Airfix Wellington MK III

[Shockwave Rider]

This is the ancient, nay positively pre-neolithic, Airfix Wellington MK III. I refrain from describing it as the 'venerable' as there ain't nothing venerable about it. If one was to think of a TLA to describe this kit then P.O.S and H.O.S spring unerringly to one's mind.

This particular sample was moulded at least 30 years ago, when the moulds were roughly middle aged. I think Airfix only retired them in recent years (God I hope they have retired them, and broken them into little bits, and then melted bits down, and then dispersed the molten metal to the four corners of the Earch) so what state the model's part came out of the mould a couple of years ago is anyone's guess.

Needless to say there was lots of flash, lots of sink marks and surface damage, lots of mis- and indistinct mouldings, and parts that just plain didn't fit.

Construction followed an extraordinary roundabout route, doing practically everything bottom about face e.g. I scribed the fuselage stringer lines and the wing geodetic outlines. Rather than doing it before sticking the bits together I did it afterwards, as I figured I couldn't cope with the raised lines.

Somewhere along the line I lost the back of the front turret and the decals. I await a replacement for the turret part from Airfix. The decals you see on the model were dredged from the spares box and are, I believe, for a Lancaster - which is why they are a tad on the large side. I hope any rivet counters haven't hired a posse of hitmen to wipe me from the face of Humanity for such a transgression.

The camouflage colours were based on whatever I happened to have in my paint drawers, and could be bothered to pull out. I think they are fairly close to the proper colours - sort of. Oh dear, is that a Ninja model hitman I see ascending the outside drainpipe?

I still wonder what possessed me to start this kit. Was it worth it, I ask myself, to be exposed to such a spawn to have a Wimpy in my collection.

Rest assured, dear reader, that my next builds (Academy Tempest and Airfix MK IXC) will be more considerate to this noble art.

Apologises for the grainy photos and the less than flattering surface the old bird is sitting on. Light conditions were not the best this evening.

Not to worry. The therapy is kicking in. I can now say Airfix Wellington MK III without crying too much.

Angus

[dahut]

Methinks you doth complain too much.

Aside from the dodgy quilt work wings, I think youve done a fair job of it.

[dogsbody]

That, Sir, is a very fine looking P.O.S.! Good work on an old, old kit.

[ta152h]

It's still a good kit, as you've shown. Airfix kits are worth the effort-well done!

[Julien]

The britmodeller masive are now dispatching Nija Rivit counter warriors to your location!

I love the kit! I always say its the modeller not the kit!

Julien

[gareth]

nice build particularly like the demacrations they look spot on

[dahut]

So what IS the deal with the diamond pattern on the wings? Is it there to represent (wrongly) some under surface structure - on a fabric covered wing?

[chadders]

So what IS the deal with the diamond pattern on the wings? Is it there to represent (wrongly) some under surface structure - on a fabric covered wing?

Its the pattern of the geodetric design of the frame, correctly showing through the wing skin. Any Wellington kit will have this pattern shown on the wings, although in reality the stringers (for the want of a better word), should be raised, with the covering bowing between them to create a fine "quilting" effect. Some manufacturers have it more pronounced than others (I think it was Trumpeter who went a little mad with it), but it should be there.

Mark

Edited December 15, 2009 by chadders

[dahut]

Its the pattern of the geodetric design of the frame, correctly showing through the wing skin. Any Wellington kit will have this pattern shown on the wings, although in reality the stringers (for the want of a better word), should be raised, with the covering bowing between them to create a fine "quilting" effect. Some manufacturers have it more pronounced than others (I think it was Trumpeter who went a little mad with it), but it should be there.

Mark

I suspected as much. Like all fabric covered structures, it is supposed to be smooth not pronounced.

Interestingly, the one kit Ive seen that seems to get the right idea is the Matchbox Wimpy.

[wombat]

I remember that kit well as it was the first one I did where I went off piste, opening up the bomb bay and making one out of plastic card - it's a pretty similar structure internally to the Stirling, and the Airfix Stirling has a fully open bay.

Not only are the mouldings somewhat shoddy, I seem to remember the plastic was of a strange brittle type, which made cuting out the bomb doors a total pain .

[avro683]

It's not neolithic, it's geotic isn't it? A fine build Angus, well done.

Tony

[thx6667]

It is my sad duty to report that, after so many decades of out running those 109s on one engine, her luck ran out and she never made it home sometime around 2000.

RIP.

[Shockwave Rider]

It is my sad duty to report that, after so many decades of out running those 109s on one engine, her luck ran out and she never made it home sometime around 2000.

RIP.

Oh dear. I hadn't realised she was lost in action so long ago. I felt for sure it was more recent times that she was replaced with the MPM(?) Wimpy. Guess I'll have to hunt around in my stash to see if I can find a replacement for the rear of the front turret. I'm sure I had a Wimpy I started a loooong time ago, but gave up due the rather crude nature of the kit and my inexperience.

Some of the jobs I had to do to complete this kit.

1. Fill in large gashes on fuselage undersides where Airfix staff had twisted off the sprue to get fuselage halves into the box. A fairly common practice at the time.

2. Clear away loads of flash from every part.

3. Trim, clean up and dry fit every part.

4. Live with the fact that the bomb bay is concave due to the under surfaces not being parallel.

5. There is a step (1mm) between fuselage halves one the nose and tail where the turrets rest. These had to be built up with filler.

6. Extensive filling and sanding between nacelle and wing joins.

7. Extensive filling and sanding between wing and fuselage joins.

8. Trim starboard wing root to fit fuselage slot.

9. Cut out slots for guns in front turret. The clear plastic had simply flowed across the join. Clear out flash from rear turret slots.

10. Hack slots and tabs to allow tailplanes to fit properly.

11. Hack fin to get it to sit reasonably well onto fuselage.

12. Trim and fill bomb aimer's transparency to fit.

13. Extensive trim and fill to get cockpit transparency to fit - didn't do a brilliant job there.

14. Widen holes in wheel hubs to get U/C to fit.

15. Scribed the fuselage and wing stringer/geodetic structure. OK, not brilliantly convincing, but the raised detail was destroyed in all the sanding.

16. Oh, I also fitted a bulkhead behind the cockpit. Sort of stop a complete see through affect. I did nothing to the bar cockpit, 'cept add some masking tape seatbelts to the seats.

There is a streamlined thing sitting above the front turret which Airfix never even moulded. At some point (when I find a rear front turret part) I shall fashion one out of a piece of sprue and stick it in place.

That said, I am well pleased with the paint job, and it doesn't look too bad. Comparing against a B-17 and Lancaster, I am quite surprised how big the Wimpy was.

Angus

[HOUSTON]

l Love the colors ..

[Osher]

Looks good, especially for an old bird!

[Dave Gibson]

A very nice build.

It brings back memories. I built a few of them in the past. I believe they cost 6/- at the time.

Pure nostalgia.

Dave