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Lancaster B.II - Etch & Canopy Masks for the Airfix Kit - Eduard 1:72


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Lancaster B.II - Etch & Canopy Masks for the Airfix Kit

Eduard 1:72

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With the release last year of the excellent B.II radial engine Lancaster from Airfix, Eduard have come up trumps with some improvement accessories to improve both the exterior and interior of the kit. Four sets are being reviewed here, exterior, interior, dedicated flap replacements and the budget Zoom set that focusses on the cockpit interior. Also included is the canopy mask set which for me at least is as integral to model building as glue and paint these days!

Lancaster B.II Landing Flaps (Set 72578)

Whilst the Airfix kit is already blessed with an open flap option, the limitations of injection moulding mean that there is some scope for improvement in terms of scale finesse. This comprehensive set from Eduard provides that solution. Obviously, to use this set, filing of the existing detail is necessary as well as levelling the surface to apply the etch to. Some plastic or brass rod of 0.8mm and 0.3mm diameter is also required in the instructions but not supplied. As the flaps are the same as the B.I/III, there is no reason why they can't be used on the other Airfix Lancaster variants too.

More information can be seen in the online instructions provided by Eduard - HERE

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Lancaster B.II Exterior (Set 72566)

The exterior gets a well thought out selection of improvements. The landing gear bays and doors get some intricate additions and both the main and tail wheel legs are treated to the etch touch including brake lines. The radial engines in the Airfix kit are a little lacking in detail in my opinion, so the attention of them is well deserved. They are routed from the rear of the cylinders. I've seen pictures of some framework in front of the Hercules engines on the Halifax that WEM have in their B.III etch set, however I'm not sure whether this was also present on the Lancaster B.II. Some other improvements include the upper fuselage escape hatches, trim tab control rods and oil cooler mesh faces.

For more information, see HERE

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Lancaster B.II Interior (Set 73492)

Again, Eduard have found some creative ways to add detail where it matters, this time inside the aircraft. The cockpit area gets a complete makeover, with a highly detailed pilots seat and wealth of controls and panels that are on show under that greenhouse! This attention to detail goes back into the navigators and wireless operators area too. Further areas of focus include the bomb aimers location with more panels and some enhancements to the front and rear turrets. The panels are provided on pre-painted self adhesive etch to aid assembly into the aircraft. Some kit detail will need to be removed from the surfaces before assembly of these parts.

for more information, see HERE

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Lancaster B.II Interior Zoom (Set SS492)

The zoom set is a budget alternative to the interior set above. It provides the pre-painted self adhesive etch fret shown above hence primarily focusses on the panels inside the cockpit and bomb aimer locations including throttle quadrants. For more information, see HERE

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Lancaster B.II Flexible Paint Masks (CX372)

If you hate masking like I do, you will welcome this set, especially given the wealth of clear parts on the Lancaster. Two sheets of pre-cut parts are provided in the pack and include wheel masks too. As the transparencies on the B.II are common with the B.I/III, they can be used on any of the airfix kits.

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Conclusion

There is no doubt that Airfix have released a great kit in its own right, however these sets do allow you to take it to another level by utilising the benefits that etch can provide over the injection moulded parts. Obviously, some of the parts and the preparation needed to fit them requires a higher skill level, but if you are a fan of the B.II, then they are certainly something to consider when you build one.

Review sample courtesy of

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To those who use the exterior set, do not use the spark plug leads. The leads an a Bristol Hercules came from the rear of the engine, not from a ring around the gear casing, as per American practice.

I would post an image here, but for some reason, I can no longer post here from Photobucket.

Chris

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Thanks for informing me of that Chris. Come to think of it, aren't there some frames around the front of the Herc engine?

I fitted some WEM ones to a Halifax, so these might be better suited.

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I would post an image or two but for some reason, I can't post pics from Photobucket. Everything was fine until last week. Still haven't figured it out but have been working and haven't had the time to delve into it.

Chris

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  • 2 weeks later...

To those who use the exterior set, do not use the spark plug leads. The leads an a Bristol Hercules came from the rear of the engine, not from a ring around the gear casing, as per American practice.

Chris

You're quite correct on the routing of the spark plug leads, as are Eduard, who show them fitted to the rear of the engines in the instruction leaflet linked to the set above. You won't see much of them if you do fit them though...

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Dave, I've just rechecked the instructions and you are right, I misinterpreted them when doing the review. I know from pictures that the Halifax had a framework in front of the engines, does anyone know whether the Lancaster had the same arrangement? Here's the WEM set on the Airfix Halifax to explain what I mean:

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Yes, the Hercules on Lanc II's had a strut arrangement but not like in your photo. There was just three ( maybe four ) struts from the gear casing out to the collector ring. There are difficult to see in photos as the prop blades get in the way and there aren't that many photos of Lanc II's with good views of the engine front.

Maybe this drawing will help:

Support001.jpg

Chris

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Here are two frontal views of Hercules engines that show the collector ring bracket fairly clearly. It's hard to find good clear views of this detail.

Albemarle1.png

BeauHercs.jpg

And another view of the rear end of a Hercules showing the spark plug leads.

HerculesII.jpg

Chris

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