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There are a number of small fuselage windows to add; which some later Lancasters had blanked off. I am quite sure that Airfix has made theirs too deep compared to photos of the real thing, and are also after comparison with the Hasegawa and Revell kits. This is a minor problem however. Small clear inserts rarely fit perfectly due to their angled sides that are needed to release them from the mould, and so frequently require filling around their circumference. Once filled and sanded to fully blend in with the fuselage, the windows can be polished up and simply have a suitably shallower area masked off to ensure that they appear the right size after painting. 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. Finally, there is the 1958(?) Airfix kit. It’s probably more accurate than the Revell, but would take a lot of work to bring it up to the standard of any of the modern kits.
Colours are described using generic or RAF names where applicable, with paint codes that correspond to the Humbrol range, although this does not appear to be stated anywhere. The main parts are on six light grey sprues with a single clear sprue. One of the grey sprues is dedicated to the Dambuster version. I expect that in the B.1/III boxing that this sprue is replaced by one with a more conventional payload. 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. Rather than give lengthy written explanations, take a look at the accompanying images and it should be apparent as to why I feel Airfix are the winner in the engine nacelle stakes. 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. 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.The finesse of the undercarriage legs is extraordinary – probably amongst the best I have seen in this small scale. No flash, just fine, accurate crisp moulding – impressive. Also a nice set of slightly bulged tyres is supplied and when painted and weathered these will add to the final authentic look of your model. Fuselage As to its competitors from Revell and Hasegawa – You can save around 25-30% on Airfix and buy the less accurately shaped kit from Revell. The price of replacement resin wheels, which really are a must with the Revell kit, will reduce its price advantage however. For around 60-80% more than Airfix you can buy Hasegawa’s kit which offers only more refined panel lines and better props, but falls short on interior detail, no lowered flaps option, and inferior shape in a few subtle places. sqn operated B1 Specials in standard uppersurface camouflage (ie Dark Green/Dark Earth) with a low demarkation and light undersurfaces, which have been quoted as either Sky or Medium Sea Grey, in the closing stages of the war. A figurine is a miniature-sized statuette that reproduces an animal subject or fictional character to scale. It is important to choose the scale of the figurine to ensure the realistic effect of the scale model. The Airfix catalogue offers products in a wide variety of scales:
The kit is engineered in a slightly unusual way compared to most Lancaster kits because the wings must accept both in-line and radial engine options. Theses differ in the way the nacelles blend with the wing, and so Airfix has cutouts in the wing leading edges to allow for this. The other unusual aspect is the way the two wing spars, having been inserted through the fuselage, then have the wheel well interiors attached directly to them. This then requires that the wings be assembled around the wheel wells and onto the spars. All well and good, except that one of the benefits of building WW2 British heavies is that you can usually assemble the wings separately from the fuselage to aid dealing with seams and enable the wings and fuselage to be painted and decaled separately from each other. All is not lost however, as you can assemble the spars and wheel well structure as per the instructions, then simply cut through the spars adjacent to the wheel well to enable these to be assembled with the wings separately. More than enough spar will be left to slide the wings onto later after painting. The rearmost part of the fuselage adjacent to the elevators is catered for by an insert to allow for slight variances depending on the model of tail-turret fitted. 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. There is the Frog kit, now something of a rarity. The turrets are quite bad, but it does include a Talboy bomb, the only Lancaster kit to do so except for a limited edition of the Hasegawa kit (I think it’s called “Titpitz Raid” or something similar). There were 32 BI Specials delivered in Feb / Mar 1945. PB995-998 and PD112-139. 24 of these were used on operations by 617 before the war ended.
Propellers
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. Once again the panel line detail is not bad. Airfix are certainly listening to modellers and showing great willingness to raise their standards to that of the best and they are certainly getting closer with this kit. The rudders and flaps are positionable to help you create more interesting options if you wish. The internal detail in the flaps is worthy of note and will look great if weathered. There is big price range across the three brands, with Revell at one end, and Hasegawa at the other, whilst Airfix lies on the Revell side of the middle. Airfix is close enough in price to Revell to side with Airfix regardless of extra cost. I think therefore that the choice comes down to Airfix or Hasegawa - You can have a marginally better shape and internal detail, with less surface detail finesse, or more refined surface detail with marginally poorer shape (and either live with poorer internal detail or dress it up at a cost using after-market sets). Common with many kits, as it eases the release of parts by reducing mould suction associated with a perfectly smooth finish. Option A: Avro Lancaster B.I(F.E), Tiger Force, No.35 Squadron, Royal Air Force Graveley, Cambridgeshire, England, 1945
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. Here is one of the best earlier threads re GRAND SLAM Lanc colours. I quote, and muse upon, a lot of Moore's findings as recorded in the Scale Models article in posts 12 and 65. It really does come down to faith: in what/whom do you put your trust: what the colours ought to be as far as we can discern from the available documents from the time combined with the culture of rigid adherence to laid-down standards or the testimony of a skilled and respected artist armed with painted MAP paint samples visiting the aircraft in person with the explicit aim of getting the colours right for a painting he had been commissioned to do. I'm still on the fence, I'm afraid. Elsewhere in the thread people contribute many of the available photos of GRAND SLAM Lancasters. 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.Airfix has captured some key shapes better than their competitors, they have supplied plenty of nice interior detail, some of the best of which will hardly be seen in the wheel wells. Some parts are very finely moulded, and I like the plastic Airfix uses as it is nice to work with. The transparencies are very well done with delicate framing and very good clarity. The provision of a bomb-trolley for the Upkeep mine is a nice touch. Airfix’s release of its new tool Lancaster Dambuster is clearly linked to the 70th anniversary of the Dams Raid this year. No doubt they calculated an advantage in releasing the dambuster kit ahead of the standard B Mk.I/III, as those impatient for a standard bomber would buy the dambuster version regardless of any price premium price the dambuster may demand. The kit has some way to go to approach perfection however. Airfix’s surfaces detail is acceptable; in part because the kit’s good points offset it. Looked at critically however, Airfix need to improve the finesse of their recessed panel detail to at least equal that which most other modern long-run brands have been offering for the past thirty years or more. I have a few niggles; oversized fuselage windows, no chamfer on elevator outer edge (both easily fixed), exaggerated fabric effect on ailerons, decaled rather than 3-D instrument panels, no parts map, and some proofing errors in the instructions. Nothing serious - No parts map and minor errors and omissions in instructions; fuselage side windows too small and no chamfer on elevator outer edge (both easily fixed); exaggerated fabric effect on ailerons and decaled rather than 3-D instrument panels.
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