Good evening everyone. I hope your Black Friday shopping didn't take too much out of you. Having complete a 1/28 Revell Fokker Dr.1, I thought I might be brave enough to try something in 1/72. I usually prefer 1/48, but I have been dragging this kit around for a long time. It looks like it might be a fun build.
First, for those of you who might be unfamiliar with some of the more obscure WW2 British bombers, let's start with a short history. The Wellesley was designed to meet the requirements of RAF requirement G.4/31 in 1931. The requirement was for a general purpose aircraft to replace the Vickers Vincent in the bombing and torpedo bombing role. In addition, the requirement wanted a plane that had a good forward view, a short takeoff and landing capability, the the ability to carry a heavy load. At this point, Barnes Wallis, the designer who would later design the Wellington, Warwick, and Windsor bombers, stepped into the picture. Wallis had previously been involved in the design of the R.100 dirigible using geodetic principles. He convinced Vickers that geodetic design principles could be used in aircraft to create a strong and light design. Wallis produced a design for the G.4/31 requirement using geodetic framing. Vickers wasn't sure that a monoplane could meet the requirements, so they submitted two designs: a monoplane and a biplane. A number of other British companies also submitted designs. The Vickers monoplane was one of three designs chosen to enter a fly-off competition. Before the Vickers design was allowed to compete, the RAF insisted on testing the strength of the revolutionary geodetic design. The plane passed with flying colors. Following the flyoff, the Wellesley was picked as the clear winner. An order for 96 airframes was placed with Vickers. By the time the planes began to leave the assembly line, it had become very obvious that England would soon be at war with Germany. The RAF requested that the Wellesley be optimized for bombing. Wallis was afraid that adding a bomb bay to the fuselage of the plane would significantly weaken the geodetic structure of the fuselage, so "panniers" were added to each wing. Looking like an external fuel tank, the two panniers were essentially external bomb bays. Each panniers was capable of carrying 4 x 250 pound bombs, 2 x 500 pound bombs, or a combination of bombs. Testing revealed that the range of the Wellesley was considerably higher than first thought. After some long-range trial flights, a record-breaking flight by 3 Wellesleys. They departed Ismailia, Egypt and landed in Darwin, Australia 48 hours and 5 minutes later. They covered 7,160 miles non-stop. One plane was running low on fuel, so only 2 planes actually finished the flight. This feat broke the existing long distance record by a large degree. By the time the Wellesley began flying combat, it was essentially obsolete. At the start of the war, it was used as a bomber in both Europe and North Africa. By 1943, most of the Wellesleys had been withdrawn from service.
I have been dragging this model around for a long time. It looks like it might be fun to build. The kit includes the plastic parts (including complete fuselages for 2 different versions) and PE. It has decals for 2 aircraft in service in North Africa. The planes have interesting paint schemes. They were quickly pressed into service when they reached North Africa, so they were not completely repainted in desert colors. The planes arrived in the Europe scheme of dark green and dark earth. As an expedient, the dark green was overpainted in light earth. It should be fun to replicate this unusual camo, as well as the weathering provided by use in harsh desert conditions.
I hope to get started on this model tomorrow, but who knows during this time of the year. Cheers everyone.
6 attached images. Click to enlarge.
