1:48 Avro Lancaster B Mk.III Dambuster TFace

1:48 Avro Lancaster B Mk.III Dambuster TFace: a masking set

This is a masking set in 1:48 scale from the Czech manufacturer Eduard, not a model of the aircraft. The real subject is the four-engined bomber Avro Lancaster B Mk.III in the version associated with the attack on the German dams. The designation TFace is settled at Eduard for the variants that handle the glazing from both sides, that is from the outside as well as the inside. Eduard also runs a variant without this designation alongside it, so when choosing it is enough to watch whether the word TFace is in the name or not.

The real subject

The Avro Lancaster was the backbone of the night bombing campaign of the Royal Air Force. The B Mk.III version differed from the basic Mk.I in having Merlin engines built under license in the United States; otherwise it was the same airframe with a spacious bomb bay that could take even the heaviest bombs. The group of machines modified for the raid on the dams in the Ruhr in May 1943 received a cut-away bomb bay, had the dorsal turret removed and were given special aiming aids. It is precisely this form of the Lancaster that is among the best known and most often built.

Masking and painting tips

• On a large bomber, mask the cabin and the gun turrets one after another, not all at once.
• Press the edges of the pieces down with a wooden stick, so that paint does not run under the edge.
• Spray the paint in thin coats and let it flash off between them.
• Check that no dust has stayed under a mask: even a tiny grain makes a visible step.

Who the set is for

• Builders of large bombers in 1:48 scale.
• Modelers who want to handle the glazing from both sides.
• Those interested in the Royal Air Force of the Second World War.