wellington 1/72 kits

[craigmason1971]

I am after a good 1/72 model kit any suggestions please

[chuckb1]

I have an MPM Mk3 in the stash. It was a present. Dimensions seem ok compared to my plans. My main issue is that the Geodesic pattern is a wee bit overstated on the wings. IMHO but Im no boffin on this.

Internal detail is a good. The undercarriage looks ok but the wheels look skinny in section, maybe it just me

Nice bit of resin included and the decals are on point. Apparently the transparencies are a bit of a mare to fit. I paid £25.00 at the big H in Hendon

[modelldoc]

MPM sprues looks nice, but sometime the building process is a nightmare.

Here is my MkII from MPM:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/6358218187/

and this is the old Matchbox / Revell MkIII

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/5327824271/

modelldoc

[Tbolt]

I've got the Trumpeter kit, though I haven't built it yet. It's meant to be easier to build than the MPM and the structure pattern coming through is overdone especially on the wings, though a few coats of primer and a little sanding should take care of that.

Edited January 28, 2014 by Tbolt

[Heraldcoupe]

Avoid the MPM/Italeri kits. They are difficult to build, very inaccurate in major fuselage shapes (nose, tail & cockpit canopy) and have fictitious cockpit details.

The Trumpeter kit is the only one which comes close - it build well, has decent detail and is generally accurate. The undercarriage bays are too narrow so they'll fit inside undersized nacelles - not easily fixed. Nevertheless, the kit is generations ahead of any competitors where you have a lot more than this to worry about,

Cheers,

Bill.

[3DStewart]

I haver always thought that the fabric effect on the old Matchbox kit, was the most convincing of any Wellington kit I've seen. I can't comment on other accuracy matters and it is a 70s era kit so a bit simplified in places, but still worth considering.

There is also the old Airfix kit which I didn't enjoy building, even as a child!

Edited January 28, 2014 by 3DStewart

[Seahawk]

Agree Heraldcoupe's assessment: the Trumpeter kit is the least bad option. But the geodetic structure is overdone on the wings and the too-thin main wheels would be more at home on a bicycle than a medium bomber.

[John]

The MPM/Italeri/Airfix Wellington is a scary kit, or at least the MkIc was.

I bought the most recent Revell release of the Matchbox kit and there was some pretty obvious mould damage on one of the wings which had affected the surface detail.

John

[brewerjerry]

Hi

I got a couple of modelcraft MKII's last year ex frog ? not sure what they are like.

I like the very old airfix wellington, brings back memories ....

cheers

Jerry

[AWFK10]

Yes, the Modelcraft ones will be the Frog kit (though it was never actually released in a Frog box before the company went under). The one I had from this mould about 25 years ago came in a plastic bag and the quality was absolutely lousy, typical of kits being produced in eastern Europe in those days, but I'm sure Modelcraft will have done a far better job. As far as I remember, there was practically no geodetic detail on the wings - but again, that could have been down to the cack-handedness of whoever was using the mould, along with the short-shot parts, flash, etc.

[Heraldcoupe]

The Frog tooling was unfinished. It's a long time since I've built one of these, but offhand I remember one of the engine nacelles having a square edge where the other side had a properly finished surface. The moulds weren't ready for production when Frog ceased trading, none of the subsequent owners bothered to finish the work.

The kit is awful in any case though, all of the shape issues common to other Wellingtons, plus a few of it's own.

The Matchbox kit has a fat cross section to the fuselage, oversize nacelles and the wing in the wrong place, plus the common mistakes at nose tail and canopy.

Cheers,

Bill.

[593jones]

I've just built the Trumpeter Mk III, it went together very well, nice detail and no fit problems at all. The geodesic framing is a little overdone, but can be sanded back and with a couple of coats of paint over it not a problem. Definitely recommended.

[Seahawk]

The MPM/Italeri/Airfix Wellington is a scary kit, or at least the MkIc was.

The other boxings of this kit were worse. For example the kit was tooled for a Mk 1c twin-gun tail turret but for the later marks (III, X) no modifications were to the fuselage moulding to accommodate the deeper 4-gun turret. It's quite insulting that the kit was offered to the market in this condition: Hasn't done the reputation of MPM or Italeri any good.

[occa]

I haver always thought that the fabric effect on the old Matchbox kit, was the most convincing of any Wellington kit I've seen. I can't comment on other accuracy matters and it is a 70s era kit so a bit simplified in places, but still worth considering.

There is also the old Airfix kit which I didn't enjoy building, even as a child!

I agree, both MPM Trumpeter have the parallel 90°support structures on the outside while there should only be the 45 degree ones making a visible effect on the surfaces.

Other than that the Trumpeter is by far the best nevertheless.

Edited January 29, 2014 by occa

[HamishGordon]

Hi Craig

I am "on final approach" with the Airfix Wellington III kit, but I also have the Trumpeter Mk III kit in the stash and would agree with the above, that the latter is by far the best offering for a 1/72 Wimpy. That said, the instructions aren't always as clear as they could be and there doesn't appear to be an option for a "wheels up" version.

As for the Airfix version, it has given me an unparalleled opportunity to develop my filling, sanding and scratch-building skills!

Anyway, the main thing is to have fun building whichever kit you choose.

Regards

Jim

[woody37]

Trumpeter by far the best

[noelh]

Trumpeter again, until Airfix get around to tooling up a new version. As they surely will.

[Nigel Bunker]

And they did. 🙂

[viscount806x]

On 7/24/2018 at 8:20 AM, Nigel Bunker said:

And they did. 🙂

. The old tool Airfix was 1958 vintage and allegedly never out of production,never upgraded or retooled except for component numbering on the sprues (I think). It did well, finally being retired absolutely 'worn to limits' c.2001. I'm wondering if the new tool Wimpey will still be producing in 60 years time?  Anyway, it is very nice to see the new kit, Airfix should be embraced warmly for all their recent efforts (except perhaps that Huricane IIC).

[593jones]

I have very fond memories of the old Airfix Wellington, which my dad built for me, presumably in 1958.  I built one myself many years later, a very nice kit.  I now have the new mould and it looks lovely in the box.  That said, I built the Trumpeter Mk III and enjoyed every bit of the build.   I do look forward to building the Airfix Mk lC.