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What WW2 British aircraft haven't been done by Airfix? (or anyone else).


Graham Boak

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This thread is inspired by a recent posting where someone wrote that he thought Airfix made every British WW2 type.  Clearly not, but it did get me thinking about how the three major British companies did step carefully round each other when it came to doing subjects that hadn't been done by the others.  Obviously this wasn't true for the main iconic types, Spitfire, Hurricane, Lancaster, Wellington, Swordfish, Gladiator, Lysander (always a puzzle to me how that snuck in).  So I thought I'd raise a list, starting with the ones that Airfix didn't do, and who did, then highlighting what was left.  I am trying to avoid pure one-offs such as the MB fighters, and other experimentals such as the Airspeed Cambridge, Vickers Windsor, Miles M20, Airspeed and General Aircraft Shadowers.  (Someday there could be a useful list of those.) Also avoiding still-lacking important variants of existing models, such as the 2-stage Mosquito, and mid-war types that only just made it, at least in training roles, such as the Heyford.  Not counting types that made it into post war like Vampire, Hornet, Lincoln.  No purely civil impressed.  Also injection tooling only.  No re-boxing of other companies kits allowed to count.  Please add types I've missed, and I know that there are some... possibly many!

 

Frog;

Magister, Master, Proctor, Beaufort, Oxford, Skua, Tempest, Shark, Vengeance, Firefly, Hotspur, Rapide, Wallace (ish).  Plus British use of Maryland, Baltimore

Matchbox:

Stranraer, Seafox, Wellesley, Fury, Tempest.   Plus British use of the Cleveland

Since then we've had a number of gaps filled:

Ventura, Sea Otter, Albacore, Fulmar, Roc, Bermuda, Bombay, Harrow, Albemarle, Hereford, Hind, Audax, Hector, Flamingo, Vildebeest, Gauntlet, Horsa, Hadrian, Rota, Buckingham. Buckmaster(?).  Plus British use of the Lodestar, Mohawk, Chesapeake, Skymaster

 

But gaps remain:

Manchester, Hartebees, Hardy, Botha, York, Ensign, Warwick, Lerwick, London, Hamilcar, G Class, Valentia.  Plus British use of Coronado, Mariner

 

Apart from the Manchester as perhaps the major omission, what stands out to me is that Airfix have not tooled a Tempest.  Surely a likely arrival in the not too far distant future?  And how come Matchbox never did a Typhoon?  Too late to ask.

 

 

Edited by Graham Boak
Additions to original, in tialics
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I think we can include Short Singapore, mid-war type that only just made it but in an active role (with RNZAF). Also arguably Wapiti which I believe flew actively with Indian Coastal Defence (Merlin made a vague approximation but I am not sure we can count that.)

 

Gauntlet was produced by Aeroclub and previously by Pegasus if they count as injection tooling, also I thought more recently?

 

Paul

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3 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

But gaps remain:

Manchester, Hartebeest, Hardy, Botha, York, Ensign, Gauntlet, Warwick, Lerwick, London.  Plus British use of Skymaster, Coronado, Mariner

 

 

 

Revell have, with the help of Xtradecal, dealt with the RAF Skymaster gap, but I do wish we could con Airfix into giving us a decent York; so many users and they’ve just missed out on the 70th anniversary of the end of the Berlin Airlift too.

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8 minutes ago, Work In Progress said:

We have not had a mainstream Miles Martinet AFAIK

Good call.  Or, in descending order of interest to me: Henley, Botha, Welkin, Wallace, Lerwick, Gordon or Seal.  [The FROG Wallace was not a military-configured aircraft.]  I reckon it's a bit harsh to include the Skymaster: it's not even a paint conversion of the Revell kit - just needs different transfers.

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Correct on the Hamilcar, it's only been done as vac-form (which suits the subject matter tbh, but that's a side issue). Italeri have the Horsa and Hadrian, Frog the Hotspur.  The Slingsby Hengist is possibly out of scope, with only 14 delivered, but I don;t think that has been done at all. 

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Shall we have rotary wings? The Cierva C.30, or Avro 671 Rota, and C.40 were both impressed into service in small numbers. Azur and RS have done the C.30 in 1/72.

Then there's the Sikorsky R.4 / Hoverfly I, which entered service in Jan 1945. Special Hobby did that.

Edited by Work In Progress
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Frog did make a Ventura, though it was released right on the point when they ceased trading and very few ever saw the light of day in a Frog box. It didn't have British markings included but I think it could be built as a RNZAF GR V.

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I'd like to see a Manchester from Airfix - it would be a logical addition to their Lancaster range. I wonder if they're thinking of adding the Tallboy and Grand Slam Lancasters too at any stage?

 

Maybe a new-tool Hampden to replace their venerable 1968 one...?

