1/48 Tamiya Lancaster

Gallery Article by Shawn "Phantom" Weiler on Mar 22 2010

 

Big model, a 1/48 scale Tamiya Lancaster. I got this in a big trade a couple years back with a member of the Canadian model mafia. Only problem was the model itself was the tall boy big bomb version. Not the standard bomber. Nice thing with the big bomb type is the kit comes with some nice extras. Such as prepainted clear areas. Now, these were of no use to me as I was not doing a wartime camouflaged model. But I'm keeping them for future considerations.

Another nice thing was the motorized spinning props. I did not use them in this kit but again, I am keeping them for a future project. The basic kit has been around for decades, but still is a very nice model which fit together well.

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Some things I added. Eduard colour photo etch. They look freakin' fantastic. But once the canopy is in place you can not see anything regarding them. Save your money. A BIG add on came from another ARCer from England. He sent me the Bombay from his trashed Lancaster. Without this major part I would have had a tough time figuring out how to do this model. Thank you again Sir.

The rest came from Canadian companies. Belcher Bits sells very nice resin engines. The Tamiya offerings are rather sparse in detail and really just do not look right. The Belcher Bits replacements I feel are a requirement to make the Lancaster look like a Lancaster.

The biggest need in this kit was the decals. I contacted Leading Edge decals directly and was able to get a WONDERFUL set of decals for a Canadian Search and Rescue Lancaster from 103 rescue squadron in Torbey Newfoundland back in the late 1950's into 1960 when the fleet was retired. The  Leading Edge decals ALSO come with the resin  radar on the belly, various lumps and bumps and the search windows required to do the model I wanted.

At first I was thinking I would build airframe 213 as it now is flying at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in wartime markings.  But I did not have a 1950's style number 2 big enough for under the wing. So I built the model as 104, which comes with the decal sheet. 104 was retired to the Toronto water front for around 20 years where the plane got seriously vandalized and began to rot. Fortunately its now being rebuilt for display purposes at the museum at the former CFB Toronto.

Shawn "Phantom" Weiler

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Photos and text © by Shawn "Phantom" Weiler