Airfix Victoria Cross Icons Box Set - guidance please

[Simon Nonymous]

Good morning everyone; apologies for touting for info and guidance if I could have worked this one out myself. but here we go:

 

1. I'm building a 1: 72 Bomber Command project (hurray!)
2. I need a Blenheim Mk IV and a Hampden (of course!)
3. I ended up with the Victoria Cross Icons box set as it looked good value for four planes; I'd already done a Battle but can always do another one, plus have always loved the Hurricane Mk I.  (link below to a post about someone else who has done a very nice job of making all four planes in the set.)
4. Question 1 - I am trying to work out from Scalemates what the date of the Hampden and Blenheim are in the box set... they seem rather old fashioned 'challenging' kits, shall we say? Can anyone point me at the date of these kits please, as Scalemates doesn't really indicate?
5. Question 2  - if (as I think) I have got older tooling versions of the Hampden and Blenheim IV, can anyone tell me if there are are newer toolings in 1:72 to go looking for?

 

Thanks very much in advance!

 

 

Edited April 17, 2021 by Simon Nonymous
Edit - forgot to say what scale I am building in!

[alt-92]

All three kits mentioned are what you would now call Vintage.

Hampden origin:

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/airfix-491-handley-page-hampden--161563

Blenheim:

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/airfix-02027-1-blenheim-iv--163369

 

There is no alternative for the Battle (yet) so..

for newer, more recent versions of the other ones:

 

new tool Blenheim (or other boxings of this serial like A04017 )

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/airfix-a04061-bristol-blenheim-mkiv--1025262

That would be recommended over the old one.

 

The Hampden is more rare, but I've had good success with the Valom Hampden - see my signature.

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/valom-72033-handley-page-hampden-bmki--106267

That has also been reboxed by AZmodels, and more recently SabreKits. 
But the Airfix one is still a very good one.

 

 

[Graham Boak]

The Valom Hampden kit had over-sized transparencies and did not make a good torpedo-bomber - not a problem with your theme.  However AZ replaced the transparencies including the ventral gun position for the torpedo bomber, so is the kit of choice.  However the AZ transparencies were available separately.  The Airfix tooling, if your example is not too worn, is still acceptable to good.

 

The Hurricane kit of choice fs the Arma Hobby Mk.I.  A personal marking carried by Nicholson's aircraft has fairly recently been (re)discovered so the your kit examples provided may lack this.  There is a newer Airfix example but this is of an early production standard and not appropriate.  The earlier one you have needs the top of the engine cowling widened (it can fairly easily be wedged apart then filed to fit the spinner diameter) but is really not a particularly good kit anyway.

 

MPM did a superior Battle but this is probably no longer available anywhere.

 

MPM also did a superior Blenheim but I agree that the new Airfix kit is the best.  I found it very difficult to fit together needing a lot of fettling, particularly when getting the rear fuselage to slide into the wing centre-section.  Others seem to have had less difficulty.  This variation seems to have been a common theme with some recent Airfix kits, and the best advice seems to pay attention to the mating surfaces and dry fit before attempting assembly.

[Simon Nonymous]

Chaps, that is very helpful, thankyou. I might try to finish the classic kits as I think it's the right thing to do by them, but I will also look at your recommendations for kits that are easier to get looking better!

 

EDIT - quick look on Fleabay and found a newer tooled Airfix Blenheim Mk IV for what I would say was an ok price, so it's snaffled and on its way! I'll see how the Hampden goes, the last one I did in 1980 seemed ok..... 🙂

Edited April 17, 2021 by Simon Nonymous
I can't type. I can spell, I just can't type.