A general question about Blenheims, for those who are interested

[gingerbob]

There is no wrong answer:

 

Blenheims (and Bolingbrokes, Bisleys, and anything else that qualifies): which version, and why?

 

At the risk of swaying the jury, in terms of looks I like the IV/Bolingbroke best, but I find the Mk.I kind of intriguing with its oddball "face" and the thought of giving a bunch to fighter squadrons "because they were modern aircraft".  (I'm talking about pre-war modernisation plans, not night fighters.)

[Graham Boak]

They were fast for their day, certainly faster than most of the bombers they would be opposed by, and were equipped with such modern features as flaps and retractable undercarriage that would help the pilots get used to the modern world (as it was) in advance of the Hurricane and Spitfire.  OK, the Gladiator had flaps, but not all of Fighter Command's aircraft did.  There was nothing too innovative at the thought of twin-engined fighters, and there are other bomber twins that grew fighter versions, the Ju88 being perhaps the most successful and closest equivalent.  Up to the Phantom, perhaps, which was designed as an attack aircraft (ie. bomber in USN terms).

 

PS  I didn't answer the first part of your question.  Aesthetically, the Mk.IV.  In terms of which was the most effective at the time of its appearance, the Mk.I.  But there are no possibilities of modelling a Mk.I with the codes A.GB, whereas there are two, possibly three or more, Mk.IVs.  There's also a Mk.IV ME.G, but I'd like to know the serial for that one.  The Mk.V loses out on all counts: looks, effectiveness, and suitable subjects with the right codes.  (There is a quite tempting Greek one in Coastal White...)

Edited October 15, 2019 by Graham Boak

[dogsbody]

For me, the Canadian Fairchild built Bolingbroke ( Blenheim IV ). Some were used during the Aleutian Campaign.

 

 

Chris

[Welkin]

Historically Blenheim IF - first radar equipped nightfighter to shoot down an enemy aircraft.

[Muddyf]

I have more Blenheim IV’s built than any other type, BUT, I have to say for me it’s the Mk I.

 

The shape for a start. 

The fact that, if only for a very short time, could fly faster than virtually every fighter on the planet at the time.

[MilneBay]

To me the quintessential Blenheim is the MkI - just seems to have a distinctive pugnacious look.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

If I have to pick its a Mk.I for me. Something about that glazing that always appealed to me and just looked right. 

[Rob G]

If I was forced to choose, it'd be the Mk.l, simply because it's the 'prettiest'. The rest are not quite so blessed. Of course the Mk.l's very real performance advantages help too, but that was quickly eroded. For me, the real attraction with the Blenheim is that it eventually led to the Beaufighter. Not directly, but well, y'know.

[72modeler]

No contest- Mk 1 all the way; in Finnish colors and markings! If the Mk IV didn't have that ugly but effective scalloped upper nose, I  might rate it higher.

Mike

 

@antti @Antti_K @antti1952 @AnttiL @AnttiV (You could paint a phone booth in Finnish Continuation War colors and I would buy it!) Yes, Antti's- I am one sick puppy, but I am a great Finn fan!

[stever219]

Mk. V, mostly because no other perisher wants to.  

 

Desperately outclassed by the time it was finally committed to battle the men who flew it, and flew in it, were heroes yet, sadly, only one of them (posthumously) received the UK’s highest honour for bravery (peculiarly only one pilot for each mark won the VC)).  Extensively used in the Middle East the Mk. V wore some interesting camouflage schemes and, IIRC, was the last version in front-line service (just).

[dad's lad]

I find the mk.v interesting as you can clearly see that the designers were trying to clean up the Blenheim aerodynamically; fully retracted undercarriage, streamlined nose etc. From some angles it looks quite purposeful but from others looks like it fell from the ugly tree 😁

[Procopius]

I love the MkV/Bisley.

[72modeler]

1 hour ago, dad's lad said:

looks like it fell from the ugly tree

...and hit every branch on the way down!

Mike

[Jon Kunac-Tabinor]

Hmmm, rather pertinent.  When I was a kid, the Mk1 was the best, purely because the FROG kit was hard to get and was also considered much better than the Airfix Mk IV. When I did get one , I made it as a Finnish ski equipped version, so again it had "cred" as I always thought the Fins were a tough bunch.

Then I remember Scale Models Battle of Britain series where the MK IV from Airfix got some love ( and wingtips and engines from the FROG kit if memory serves), and all of a sudden that long nose started to look sleek and it was the Mk IV that was "ace".

40-ish years late and I now have an affection for both. I guess the Mk 1 still shades it in terms of looks for me, but looks ain't everything as they say! I suppose what I really admire about the Blenheim are the crews, especially the RAF ones but the other nations too. They went out, often knowing they were in an outclassed and out gunned crate and did their job. To paraphrase another modeller, 'the Blenheim was the horse from the Charge of Light Brigade'.

As for the Bisley- well I think it's pretty cool too. Oddly cool. But then that's often the best cool there is.

