1/72 Airfix (ex-Italeri) Airspeed Horsa

[Richard Cawsey]

The Airspeed Horsa assault glider could carry 28 troops (including the two pilots who were also trained as fighting soldiers), or cargo such as a Jeep towing an anti-tank gun.

It was made entirely of wood, with a wingspan of 88 feet and a length of 67 feet.

3,793 Horsas were built in total. Some aircraft were built by Airspeed at Christchurch, but the majority were assembled at RAF stations from sections produced by a large number of sub-contractors, including furniture manufacturers, motor works and railway workshops.

About 1,400 Horsas were used on operations, chiefly at Normandy, Arnhem and the crossing of the Rhine.

 

The original kit dates from the mid-1970s. It was going to be a simple out-of-box build, and is all right in overall shape, but the more I compared it to photos of the real glider, the more details I found that could do with improvement.

 

The most serious problem is the cockpit, as it is going to be very visible under the large canopy. The entire cockpit floor was raised by attaching it to the rear bulkhead about 4mm higher than the official locating tab. The seats and control columns were also moved further inboard and the control console modified. Other bits were made from odd scraps of plastic. The result is far from perfect but at least it now bears a passing resemblance to the real thing.

Another advantage of raising the cockpit is that it now leaves enough space under the floor for all the ballast that is needed to keep the nosewheel on the ground.

 

Not much can be seen of the interior of the cabin when it is closed up. The sides and bulkheads were painted to represent plywood (50/50 Dark Earth + Dunkelgelb), with darker lines to simulate stringers, and the floor and seats in light green.

The doors are provided with built-in steps, but this is completely wrong, so I instead made a couple of separate ladders from stretched sprue.

There are two odd bulges above each tailplane: these were removed, and the tailplane struts were moved closer together.

There seem to be some serious discrepancies in the positioning of the doors and windows in relation to the wing and undercarriage, but trying to fix this would need major surgery, and I think the overall proportions look right.

 

The kit is described as a 'Horsa Mk.I/Mk.II', and for the Mk.II version with a hinged nose section some extra parts are provided such as twin nosewheels, but the nose should have flattened sides and be more pointed in plan view. The Mk.I also has two extra glazing bars down the windscreen.

The handle for swinging open the nose should be on the port side. There would not be much point in having it between the hinges on the starboard side, as shown in the instructions. The instructions also have the aileron mass balances, tail skid and pitot head all facing backwards instead of forwards.

 

The main skid under the fuselage appears to be based on a type used on some Mk.IIs, but looks nothing like the real glider. It was greatly reduced in width and the large shock absorber and bracing struts added.

 

Aerial masts were omitted as they don't seem to have normally been used on British Horsas on operations.

 

The main decals in the kit are all right, but not the serial numbers. Two of the three options are fictitious and all are too large. I instead found an old decal sheet for Lancaster LM220 which could easily be amended to LH220, a Horsa Mk.I used at Arnhem in September 1944. By this time gliders were having invasion stripes painted only on the underside of the wings; some already had them above the wings but attempts to remove these were often half-hearted.

 

The end result is a bit rough round the edges but I hope it now looks a bit more like a Horsa than one built straight from the kit. . .

 

Edited August 19, 2020 by Richard Cawsey
clarify

[Jeff G]

I always wish there were more builds of these. Great Horsa!

[TheyJammedKenny!]

Nicely done.  Is that Roy Urquhart standing out front?

[woody37]

Great finish, really like the hand painted finish effect to the stripes and subtle weathering

 

[Johnny Tip]

19 hours ago, Richard Cawsey said:

LH220, a Horsa I used at Arnhem in September 1944.

On first reading, my eyes opened wide - you were there? 🤩 only after reading twice I assigned the "I" to the Horsa🤦‍♂️

Great build!

[Wulfman]

Lovely build and finish, great modelling !

[Aeronut]

Finally someone who has thrown away this kit's instructions and corrected some of the faults as well as going easy on the interior grey green. Well done.

[Whofan]

7 hours ago, Johnny Tip said:

On first reading, my eyes opened wide - you were there? 🤩 only after reading twice I assigned the "I" to the Horsa🤦‍♂️

Great build!

Same here!

[kapam]

Excellent work!

Having read a few books about WWII combat glider missions, I can only say that anyone who flew in one (whether soldier or pilot) was an incredibly brave soul!

The historic accounts are full of stories about gliders literally breaking into pieces on landing - and that's before the battle even started!

Your build is a great tribute to these brave men.