1:32 Avro Lancaster B Mk.VII

The airframe NX611 and its second life

The subject is not a combat aircraft from a wartime photograph but one particular surviving airframe. NX611 belongs to the late development version of the Lancaster designated B Mk.VII, that is to a series completed with service in the tropics in mind. In the end it took no part in the fighting, and that is exactly why it survived. Today it stands in the hangar of an aviation museum in the eastern part of Lincolnshire and at public events it is taxied along the runway with its engines running.

Two sets of codes on one airframe

A point of interest about the aircraft is its asymmetrical markings. Each side carries a different combination of letters, so that the airframe commemorates two different units at once. The sheet therefore holds both sets, LE and DX, and along with them alternative individual letters, so a builder can choose which combination to transfer onto a model. The data matches the appearance the machine wore in 2014.

What you need with the sheet

The decals are waterslide. They call for a glossy painted base, lukewarm water and a steady hand, because the motifs at this scale are large and fold easily while being transferred. A decal softener is advisable, which settles the film over rows of rivets and hatches. The bomber model is not in the package.

• The subject is an aircraft that still exists, not a reconstruction from photographs of the period
• Airframe version: the late Lancaster B Mk.VII, serial number NX611
• The sheet carries both code sets the machine wears on opposite sides
• The state of the markings matches 2014
• Printed for 1:32 scale; the plastic kit is bought separately