Kit Ref: A08013
Price around £24.99 GBP (Mar 2014)
Reviewed by Geoff Coughlin
Our thanks to Airfix for supplying our review sample. Get this impressive kit here now at: www.airfix.com
Initial thoughts
This is another great release from Airfix – another in their growing range of completely new-tool Avro Lancasters – at the time of writing we have reviewed the first two releases in you’re here Now area:
Avro Lancaster B.II
Avro Lancaster B.III Special, Dambusters
In addition, we have built both the above and you will find the finished build articles below:
Avro Lancaster B.II full build and Airfield Resupply Set
Avro Lancaster B.III Special, Dambusters full build
A little bit of background
The original Lancasters were produced with Rolls-Royce Merlin XX engines and SU carburettors. Minor details were changed throughout the production series – for example the pitot head design was changed from being on a long mast at the front of the nose to a short fairing mounted on the side of the fuselage under the cockpit. Later production Lancasters had Merlin 22 and 24 engines. No designation change was made to denote these alterations
In anticipation of the needs of the Tiger Force operations against the Japanese in the Far East (FE), a tropicalized variant was based on late production aircraft. The B I (FE) had modified radio, radar, navaids, and a 400 gal (1,818 L) tank installed in the bomb bay. Most were painted with white upper-surfaces and black undersides with a low demarcation between the colours