1:48 Avro Lancaster B.I

A Canadian machine of the Iroquois squadron

The sheet carries the markings of the aircraft with serial number KB837, the fuselage code SE-X and the nickname Devil, as it looked in 1944 with No. 431 Squadron with the designation Iroquois. The unit came under No. 6 Group, which within Bomber Command was made up of Canadian squadrons, and operated from the airfield of Croft in northern Yorkshire. Serial numbers beginning with the letters KB belonged to machines built at Malton in Canada; in British service they were listed as Mk.X and differed from British production mainly in American instruments in the cockpit and licensed engines.

Canadian crews were fond of prominent decoration on their aircraft and a devil figure on the nose was among the more striking kinds. The squadrons of No. 6 Group flew the same night raids as the rest of the command, but with one added disadvantage: the stations in northern Yorkshire were the furthest north, so their machines had the longest way to German targets and used the most fuel.

Croft had one peculiarity a visitor recognizes at first glance today: after the war the airfield became a motor racing circuit and part of the original runways still serves as a race track. During the war night raids took off from there through the winter in weather when the runway was iced over and the crews came back above a layer of fog. A model in these markings therefore lends itself to being built with a frozen surface and muddy ground under the wheels.

Practical notes

Let the paint cure properly for several days before applying them. A fresh acrylic layer tends to be soft and a decal softener bites into it, which shows as a dulled patch around a motif that you can no longer put right. Settle the artwork from the nose last, after the codes and national insignia, so that room is left for adjusting the position. The package holds decals only; the builder provides the model separately.