Here are some photos
of my Modelcraft Whitley. It represents a 42 O.T.U. aircraft, BD230,
based at Ashbourne.
Click on
images below to see larger images
This is a reboxing
of the old FROG kit. Despite the kit's age, the model went together
surprisingly well. As would be expected, a little filling and filing was
required here and there.
During the build, I
decided to make good the kit's most obvious error - the rear fuselage,
which is too narrow. I braced the fuselage with scraps of Plastikard,
gluing narrow sections longitudinally spanning the gaps. I then
filled the join with Milliput. The other major issue with the kit is the
glazing, which is far too thick. The cockpit canopy did not fit
correctly, and the rear turret is the wrong shape. I used Falcon vacform
canopies for the nose area (a first for me), and a spare Airfix Lancaster turret
- suitably modified - for the rear.
For anyone building
a Whitley, I recommend the 'Warpaint' publication, which has details and
drawings of the major marks of this unsung aircraft.
The model is
brush-painted, using Humbrol enamels. Decals are from a mix of aftermarket
sources, and are applied over a coat of Precision Paints gloss varnish, and
sealed with a coat of satin varnish from the same manufacturer.
It has not been
possible to trace with any certainty the exact markings BD230 was carrying at
the time of her demise, so I have finished the model to represent the aircraft
as 'new'.
On 24 July 1944, whilst on a
navigation exercise, BD230 dived into the ground near Derby, killing all 5 on
board. For more details, see
here: http://macr.moonfruit.com/#/whitley-bd230/4534844930.
Don Bryans
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