**** DONE: GB-55 1:48 Wellington Mk 1C - MTO III

[Vic Balshaw]

Username: Vic Balshaw
First name: Vic
Category: Advanced
Manufacturer: Trumpeter
Model: Vickers Wellington (Wimpy) Mk C1
Scale: 1/48
Extras: By the bucket load: Czech Master engines. Eduard exterior PE, cockpit PE and masks. Kits World instrument panels (giving them a try). LF Models paint masks (giving these a try). Quickboost fuel outlets and gun barrels and last of all Quick & Easy exhausts.

Thought I'd pitch my oar into this one.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

I've always wanted to have a crack at this aircraft and in my own way I've got a couple of a connection to this build. As a youngster of 8 years, my first connection was playing under and around these huge Wellington's that were mothballed and parked on any vacant patch of grass behind the airfield hangers and admin buildings. I was living on a RAF base in Wiltshire these aircraft anchored firmly to the ground were assumedly awaiting disposal or had been cocooned just in case. My second connection moves forward some 18 months when I stepped of an RAF Transport Charter at RAF Fayid in Egypt (see my "A Little Story"( A Little Story). This was one of the Middle East Bases from which my subject operated from for a short time in December 1941.

So, my subject is a 37 Squadron Wellington Mk 1C. Tail T2508. Code LF-O. I have not been able to find much detail on the machine save for a couple of pics freely available on the internet and that it was based at Shallufa airfield in 1941 when the nose art photo was taken. I have also gleaned through BritModeller.com that the guy leaning through the window is W/O Graham Wilson and as for the fate of T2508, it was damaged beyond repair after a tyre burst on take-off for Benghazi and the undercarriage collapsed on 24 Oct 1941. As for the nose art, each emblem represents a crew member, the winged lemon being the captain Flying Officer P C "Cheese" Lemon.

As a side note, the nose art Latin motto reads "Defaecamus luces purpuras" ("We shit purple light) and alludes to its flare-dropping role.

As a model with its extensive internal detail, it is my hope to enlarge on this and hopefully display some of the innards by removing parts of the fuselage. How successful this will be, remains to be seen. I will also be away from the end of this month right through to mid-October. So, the likelihood of finishing on time is also doubtful. But we will give it our best shot.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Airframes]

Looking forward to this one Vic, suitably"dustied".
Got some external and internal detail shots of the RAFM and Brooklands examples if you need them, but I'm in Norfolk until August 14th.

 

[Wayne Little]

Nice Vic, glad to see you on board mate...

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Looking forward to this one Vic, suitably"dustied".
Got some external and internal detail shots of the RAFM and Brooklands examples if you need them, but I'm in Norfolk until August 14th.

Thanks for the offer Terry but I recon I'll be OK as I've just received a copy of the Owners' Workshop Manual and have also trolled through Andy's two treads on his continuing Whimpy build saga (thanks Andy).

 

[Crimea_River]

Any time Vic and I wish you luck. One area that I did not write about was that I found the wings to be slightly warped when I brought the halves together. On hindsight, I might have tried straightening them somehow.

I'm looking forward to see your magic on this and I know you'll do a great job with the interior as there is plenty of detail provided by Trumpeter.

 

[fubar57]

Good entry Vic

 

[nuuumannn]

"Defaecamus luces purpuras" ("We shit purple light)

Love it! Great subject matter! Having followed Andy's Wellington, I'll be interested in your take, Vic.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Made a bit of a start on this one today and as mentioned I was thinking of showing the innards to the best advantage. Some of you may recall my Catalina many GB's ago and the internal scratch building that was then shut away from sight when closed up. So with this build I'm looking at opening some of the sides and roof so the the internal detail can be seen.

The two halves with the red areas showing where I propose to open the sides. Needless to say this is not set in concrete and I will have to be careful not to weaken the model structure.

 

[Lancaster630]

Oh fantastic, it is hard not to like a Wellington!
Love the motto gave me a much needed laugh!

Best of luck good sir!

 

[Crimea_River]

Best of luck indeed! If anyone can do it though, it's you Vic.

 

[Wurger]

 

[fubar57]

Looking forward to this Vic, either way you choose to go

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Thanks for popping in and for the encouragement gents.

So the die is cast and after a couple of days of hard yakka and a couple of sore fingers from using these fine mini saws, my Wellington is now full of holes.

The original Wellington Mk.Ic had a central drop down (ventral) gun turret and it has been incorporated in this kit as a fixture. A decision made during production halted the turret fitment, replacing it with a couple of hand held Vickers K .303 beam guns stationed just forward of the on board khazi, both guns having a field of fire just over the wings. Later Wellington Mk.Ic were fitted with the beam guns (now referred to as 'Waist guns") that was stationed further aft and firing out of trapezoidal window.

The aircraft I'm building has the hand held beam guns firing out of modified windows over the rear of the main wings. Consequently, the large lumps of plastic used to house the ventral gun are no longer needed, so they have been removed. As for the ventral hole, for a while this was just plugged up using the base of what would have been the ventral turret.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Airframes]

Good stuff Vic. Looks like it had a tough time over Bremen !

 

[Crimea_River]

No turning back now Vic........Oh and "yakka"?

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Thanks Terry and Andy, no turning back now.

Oh and "yakka"?

Hard yakka (hard work). The word "yakka" – which first appeared in the 1840s – derives from the word for work (yaga). It comes from Yagara, an Indigenous language in Australia nd much used in this big land.

 

[Jock Tamson]

Very bold move there Vic. I have seen museum exhibits where areas of the external skin has been removed to expose the interior on aircraft and tanks. I look forward to your progress on this one.

Cheers Greg