1:72 Vickers Wellington Mk.Ic

A geodetic framework under fabric

The Wellington owes its position in British bomber aviation to the unusual construction of its fuselage. Instead of the usual spars, it was formed by a three-dimensional lattice of light sections, designed by the engineer Barnes Wallis and covered with fabric alone. A framework like that could take extensive damage without losing its strength, so the machines came back from operations with holes that an all-metal fuselage would not have survived. The Mk.Ic sub-version was among the first to be widely deployed and could be recognized by the beam gun positions instead of the ventral turret. The type stayed in production throughout the war, and in the later years it moved from night bombing to patrolling over the sea.

Four crews, three units

Half of the subjects on the sheet belong to squadrons made up of Polish airmen, who after 1940 carried on the fight over western Europe from British bases; one of them operated from Swinderby and is represented by no fewer than two machines with different code letters. Another squadron with Polish personnel completes the three European subjects. The fourth machine serves in Egypt, where the type wore desert camouflage and carried out tasks over the Mediterranean and North Africa. The difference between the European and the African subject is so marked that two models can be built from one package which look like two different types side by side.

Applying them to a fabric surface

The fabric covering over the geodetic lattice gives the model a fine lengthwise ripple, and a decal has to settle onto it without bridging. It pays to use a stronger decal softener and to press the film into the hollows with a damp brush. The desert version also calls for careful matching of the base, so that the national insignia do not look stuck onto an area shaded differently. The package contains the printed sheet; nothing else is enclosed with it.