Airfix A08013 Avro Lancaster B1 F E III WW2 Bomber Kit 1/72

£30.99
MRP £30.99

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(Product Ref 9090)
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Scale: 1:72
Flying Hours: 3
Skill: 3
Dimensions (mm): L294 x W432
Number of Parts: 235

Its most famous achievement was the attack on the Ruhr dams during the night of 16/17th May, 1943. The dams raid mine was the brainchild of Barnes Wallis who designed two further powerful bombs which in RAF use could only be carried by specially modified Lancasters; these were the 12,000 lb Tallboy and its larger version, the 22,000 lb Grand Slam. Both were deep penetration "earthquake" bombs designed for the destruction of difficult targets that had long been almost immune from normal bombing. The first squadron chosen in 1944 for the operational use of these weapons was again No. 617 (by now named the 'Dambusters Squadron'); their Lancaster B1 (Special) aircraft had the bomb bay doors removed and the open bay faired in at each end; the bomb was held in place by a chain. 1,620 hp Rolls Royce Merlin 24 engines and paddle bladed propellers were fitted; in addition, the airframe had to be lightened as much as possible, the most noticeable modifications being the replacement of the front and mid-upper gun turrets with smooth fairings. The first Tallboy bombs were dropped on a railway tunnel near Saumur in France during the night of 8/9th June, 1944 and their most spectacular success was with nos. 9 and 617 Squadrons during the successful attack of 12th November, 1944 against the German battleship Tirpitz. The larger Grand Slam, filled with 4,144 kg (9,135 lb) of Torpex, was designed to be released at an altitude of around 5,486 m (18,000 ft) and to reach a terminal velocity of 1,396 m (4,580 ft) per second. More Lancaster airframes were converted to B1 (Special) standards to carry these bombs, with the first two delivered to 617 Squadron on 13th March, 1945; the following day the first operational Grand Slam was dropped on the Bielefeld viaduct, which together with Tallboy bombs dropped by 9 Squadron caused major damage; two days later the same fate befell the Amsberg viaduct, followed by many other targets, especially bridges, until the war in Europe ended.
Post war several of the Lancaster B1 (Specials) with their Grand Slam bombs continued in limited service with No. 15 Squadron after No.  617 was posted to the Far East in January 1946; various trials were conducted against the reinforced German U-boat pens at Brest in conjunction with U.S. Army Air Force Boeing B-29s. By 1948 these aircraft had been withdrawn from service and mostly scrapped. Wing span: 31.1 m (102 ft) Lenght: 20.98 m (68 ft 11 in) Height: 5.94 m (19 ft 6 in)

Polystyrene Cement and Paints Required = Common 11,165,24,33,53,61,75,85,90,96,98. No.617 Squadron, RAF Woodhall Spa, March 1945 29,30. No. 15 Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, May 1946 86,93.

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