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The Vickers Wellesley is a striking aeroplane. Its unique appearance arrests the eye. Ungainly as its fuselage may seem, the Wellesley's great spread of wing lends its appearance the air of a sailing bird. A novel construction method which achieved great strength with light weight allowed that wide span, which enabled the Wellesley to carry a similar load of bombs to that of its twin-engined contemporary, the original Whitley with its two Tiger radials, and to do so at higher speed with a quicker rate of climb. Accounts of the Wellesley often emphasize its being predecessor to the famously successful twin-engine Wellington (which was constructed in the same novel manner as the Wellesley). Frequently they include some detail on the Long Range Development Flight's achievements during 1938 with modified Wellesleys (quite impressive achievements, too), and treat the Wellesley's wartime use in the Ethiopian campaigns (both picturesque and valuable) as the one notable passage of its service career. How prominently the Wellesley featured in the opening stages of 'Scheme F', the 1936 Air Ministry program for expanding and re-equipping the Royal Air Force (during which Bomber Command itself was formed), gets little mention. Vickers began work towards the prototype which became the Wellesley in the spring of 1932. The monoplane was built in tandem with a biplane prototype Vickers was building to an Air Ministry contract, intended to meet a recent specification for a new 'general purpose' aeroplane. The rear fuselage of the biplane, and the entire structure of the monoplane, was built of curved aluminum formers arranged in a basket-weave on geodetic lines, a form of construction pioneered by the legendary Barnes Wallis, who had employed it in building an airship, and now had set himself to adapt the technique to aeroplane design. The monoplane prototype first flew in June of 1935, shortly after Vickers had received a production contract for 150 of its new 'general purpose' biplanes. The monoplane's superiority was immediately evident. Using the same engine as the production biplane would use, the monoplane was some thirty percent faster, carried a greater load, and flew better at high altitudes. Throughout the summer Vickers lobbied the Air Ministry to purchase the monoplane instead of the biplane, and in September, the contract for 150 biplanes was changed to one for 96 monoplanes. Vickers faced challenges in fulfilling this contract. The formers with which the prototype Wallis monoplane was constructed had been bent to shape on rudimentary hand-operated machinery, quite inadequate for mass production. The Air Ministry deemed unsuitable for future service use not only the open cockpits provided for the monoplane's crew of two, but also its manually retracted landing gear. While Vickers designed and constructed the powered machinery needed to manufacture the aeroplane in quantity, the existing prototype was fitted out with enclosed accommodation for both pilot and wireless operator, and a hydraulic system for the undercarriage was installed. As Wallis thought it ill-advised to put a gap in his geodetic structures, a streamlined pannier was slung under each wing to carry bombs. In July of 1936, this production standard Wellesley prototype was exhibited to King Edward VIII, along with examples of other new types, in a well publicized event meant to herald what great improvements were coming for England's air power. The Wellesley's entry onto squadron service with No. 76 Squadron was attended by some fanfare. 76 Squadron was an expansion unit, formed from B Flight of 7 Squadron. At the formal establishment of No. 76 on April 12, 1937, a photographer from Vickers recorded the new unit's aircrew lined up before their new modern bombers. Later that year, when the newly coronated King George VI toured aircraft factories for a newsreel, so the public could see that building a larger, fully modern Royal Air Force was solidly underway, the monarch's inspection of Vickers' production line for the Wellesley featured prominently. By year's end, three newly formed squadrons (76, 77, and 148) as well as two standing squadrons (35 and 207) were equipped with the Wellesley, giving it a presence in Bomber Command equal to that of the Blenheim twin-engine bomber, which had entered squadron service shortly before the Wellesley. This parity did not persist. The Wellesley proved to be a poor fit with Bomber Command. When Wellesley production began, the aeroplane had been able to carry a heavy bomber's load at a light bomber's speed. But the twin-engined Blenheim was faster, and so was the new single-engined Fairey Battle. Improvements to the Whitley heavy bomber were increasing the weight of bombs it could carry past what the Wellesley could. Further, three crew members were really required for Bomber Command operations, and since the Wellesley as produced had accommodation for only for a pilot and a wireless operator/gunner, a station had to be improvised in the fuselage between the cockpits for the necessary navigator/bomb-aimer. With Vickers beginning production of the twin-engined Wellington as 1937 drew to a close, it was decided to retire the Wellesley from Bomber Command, and employ it instead in the Near East and East Africa. Between March and November of 1938, four Bomber Command squadrons relinquished their Wellesleys, recieving instead Whitleys or Battles or, in one case, biplane Heyford heavy bombers (this latter as a stop-gap pending arrival of Wellingtons). No. 76 Squadron, the first to be equipped with the Wellesley, carried on with them till April, 1939, when the unit received twin-engine Handley-Page Hampden bombers. RAF units overseas on colonial stations were at the start of 1938 almost exclusively equipped with biplanes. Biplane 'general purpose' types like the older Vickers Vincent and Fairey Gordon were still adequate for the 'Air Control' policing duties which had been the principal business of the RAF since the Great War. They were, however, quite unsuited for operations against a major power's air arm. With Italy established now not just in Libya but Abyssinia as well, the Wellesley represented (as events were to prove) a great increase in the military effectiveness of the RAF in the Near East and East Africa. At the end of November, 1938, 45 Squadron at Helwan in Egypt began exchanging its biplane Vickers Vincents for the new monoplane. 14 Squadron at Amman in Trans-Jordan, equipped with Fairey Gordon biplanes, began receiving Wellesleys early in 1939, while engaged in operations against the Arab Revolt in Mandatory Palestine. By April No. 14 Sqdn was fully equipped with the monoplane. In June, 223 Squadron at Nairobi in Kenya began replacing its Vincents with Wellesleys, and 47 Squadron at Khartoum in the Sudan began to add Wellesleys to its collection of Vincents and Gordons. This last unit received reconditioned Wellesleys retired from Bomber Command, the others received new machines from a second production run of 80 aircraft. During the summer of 1939, No. 45 Squadron re-equipped with Blenheims but the other three squadrons continued operating Wellesleys, frequently in widely detached flights, on 'Air Control' policing duties. 223 Sqdn joined 47 Sqdn in the Sudan, while 14 Sqdn operated in Egypt, over the Nile Delta and the frontier with Libya. Shortly before war with Italy commenced, this latter unit joined the others in the Sudan, to create an aerial striking force that was, by local standards, quite powerful, and would prove extremely useful in the campaigns which defeated Italian forces in Ethiopia. This model represents Wellesley K7718, as it appeared in service with the newly-established No. 76 Squadron in April, 1937. This machine was the sixth Wellesley built, and the fourth to be delivered to an operational unit. It was received before 76 Sqdn was formally established, and so for a space was, on paper, carried as being on charge of B Flight in No. 7 Sqdn. Wellesley K7718 was subsequently employed by 148 Sqdn, from which unit it was retired in November, 1938, when No. 148 went over to twin engine biplane Heyfords in preparation for Wellingtons. When war commenced with Nazi Germany, Wellesley K7718 was part of a shipment of five Wellesleys being dispatched to Egypt aboard the S.S. Rio Clara. The vessel was sunk in the Bay of Biscay on September 6, 1939, by a U-boat. The model is built from the old Matchbox Wellesley in 1/72 scale. As K7718 does not have the bomb panniers fitted in its April 12 photograph, I have omitted them. I made no attempt at detailing in this build, though I did put in the prominent headrest for the pilot. I may have erred by making solid everything behind the pilot --- there may have been an opening there, as there was behind the pilot on the Vincent, for the 'third man' to poke his head up through for some light. I found the Matchbox Wellesley a nice, enjoyable kit. Just about everything fit well, including the joint of the 'service' nose pieces to the fuselage halves. Putting the engine itself on takes a little care. The rear canopy is a poor fit closed, being a hair undersized in consequence of its being able to be set either open or closed. If I had realized this at the start, I would have shimmed in the opening's edges a bit, and saved myself a lot of time and fiddly effort. Kit decals did very well, and it was possible to easily contrive K7718 from the serials of the two possible subjects on the sheet. Wife made the squadron marking decals. The numeral was printed against a background matched to the ModelMaster Dark Green and Dark Earth (cut with Future) that was brushed on for the overall finish, and given a spray of Tamiya matte.

