gun capacity to repel fighter attacks, while flying on to inflict heavy damage to enemy targets was legendary, making its title ‘Flying Fortress’ a well-earned label. This Flying Fort cartoon was painted in 1944, by Lt Col Ross Greening, while a prisoner of war in Germany at Stalag Luft 1. The splendid drawing was published later in his book Not As Briefed.

Still in the planning stages

HK are really going for it with new and planned kits. There are two more B-25 Mitchells nearly ready, a B-25J ‘strafer’ version, and a B-25H ‘gunship’. Further down the line there’ll be a British Gloster Meteor, famed for being the first Allied jet to see operational service, and a speed record holder at various times, too. We’ll be expecting all sorts of interesting versions of this machine.

Avro Lancaster ahead

The Avro Lancaster is also in the planning stages. This British equivalent to the B-17 actually toted a far heavier warload, and became a household name for carrying out ‘Dambuster’ raids and ‘Grand Slam’ bombs. HK Models, we hope you’re listening - do make sure the fuselage sides of your Lanc are correct. Appearance to the contrary, the sides are not quite parallel vertically - they bulge very slightly toward the bottom. As planned, the HK Models Avro Lancaster will have a wingspan of some 972 mm (38.3 in).

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.