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Hampden TB conversion from AZ?


Graham Boak

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
On 25/10/2016 at 0:38 PM, tonyot said:

The colours of the 489 Sqn Hampden TB.1 look wrong........they should actually be EDSG/Slate Grey with Sky undersides,....ie the standard TSS. The photo of the real thing does look light but the scheme illustrated in the artwork (and lots of other artwork too!) is a myth!

 

Here is XA-Y wearing the TSS which comes across a being light in the photo due to the type of film,.probably ortho film...look how the yellow of the roundel is very dark ;

Image result for 489 sqn hampden

Here is a great 489 Sqn scheme,...TSS with black undersides,.....note the air tail too;

Image result for 489 sqn hampden

 

I`m looking forward to the new kit with clear parts that fit,

 

Cheers

           Tony

 

I'm sure there has been a discussion in the WWII forum on that first photo with the conclusion that it really is MSG over Sky as one of the experimental schemes tried - I think I contributed to the post but I still can't find it!

 

The official instruction AMO A.664/42 as amended 8th Oct 1942 by AMO A.1096/42 was for TSS over Night.

 

I'd be in for an update/conversion consisting of a full set of transparencies that could be applied to the Valom kit to make it a buildable TB.I

 

Edited by rossm
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Yes.  Otherwise it cannot carry the torpedo with the Monoplane Air Tail.  This tail is necessary for a good drop at the attack speeds used.  If you look at the side windows and compare them to those visible on the standard Hampden bomber, you can see that they are different: this may take a good couple of photos, of course.

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Yes Graham, but does the kit have the necessary changes?  I'm not sure whether you're referring to the kit or the aircraft in your post.

 

Regards

 

Martin

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i was referring to the aircraft, as you didn't specify otherwise.  There is an earlier thread in which this matter was raised because the Valom kit, upon which the AZ release is based, incorrectly modified only the bombbay.   Having been made aware, AZ followed up with further research and, in addition to transparencies that actually fit, the kit does include a modified ventral position.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Got my Hampden ( AZ 7548 ) in the mail today and whilst the box art as well as the three colour profiles on the back of the box show a form of hedgehog exhaust system on all three aircraft, that is unfortunately not included with the kit at all. Somewhat let down by the omission of parts within the kit and maybe they can send me the parts free of charge.

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15 hours ago, Mick4350 said:

Got my Hampden ( AZ 7548 ) in the mail today and whilst the box art as well as the three colour profiles on the back of the box show a form of hedgehog exhaust system on all three aircraft, that is unfortunately not included with the kit at all. Somewhat let down by the omission of parts within the kit and maybe they can send me the parts free of charge.

In the Valom kit the hedgehog 'xorsts are resin bits, looking at these sprue shots of the new AZ-models kit the resin bits seem to be missing, a somewhat serious oversight & one worth bringing up with Jan on the AZ-models thread.

Steve.

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Hmm. Puzzling.

 

According to this review (torpedo bomber version) they are on a separate plastic sprue - there's a pic

http://gregers.fr.yuku.com/topic/13137/Valom-172-Handley-Page-Hampden-TB-Mk-I

... and on this review of the original bomber kit you only got the short exhausts

http://www.hyperscale.com/2008/reviews/kits/valom72033reviewgp_1.htm

 

Perhaps the QB Beaufighter exhausts could be adapted.

 

Another question is whether the markings options provided by AZ in the bomber kit, two of which are 49 Squadron, *should* have porcupine exhausts. The Airfix kit had them for its 49 squadron option, the box art aeroplane. But this pic, which I have found two different versions of, both crediting it as  P1333/EA-F, clearly shows the short exhausts.

hp52_3.jpg

Edited by Work In Progress
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56 minutes ago, Work In Progress said:

Hmm. Puzzling.

 

According to this review (torpedo bomber version) they are on a separate plastic sprue - there's a pic

http://gregers.fr.yuku.com/topic/13137/Valom-172-Handley-Page-Hampden-TB-Mk-I

... and on this review of the original bomber kit you only got the short exhausts

http://www.hyperscale.com/2008/reviews/kits/valom72033reviewgp_1.htm

 

Perhaps the QB Beaufighter exhausts could be adapted.

 

Another question is whether the markings options provided by AZ in the bomber kit, two of which are 49 Squadron, *should* have porcupine exhausts. The Airfix kit had them for its 49 squadron option, the box art aeroplane. But this pic, which I have found two different versions of, both crediting it as  P1333/EA-F, clearly shows the short exhausts.

hp52_3.jpg

 

I think the exhausts in the Beaufighter from the Eduard Brassin set #672076 could be adapted but in my opinion are too short in length in the slotted section by nearly 3mm and you would have to add a length of tube between the outlet and where the slotting starts. They also seem marginally thicker than what's required on the Hampden.

 

It maybe easier to buy an aftermarket decal sheet ( if available ) because they put an option for the kit in their colour call-outs and neglect to give those parts in the kit's release.

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I have the Valom boxing of the Hampden #72033 and it did not include any hedgehog exhausts. I also bought the separate Valom conversion set #DSV01 for this kit, the one that has the torpedo, and it includes the hedgehogs and they are part of an injected moulded sprue. I haven't seen any resin exhausts, but I've not seen any of the other boxings from Valom. 

 

Cheers,

Bill

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But do we know for a fact that hedgehog exhausts are appropriate for the depicted aircraft? Just because some instruction leaflet artist has shown them like that, and Airfix thought so, doesn't necessarily make it so...

 

For those who don't have the bomber kit, the decal options are as follows:

AE224 : EA-Z, 49 Squadron

AE238:  EA-P, 49 Squadron

AE360:  EQ-C, 408 Squadron

 

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I wonder if the artist has the images round the wrong way? The majority of the 1941 and before pics I've found seem to show the short exhaust (When you can see it!) Whilst post this date show hedgehogs. If one can be certain of the dates attached to each pic of course....

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I suspect that this is indeed a matter of dates, though Charlie beat me to it.  So the question then becomes a matter of the range of dates any particular aircraft served with that particular code.  A number of appropriate bombers may well have carried both, in turn.  I suspect in most cases this will not be readily found: but as the hedgehogs do seem to be universal on the TBs, which would not be surprising if the date suggestion is right,

 

However, the low demarcation on the bombers is earlier than the high, so if you want to one of these then the short exhaust would seem the most likely.  As in the photo above.

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