 

An injection-moulded Miles Master and Martinet in 1/48 would be nice too - don't mind who does that!

 

Simon

 

 

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Here's an response so far:  I'll go back and modify the original list appropriately using italics for added ones.

 

Skymaster:  correct, will move

Martinet:  there is a very nice Pavla.  When to count or discount short-run is a difficult problem here.  Some short runs are (or were) awful, others such as this Martinet up to mainstream standards.

Ventura: on balance I'll put in into Frog.  The RAF did use the later variant as kitted, if marginally.  

Hotspur: will place under Frog

Horsa, Hadrian, Hoverfly to be included under since provided by others

Rota:  Civilian impressed

Firefly: this was a major attack type for the FAA during WW2, seeing the majority of its combat then.  It wasn't the only WW2 aircraft to have a decent post-war career, unsurprisingly.

Meteor:  a very minor type at the end of WW2 with a major contribution worldwide postwar.  It lasted long enough in service for me to see a squadron formation of Mk.14s, like a flight of mechanical pterodactyls.

Henley, Wapiti:  to be included

Wallace, Gordon, Seal:  hung-on only in training roles  Not even sure about the last two

Osprey:  As above

Ripon: used in Finland in small numbers.  Unsure

Welkin:  should have included it but marginal - much as Bermuda but much smaller numbers.  But how is this significantly different to Meteor?  Hmmm.

Singapore: Four examples?    But did fly operationally.  To be considered, certainly

 

Must go, summoned to dinner.

 

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Hi

    Polistil an italian company did a Westland Welkin in 1:72 

    i have never been able to find one yet

   came out in the early 70’s ? 

      anyone selling one ? 

 

   it took me years to be able to buy a couple of westland whirlwinds and a couple of the bristol beaufighters that they did

 

  and they are not re pops of airfix or anyone else, they were totally new 

  and nice crisp molding 

 

    cheers

       jerry

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1 hour ago, Jure Miljevic said:

I am more or less certain no mainstream Hamilcar kit exist.

Just the Planet Models resin kit as far as I am aware. This seems like a perfect subject for one of the vac companies like RarePlanes but they never did as far as I know.

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1 hour ago, Work In Progress said:

Correct on the Hamilcar, it's only been done as vac-form (which suits the subject matter tbh

Also a resin kit by Planet Models in both glider and powered variants

 

112924-13409-20-pristine.jpg

 

112925-11104-pristine.jpg

 

and as several vac kits

Sanger

1197131-12155-15-720.jpg

 

Garage Kits

 

160200-11185-pristine.jpg

 

Sutcliffe (might be the same as the Sanger kit)

 

1219218-17841-55-pristine.jpg

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We ought to have the Avro Tutor.

 

And following on from that chain of thought, it seems seven examples of the Avro 504N  were re-introduced into RAF service during WW2 as glider tugs, probably for the radar trials involving the Kite. They had previously been in civvy street but wre originally RAF airframes, having been sold off in the '30s before being taken back into service in 1940.

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Back again: just lost this so starting again...  Initial entry edited.

 

Skymaster:  you are correct

Avro 504N: variant of Airfix 504K

Meteor: interesting to discuss but irrelevant here as Airfix did one anway

Tutor: I have one, and had the Pegasus, but they had been withdrawn even from the Auxiliaries before the outbreak of war and so count as small numbers hanging on in subsidiary roles

Hotspur, Horsa, Hadrian, Rota, Hoverfly:  you are correct

Hamilcar: doesn't qualify as not injection moulded.  Sutcliffe was the original company that eventually folded into Sanger via Elliot.

Welkin: Not sure about Polistil given its rarity value.

Hind:  no-one commented but used in large numbers as advanced trainer

Osprey:  omitted because of doubts of widespread use, if any

Vildebeeste: included in original list

Vincent: just a Vildebeeste.

Seal, Gordon: doubtful of use other than residual subsidiary.

Rippon: used by Finland

Wallace: residual subsidiary

Buckingham:  ok given Welkin and Bermuda

Buckmaster: not sure about WW2 service

Short G Class: small numbers but important - as London anyway if smaller numbers

Short C Class - not sure about roles other than impressed civil transports

DH 86:  how small to go down to in airliners, once Ensign is allowed?

Albatross:  impressed civil. See immediately above.

Flamingo: mentioned in original list.  There were distinct military Herefordshires.

Hereford: there is a Valom kit

Valentia: missed.

Overstrand: residual subsidiary (hanger-on)

Heyford:  no-one mentioned this, but as immediately above.

 

(cockly05d: way off topic.  Because they can.  Hobbyboss sales brings them no money. Please carry on this discussion in one of the many threads discussing why Airfix produces any subject that anyone else ever did in the past 50 years.)

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Graham Boak
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