Avro Lancaster B.III Dambuster Airfix 1:72
So in May we had the 80th anniversary of the Dams Raid. I have been preparing for this construction for some time, but I decided to start work around the anniversary of the event. The 1:72 scale Airfix Avro Lancaster model is well known to modellers. Many works can be found on the Internet. However, hardly any project comprehensively addresses the issue of construction and the problems associated with it. As usual, I have created a presentation that illustrates the construction steps and discusses the minor problems that occur. I invite you to familiarize yourself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnIZXRLUFxA&t=10s
The aircraft coded AJ*T was the squadron's reserve aircraft, as our hero Fl.Lt Joe McCarthy's plane had technical problems. The plane took off late and, flying at minimum altitude, reached the Sopre dam at 0.15. McCarthy realized that the attack was more difficult than expected: the approach led from the hills to the high steeple of the church in the village of Langscheid. The pilot had to lift the plane up in a matter of seconds to avoid crashing into the hillside on the other side of the dam. In this situation, bombardier George Johnson did not have time to correct the height and distance from the target. McCarthy went under attack nine times before Johnson considered the raid likely to succeed. The bomb was dropped on the tenth turn (thanks to the Germans, who decided that the barrier could not be destroyed by an air attack, so they did not deploy anti-aircraft guns in the area). The bomb exploded, but when McCarthy turned his Lancaster around to assess the damage, he concluded that only part of the earthwork had been damaged and that the dam was still functional.
Three reserve aircraft were also diverted to the Sorpe Dam. Burpee's plane (S for Sugar) never reached her; it was later established that he was shot down while trying to evade the German Gilze-Rijen Air Base. Brown (F for Freddy) reached its destination: in the thickening fog, the bomb was dropped without bearings and also did not destroy the dam. Anderson (Y for York) arrived last, but the fog had become so thick that he could not approach the bombardment. The other two bombers were sent against secondary targets, Ottley (C for Charlie) being shot down en route to the Lister Dam. Townsend (O for Orange) dropped a bomb on the Ennepe Dam, but didn't even damage it.
The power outages due to dam breaches proved to be the hardest blow to armaments production in the Ruhr area. Two hydroelectric plants (producing 5,100 kilowatts) were destroyed along with their dams, and seven more were damaged. As a result, factories and many households in the region were without power for two weeks. A much larger and completely unexpected effect of the raid was its effect on German food production. The Ruhr valley below the dams was one of the most important food providers in the Third Reich; as a result of the raid, large agricultural areas were devastated and thousands of livestock were killed. This had an immediate negative effect on the morale of the citizens.
I hope you will like the model and the article. And Lieutenant Fox is about to return with a new chilling project.
This turned out very nice @lis
Thank You!
This is a wonderful build, my friend @lis! The model itself is superb and you overcame all building challenges in a most effective way. The diorama elements are also superb. Your build thread was great, full of details and the same is true for your video. Finally, your history part of your article is splendid.
Congratulations!
Thank You Spiros @fiveten ! I’m wainting for Your Lancaster Special!☺️
I must start my Lancaster as soon as possible, my friend @lis!
This Dambuster Lancaster looks amazing, Bernard @lis
Definitely one of your best builds. Not an easy one, but you clearly tackled every challenge.
It looks perfect together with the diorama.
Thanks for sharing your build progress.
Thank You my Friend @johnb ! I’m waiting for Your Dambuster 🙂
@lis, you are right, I definitely should get started with mine. It will happen soon. Yours will be a perfect reference.
Very nice build!
Beautifully done!
Beautiful build and article Lis.
The figures stand out as being some of your best work in figure painting.
Nice looking build Lis @lis! The paint finish and the canopy frames all came out great.
Thank You!
Great looking model and diorama, Bernard, (@lis). The black and white lead photo is a nice touch.
@gblair
Thank You! I’m glad that You like my work! I like to follow Your threads!
Nicely done Lis.
@kalamazoo
Thank You! I love Your works too!
Great history, great build, great diorama, great model, what more can I say? I love the thought that goes into your modelling.
@chinesegeorge
Thank You for Your good comments! It’s nice to hear that You like story!
Amazing build, @lis! I followed your build with great interest and now i am thinking about building an airfix lancaster myself. The diorama is just awesome!
@fxrob
It will be Great to follow Your Lancaster build!
@lis don't feel ready to do a build threat yet! 🙂