Airfix Bristol Blenheim Mk.IVF (A04017) 1:72

[Mike]

Bristol Blenheim Mk.IVF (A04017)

1:72 Airfix

 

 

At the time of its first flight in April 1935, the Bristol Blenheim was one of the most advanced aircraft of its type anywhere in the world. Its fully metal stressed skin construction, powered flaps, retractable landing gear and variable pitch propellers all helped it stand out from the biplanes then in service with the RAF.  Powered by two Bristol Mercury radial engines, the Type 142 as it was originally known, was a fast aircraft for its time at over 260mph flat-out. The frenetic pace of aeronautical development in the 1930s meant that by 1939 the Blenheim was seriously outclassed by the more modern fighters of the Luftwaffe, a fact that cost its pilots and crew dearly.

 

During the early stages of the War, Blenheims were used for some of the first raids on Germany. They continued to be deployed in raids on German occupied airfields during the Battle of Britain and some notable successes were achieved, although losses were frequently unacceptably high. The Blenheim was outmatched as a heavy fighter too, but as with many similar aircraft, it enjoyed more success when adapted for night fighting, at least until the more heavily armed Beaufighter entered service. The Mk IVF was a long range fighter/night fighter, equipped with the redesigned nose of the Mk.IV but with an additional four .303 inch machine guns in a pack fitted to the underside of the fuselage.  Only about 60 of these were built, and after the withdrawal of the Blenheim from RAF service, the type soldiered on in foreign service to the later years of the 50s in the Finnish Air Force’s care.

 

 

The Kit

This is a reboxing of Airfix’s 2014 original release that was well received by my 1:72 colleagues in its original and subsequent guises, which includes both nose styles in various boxings. Inside the large red top-opening box are six sprues of light grey styrene, a clear sprue, with a total of 158 parts, a few more than in the Mk.I box. The airframe is covered in crisp, sharp surface details which creates a good first impression of a modern kit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction begins with the two fuselage halves in a mildly surprising deviation from the usual cockpit first approach.  The two halves are closed around a bulkhead, and the reason why we don’t need to freak out is that the fuselage halves stop just forward of the wing trailing-edge, as it is used for both the stepped canopy variants such as this one, and the earlier sloped canopy variant.  The unusual build process carries on with the wings, which are also unusually full width on the top side, and have a long internal spar inserted into a groove, then has a pair of gear framework parts added into the roof of both engine nacelles, followed by a more substantial front spar.  If you’re posing your model gear up, the wheels and their leg/spat combination are inserted into the lower wing, which is also full span… shocking, eh?  The wheels down option leaves the wheels and gear in the box for now, and proceeds straight to closing up the wing halves and joining the aft fuselage to the rear, then switching attention to the forward fuselage, which is still on the sprues at this stage.

 

The pilot’s seat is started by making up the sitting area with small headrest from two parts, surrounded by another two-part frame and mount for the control column with its bow-tie grip, optional pilot figure, and equipment package on the starboard side.  This is fitted to the stepped rear bulkhead, and a three-part jump seat for the bombardier is built and added next to the pilot’s.  The outer skin and part of the canopy are joined on both sides with the crew assembly trapped within, and adding the bomb aimer’s bed and an instrument panel for the pilot, which has its own decal for the dials.  With both sides mated, the main canopy upper and the V-shaped lower nose glazing are glued in, closing up the cockpit ready for gluing into the space between the wings and engine nacelles.  The elevators have separate flying surfaces, and the rudder is also separate from the moulded-in fin, so there is plenty of opportunity for offsetting to give your model a more candid look.

 

The double gear legs with spat and their retraction mechanism are inserted into the gear bays for wheels down, and each one has a wheel slipped in the centre, which has a flat-spot at the bottom to give the impression of the weight of the aircraft.  Incidentally, the wheels-up option simply places the wheels with the flat-spots up to hide them within the bay, so that the rounded side shows through the underside.  While the model is on its back, the flaps are fitted either in the deployed position using the tabs on each of the two sections per wing, or by cutting off the tabs to lay them flat against the moulded-in rib detail in the upper wing.  The ailerons are separate, so they too can be depicted deflected if you wish.  Under the belly the bomb bay is covered by a single contoured panel, and if you are fitting the gun pack (and why wouldn’t you?), you’ll need to drill four holes to mount the pack to the underside.  The pack shell has a set of four barrels on a carrier pushed through from the inside, and slots into place using the four holes drilled earlier.  The tail wheel is a single part that slots into the hole in the underside, and between the gun pack and the tail there are optional spaces for two sets of four small bombs, each of them separate parts.  Your Blenheim is the rare glider-type at this stage though, which is rectified shortly.

 

The modeller has a choice of open or closed cooling flaps on the rear of the engine cowlings, which should be chosen at outset as each engine is made up on the firewall, which has the flaps moulded into it.  The exhaust collector it fitted first, and joined by the radial engine, all of which are keyed to ensure they are correctly oriented when mated with the model.  The lower cowling has a pair of exhaust stubs added before it is glued to the underside of the engine, where it is joined by the other two sections that make up the main cowling, which is finished off with a central axle with triple stators and that in turn is held fast by the cowling lip and an intake underneath.  Each engine also has a pair of intake trumpets inserted into holes behind and between the cylinders, then both engines are fixed to their nacelles on a keyed peg.  The three-bladed prop is a single part with a central boss stuck on, after which it is glued onto the shaft, and if you’ve been careful with the glue, they should remain mobile.  The Blenheim had a self-defence turret on the mid-upper, which is the last major assembly to be created, based upon the lower ring that accepts the twin machine guns, and finally the domed glazing.  Two types of glazing are included, one higher in profile than the other, both having an overflow tab in the front opening that should be cut off since it has fulfilled its job by preventing short-shot parts.  The turret clicks into position, then there are a host of small parts to complete the kit.  A leading-edge landing light, pitot probe and a number of antennae are dotted around the airframe along with the radio mast between the cockpit and turret, which concludes the gluey part.

 

 

Markings

Two very different markings options are provided on the decal sheet:

• No.248 Squadron, Coastal Command, Royal Air Force North Coates, Lincolnshire, England, 1940
• No.68 Squadron, Royal Air Force High Ercall, Shropshire, England, 1942. This was the aircraft flown by Wing Commander John William Maxwell "Max" Aitken

 

 

 

Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas.

 

 

Conclusion

This is a well-designed kit that is packed with detail and options. The shape and level of surface detail makes it a winner, with the slightly complex breakdown of parts only really an issue for the absolute novice modeller.  This kit can be firmly recommended for fans of early-war British aircraft.

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

[Doolie]

I only see five grey sprues. The one with the belly gun pack (the one that makes this kit a IVf) is missing.

[Julien]

9 hours ago, Doolie said:

I only see five grey sprues. The one with the belly gun pack (the one that makes this kit a IVf) is missing.

Its there just was not linking correctly