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1/72nd Matchbox Wellington GR.Mk.XIV, 78 OTU, Palestine,....in a different scheme!


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Hiya Folks,

              

I built this model in the Matchbox Group Build which has some fantastic models in progress and already done,.... it is well worth a schufti. Here is one of two Wimpey`s that I have built on the GB, this one representing a Wellington GR.Mk.XIV from what I believe to be 78 OTU, Ein Shemer, Palestine, during the late war period. It was brush painted using a mixture of enamels and acrylics, the tail turret was cobbled together from some Airfix Lancaster parts and items from the spares box, the wheels and propellers are from a Trumpeter Wellington and the nose glazing had the panel lines sanded off and it was then re polished. The cockpit interior also came from an old Matchbox Halifax kit,....here is the WIP;

,...And here is the model;

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The Coastal Command style white and Extra Dark Sea Grey colour scheme was modified by overpainting the white with black,..... but the white paint could be seen around the engine panels and cooling gills where the black chipped away, here is the real aircraft from the Crowood Wellington book;

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And here is the fantastic box art from the original kit;

Image result for matchbox wellington

 

 

Cheers

          Tony

Edited by tonyot
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A terrific build of this venerable kit and a really interesting and unusual paint scheme.  Does the Crowood book explain the rationale behind the scheme?  Must have got very hot inside there under the Mediterranean sun. 

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Very interesting scheme and build. If I may ask - the red patches (repairs) are photo documented or poetic licence? Secodn question - what sort of missions they do in 1945 at Palestine what required black coat? It could be something interestiong brhind, I feel...

Regards

J-W

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Thanks for the kind remarks everybody,...glad you like it.

 

For those asking about the rational behind the scheme,...... well I`m presuming that it was night ops with unit it flew with before being passed to the OTU. I know that there was at least one black/TSS painted Hudson among the white/TSS painted rocket firing Hudson`s of one unit in the Middle East, so maybe the same thing was true here? There were black painted Wimpey GR,Mk.XIV`s operating over the Channel and North Sea too against E Boats. 

 

JMW- The only reference for this particular aircraft that I had was the photo,.... so noticing that lots of Wimpey`s had patches and using other photos as reference I elected to add a few,...... call it artistic licence,.... but based in fact!

 

Cheers

         Tony  

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A well-executed model in an unusual scheme (as usual). 

 

53 minutes ago, tonyot said:

There were black painted Wimpey GR,Mk.XIV`s operating over the Channel and North Sea too against E Boats. 

 

E-boats were used in the Mediterranean too so it's not too great a leap  of imagination to suspect that black-painted Wellingtons were used to deal with them (or is it?)

Edited by Beard
to clarify text.
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From all of us taking part in the current Matchbox GB, thanks for generating the nostalgia and interest in what is still a good kit to build 40+ years after its initial release. 

 

Hopefully you will grace us with more classics after your two Wellesley’s are completed as well. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

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Great looking Wellington Tony.

I must admit to having no knowledge of that particular scheme, but there's something very appealing about it.

As with all of your models, the finish is impeccable.

 

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