Not the easiest build, instructions a bit vague in places. Represents an a/c of 223Sqn Sudan 1940. Cheers 20181229_170609 by bryn robinson, on Flickr 20181229_170554 by bryn robinson, on Flickr 20181229_170544 by bryn robinson, on Flickr 20181229_170524 by bryn robinson, on Flickr

I will be in with this. Greg in OK

Vickers Wellesley, one of those forgotten types from the unfashionable side of modelling. Here's the very first boxing that I will be using for the build: Typical Matchbox kit, basic but accurate to the eye. I'll add a few details but won't be going rivet crazy - actually theres very few rivets in the design as it is a smaller brother to it's more famous stablemate the Wellington and shares it's fabric covered geodesic structure. As befits the simple kit it's appears a simple build: Schemes are two similar green/brown birds differentiated by their engines. Option 1 is a standard short cowl Mk1, but option 2 is more interesting as it is a form generally associated with just 3 aircraft of the Long Range Development Unit that flew from England-Egypt-Australia with the longest leg being 7300miles (in 1938!). But to confuse matters the kit decals arent for one of these 3...but more on that later

For my next trick - the rarely seen, desert exiled brother of Wellington... Anyone know of a Wellesley workaround or source of reference pix. There are plenty of generic exterior shots but not in much detail, nor is there a huge number of interior views. There are a few detailed models out there but I would like to judge a selection from the real deal, especially as I intend to so a LRDA as opposed to a standard mk1. Trust me to choose the difficult version... Actually I looked at the Matchbox decals and had doubts as they've seen better days. If they so end up u/s then the LRDA aircraft will allow a Wiff option I have in reserve. ... Thx in advance.D.

This is the build thread for my entry (as of now) in the Bomber Command group build- the Valom Vickers Wellesley I. First, the box art: There wasn't much sun when I took the pictures of the sprues below, so I played with the lighting settings on my camera and then the contrast to capture the geodesic detail on the kit. The detail is still a bit unclear: The kit comes with two fuselages, the other for the LRDU variant, perhaps? The floor windows and the lower fuselage window shown on the box art aren't provided in the kit. I'm not sure if I will add them yet. The wings. The lighting makes the geodesic framework fainter than it seems, but even then it's not too pronounced: The kit comes with some photo-etch, photographed here with the clear bits and the decals (the blue is a bit suspect): I found this post by Mark Davies on the Hyperscale forum which points out what needs to be added to the kit, and what things to watch out for: http://www.network54.com/Forum/644810/message/1406161131/ That's all for the moment. I hope to have some parts painted and some small bits assembled by Monday.