ADVANCED BUILD
CANBERRA T.17AADVANCED BUILD
CANBERRA T.17A92 Airfi x Model WorldE
nglish Electric’s Canberra
was developed into an
almost bewildering array
of variants, from bombers
and interdictors to target tugs
and electronic warfare machines.
Designed to replace the
legendary de Havilland Mosquito,
it first flew in 1949 and has
arguably become as famous as
its erstwhile predecessor. The
Canberra certainly stood the test
of time and wasn’t retired from
the RAF until 2006, although a
small number of highly modified
airframes are still operated by
NASA. During the 1950s, this
twin-engined platform could fly
higher than any other aircraft,
and was one of the few foreign
designs operated by the US
Air Force, albeit in a slightly
changed configuration.The subject of this build,
WD955, was built in 1951 as a B.2
variant and was upgraded and
converted on several occasions,
ultimately it became a T.17 in
1975 and would be operated
by 360 Squadron (motto:
‘Confundemus’) at RAF Wyton,
Cambridgeshire, until it was
disbanded in 1994. This unit was
manned jointly by the RAFRichard Spreckley combines
Airfix’s re-released 1/48 B(I).6/
B20 Canberra with AlleyCat’s
splendid conversion to create
a low-vis T.17A airframe
WARRIOR
ELECTRONIC
nglish Electric’s Canberra
was developed into an
almost bewildering array
of variants, from bombers
and interdictors to target tugs
and electronic warfare machines.legendary de Havilland Mosquito,
it first flew in 1949 and has
arguably become as famous as
its erstwhile predecessor. The
Canberra certainly stood the test
of time and wasn’t retired from
the RAF until 2006, although a
small number of highly modified
airframes are still operated by
NASA. During the 1950s, this
twin-engined platform could fly
higher than any other aircraft,
and was one of the few foreign
designs operated by the US
Air Force, albeit in a slightlyThe subject of this build,
WD955, was built in 1951 as a B.2
variant and was upgraded and
converted on several occasions,
ultimately it became a T.17 in
1975 and would be operated
by 360 Squadron (motto:
‘Confundemus’) at RAF Wyton,
Cambridgeshire, until it was
disbanded in 1994. This unit was
manned jointly by the RAFRichard SpreckleyRichard SpreckleyRichard Spreckley combines combines
Airfix’s re-released 1/48 B(I).6/
B20 Canberra with AlleyCat’s
splendid conversion to create
airframe
WARRIOR
A comparison of the Airfix and AlleyCat clear parts revealed the greater refinement on
the latter, and correct ‘bowl’ configuration with just one direct vision ‘window’. Considering its age, all parts were moulded cleanly and the cockpit consoles featured
crisp raised detail.