Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 (edited) Good morning everyone... Id like to present my Matchbox 1/72 Vickers Wellesley. It represents an aircraft from 14 Squadron Port Sudan in Summer 1940. The only modification done to the kit is to pose the side windows open and mount a gun in the starboard position as similar to this photo. I understand there is some debate to the colors of these Wellesley’s but I think the contrast lends itself to being Dark earth/Light Stone or Sand. So in the end I opted to go with those colors. To give you a visual comparison of the size here it is to a contemporary aircraft, the Heinkel He.112B a Heller 1/72 kit. I say contemporary as they both first flew in 1935. Please feel free to ask questions, post comments, or add thoughts. Dennis Edited November 27, 2020 by Corsairfoxfouruncle 37 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swralph Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Never seen one of these before but you have done a great job with it.😀 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Thats a blast from the past, i remember it when it first came on sale at my local newsagents . I remember the temptation was to great and purchased it even though i went in to buy a totaly different model kit . I must say your model is light years ahead of mine back in the day ,a very nice piece of work sir 👍. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matti64 Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Excellent, great colour scheme, its really good to see an interesting aircraft in one of it's lesser known schemes and configurations. Very nice build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Juliet Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 One ugly looking aircraft - but a lovely model. Well done Dennis! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in a shed Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 I like the nice little modification to make it a bit different. Very nicely done. The wing area is something else! must have been a precursor to the U2😀, or was it really that inefficient in producing lift? Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reini Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Well thats a plane I've never seen or heard about before. What was it's main role? Oh, and a stunning model! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 It was a long range single-engined bomber, something less odd when it was designed than it would seem soon afterwards. However the specification it was designed to was for a General Purpose machine, mainly intended for colonial use. Once it appeared it was used to equip new bomber squadrons (or indeed older ones) in the UK as part of the RAF expansion in the late 1930s, but a small number were used in the Middle East. Its main wartime role was as a long range bomber operating out of Aden and attacking Italian East Africa. The aircraft in the UK were withdrawn before the outbreak of war and either sent directly to the overseas units or overhauled to a long-canopy standard (known perhaps unofficially as the Mk.II) but many of these were lost to U-boat attacks on British shipping. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAT69 Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Nicely done! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Very nice presentation of an unusual subject.👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelh Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Very nicely done. I had one of those too back in about 1980. Built it in the European colours. Matchbox definitely had some esoteric subjects. But it was significant as it was the first of Barnes Wallis' geodetic aeroplanes. Nice to see it again. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Nice job on that Dennis. Fwiw, I reckon that is the best scheme for these, perhaps because it seems more representative of where they saw the most action. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epeeman Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Wonderful, Dennis - This has bought back memories - I remember building this one as a kid! Regards Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
112 Squadron Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 (edited) It is nice to see how beautiful this old Matchbox kits can be finished when they are done with care, attention to detail and some modifications. You prefectly resurrected one of the forgotten RAF Bombers of WW2! 👍 Edited November 27, 2020 by 112 Squadron 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinK Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 5 hours ago, Pete in a shed said: The wing area is something else! must have been a precursor to the U2😀, or was it really that inefficient in producing lift? Highly efficient, in fact! The Wellesley still holds the record for the greatest distance flown by a single-piston-engined aircraft, from when it set a (then) world long distance record of over 7100 miles, from Ismailia, Egypt to Darwin, Australia in 1938. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Very cool Dennis. What an aircraft! Look at those wings! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted November 27, 2020 Author Share Posted November 27, 2020 13 minutes ago, John Masters said: Very cool Dennis. What an aircraft! Look at those wings! Thank you John, yeah that caused a bit of an issue when attempting to photograph it due to having to stand back a ways from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 One of the record-breaking aircraft is one of the decal options in the Matchbox kit. There are additional nose and engine cowling parts, too. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael51 Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 A marvellous build. Michael 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMCS Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Niiiice 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Womby Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 Don't see many of those built. Nice to see classic plastic built well. David 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcanicity Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 Lovely model! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wulfman Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 Excellent build and paint job, I love seeing the old Matchbox kits built ! Wulfman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old_Scopie Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Half way through the Matchbox kit right now, its actually held up well for its age. Hope mine turns out as well as yours. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted December 1, 2020 Author Share Posted December 1, 2020 16 minutes ago, Old_Scopie said: Half way through the Matchbox kit right now, its actually held up well for its age. Hope mine turns out as well as yours. Thank you, Will you be going for a U.K. based Scheme or an African scheme ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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