Airfix 1/72 Blenheim Mk1

My great uncle Edward (Ted) Crossman was an RAF Engine Fitter (F2E) in 62 Sqn during WW2. He was posted to Singapore 6 months before the Japanese invasion and fell back with 62 Sqn through the jungles in Malaya, Sumatra and Java before finally being captured on 20 Match 1942. He endured 3 years in various POW camps and survived the Sumatra death railway construction.

This Airfix kit is based on Sqn Ldr Scarf VC Blenheim Mk 1 (FX-F  L1134 bomber) and is an aircraft that Ted likely serviced and witnessed the bombing of RAF Butterworth (Malaya) and Scarf returning home shot up.

Rare image of 62 Sqn Blenheim Mk 1's on patrol in the Far East somewhere.

Ted Crossman RAF in 1941 and his Japanese POW card.

Japanese troops inspect a captured and damaged 62 Sqn Blenheim Mk1

Materials/tools used

Kit:                            1/72 scale Airfix Bristol Blenheim Mk1 (A04016)

Paint:                          Humbrol enamels (29 and 30), Alclad Matt Coat. 
Engine:                       Copper wire for engine pipes and coolant pipes.

The build is pretty simple and includes a complete lower wing section with spars.

The complete upper wing section fits easily over the lower and the fuselage slots on top. The min issue with this kit is that there is a large gap which can only be seen in the bomb bay - not good for displaying the underside.

Large bomb bay gap where the fuselage section meets the wings.

The kit comes with a very detail cockpit setup with seats. I used an older Frog Blenheim seatbelt set to spice up the interior and also cut away the sliding access roof panel for a better view inside.

The radial engines are pretty well details themselves but I decided to show one of them cutaway with the access panels open. I added coolant pipes and some other additional wiring then painted it all up. I also hollowed out the 2 coolant intake pipes at the front of each engine.

To get an accurate paint job, I used the paint instructions and enlarged and printed them on paper to cutout and stick to the surfaces before painting.

Even included some muddy footprints on the crew access area (the airfields frequently turned into swamps in Sumatra and Malaya)

Trumpeter 1/72 BAC Lightning

This quick build won 2nd at our local IPMS Ottawa 1966 theme contest (maybe the competition was light that day!!). The kit goes together nicely with little sanding or filling needed in the wing roots. The canopy is a bit fiddly to attach so I added a small hydraulic arm on the left side of the cockpit. All else is OOB. Decals were very thick and extremely glossy so quite a few coats of matt were needed.

Materials/tools used

Kit:                            1/72 scale Trumpeter BAC Lightning (A02019)

Paint:                          Testors enamels, Alclad Matt Coat.