[Chuck1945]

Way back when I built the old Airfix IV, then after Frog’s I was released I grafted another Airfix nose onto what I thought was a better Frog offering. Years later did an MPM I and then started the new Airfix but never finished it. There is a MPM V still waiting

[gingerbob]

14 hours ago, Jon Kunac-Tabinor said:

As for the Bisley- well I think it's pretty cool too. Oddly cool. But then that's often the best cool there is.

 

If you can pull it off- but that's the difference between "oddly cool" and just odd, I suppose!

 

Thanks all who have chipped in so far- just the sort of responses I was hoping to get, and hopefully the conversation will continue.

 

17 hours ago, 72modeler said:

If the Mk IV didn't have that ugly but effective scalloped upper nose

 

I see it as "stylish" and (as far as I know) unique.  And I seem to have a thing for relatively long noses.  On aircraft, that is!  (No offense meant to those of us with relatively long noses!)

Another particular contribution to my appreciation is seeing the Blenheim/Bolingbroke fly at Duxford, when it had the "right" nose and was painted black.  It looked more handy and sleek than I'd ever imagined it would, but it was also being flown with enthusiasm.

[ThomasLund]

Funny this should pop up now - just logged in to ask a Blenheim question.

 

For me it would definitely be a Mk IV - the best looking and the one used by 82nd Sq on the 13th of august 1940 Raid on Aalborg airport. I have a thing with that raid as my father witnessed it as a young boy. I recently visited the graves of the airmen and decided that now was the time to do that Blenheim.

 

However... I model in 1/32nd so I need to do a lot myself. I have a couple of books - suggested by you gentlemen here - and they are fine for details but I really need a good quality 3 view drawing preferably with some cross sections as well. I did google, but no real good drawing came up, so I was hoping one of you guys had something like that ??

[tonyot]

I know it was rubbish,...... but I do like the Blenheim Mk.V,..... with its large turret and redesigned nose. 

 

Cheers

         Tony

[Graham Boak]

You can see why they had to design the nose, the original plan for a nice shapely nose containing four Brownings for ground strafing was a little unambitious, to say the least.  You could and did get three times that from a single Hurricane, cheaper all round.  (Two and a half times if you threw in a couple of bombs as well.)   Apparently the Japanese were rather impressed in Malaya etc., but there weren't enough Hurricanes and probably it wouldn't have mattered too much if there had been.

Edited October 17, 2019 by Graham Boak

[Fifer54]

My own favourite is the prototype Bolingbroke, with the lengthened Mk.1 nose. Iy just seems sleeker than all the others . . .

[Antti_K]

I prefer the Mark IV. That long nose just looks much better. It looks like the designing work with Mk. I started from the tail. When the exhausted engineering team got the cockpit ready they simply drew up something to cover the crew...

 

And yet I have a pipe dream about TWO Airfix 1/48 Mk. Is! One in Finnish Winter War markings and the other in RAF colours (Singapore, December 1941).

 

Cheers,

Antti

 

PS. Mike: I've already started to look for a suitable phone booth😉

[Jon Kunac-Tabinor]

I suppose to be fair, the best Blenheim was John Churchill's 1704 effort

Jonners

[Carl V]

1.            Favourite Blenheim/Bolingbroke? Good question!

2.            I don’t know if I should participate in a modelling forum as it is three decades at least since I last put cement to plastic. BTW, do people still do this or is there some new technique?

3.            For numerous reasons I would go for the RCAF Bolingbrokes, mainly because of the challenge. The poor old Boly has been the subject of more errors and misrepresentation than almost any other RCAF aircraft. Not only is it necessary to gather the information necessary to produce an accurate model but it would always require a certain amount of modification/enhancement plus a reasonable degree of skill.

4.            Very few people that I have encountered have all that many clues about the variations of the various Marks and models of the type, whether maritime reconnaissance, fighter, trainer, target tug etc. Most of the attempts to compile some sort of collection of this information range from laughable to “nice try, but…”

5.            If I was back to my ancient hobby, I would probably opt for a Bolingbroke IVF which would present all the challenge of producing a Boly IV along with an additional gun pack. The next might be Bolingbroke IVW  9010 with the prototype centimetric radar nose. I would guess that the IVW would be the most difficult conversion of all the basic models.

6.            If anyone is interested, I have been working for some time on what I hope is the definitive history of the Bolingbroke and have made fair progress. Whether it will ever see the light of day I cannot say – we 80-year-olds acquire an increasing sense of our own mortality! However, if anybody is seriously interested in the subject, feel free to contact me.

 

[Admiral Puff]

My 1:48 Airfix kit will be built as a Finnish aircraft, so my vote's got to be for the Mk I ...

 

(And Carl, I'd be a starter for your Boly book!)

[dogsbody]

2 hours ago, Admiral Puff said:

(And Carl, I'd be a starter for your Boly book!)

 

Me, too!

 

 

Chris