60 FineScale Modeler October 2019N
icknamed “Wimpy” after a
famous contemporary British
comic strip character, the
Vickers Wellington was any-
thing but wimpy, relying on a unique geo-
detic structure for immense strength. The
Wellington served as the backbone of Royal
Air Force Bomber Command from the
beginning of World War II until the
Lancaster and Halifax heavies pushed it to
second-line service.
Airfix’s new 1/72 scale Wellington por-
trays the early-war Mk.IA or Mk.IC, but
unused parts and flashed over holes point
to future versions. The kit includes mark-
ings options for one “A” and one “C” ver-
sion. The instructions are very clear aboutbuild options and which parts are needed
for each version, and helpfully point out up
to 15 parts that may be left off as they will
be nearly invisible on the finished model.
Build options include open or closed
bomb bay, open hatch with boarding ladder,
and landing gear up or down. Also included
but unmentioned are clear waist windows
and machine guns, as well as simple
instructions to trim away the nose-turret
shroud, a common modification on Mk.IC
and later aircraft.
There is significant interior detail,
including a flare chute that matches with
the external opening. Bulkhead assembly
angles are mentioned in the instructions,
but I found it easier to use the fuselage as
an alignment jig.
The instrument panel decals do not fit
well and must be trimmed.
Even if you leave out the parts indicated
by Airfix be aware of other viewpoints into
the fuselage,
for example
through the
bomb bay if it is
posed open. Before
painting the inside,
I added the covers
for the waist win-
dows and the window
on the side of the
nose. Be aware
the fit is not
good, requiring
filling and carv-
ing to match the well-
done fabric covering ofthe fuselage. The waist window
cover part numbers (E46 and E47)
are reversed in the instructions, which
caused even more fit issues. I added the
bombs to the racks, but they are a bit
crude and clunky.
A robust spar installed prior to closing
the fuselage provides a solid
mount for the wings; they
join with a nearly perfect
seam. The wings assemble well,
even with the complicated
engineering of the nacelles. The
engine bulkheads include details molded
on the front side, even though they aren’t
visible.
The molded geodetic fabric covering on
the wings is restrained but visible. All con-
trol surfaces are separate and fit perfectly. A
nice touch is the elements molded into the
clear plastic landing light lenses.
The instructions have you mount the
landing gear right away, but I left mine off.
It is easy to trim off the mounting peg for
the retraction strut which makes assembly
much easier, while the main gear struts
attach easily and firmly.
For painting, I used Eduard’s masking
set. While it is a huge help for accurate
framing, be aware it does not include both
sides of the bomb-bay vision windows, nor
does it include the landing lights. I used a
punch to create my own from leftover
masking material.
Airfix has the major airframe colors
listed by name — all other paint callouts
are by Humbrol paint number only so grab
a cross-reference if you are using another
brand.
The decals are the best I’ve ever used in
an Airfix kit, not a surprise as they are
printed by Cartograf. Installing the remain-
ing details was easy, but be careful when
placing the astrodome on top of the fuse-
lage as it can fall in.
I spent almost 26 enjoyable hours creat-
ing my Wimpy and can recommend the kit
to anyone interested in having a
Wellington in their collection.- Chuck Davis
Airfix Vickers Wellington
Kit: A08019 Scale: 1/72
Mfr.: Airfix, airfix.com Price: $42.99
Comments: Injection-molded, 140 parts,
decals Pros: Good fits, despite some over-
engineering on the nacelles; great clear
parts; best Airfix decals ever! Cons: Clear
plastic rear bomb-bay bulkhead compli-
cates masking; mislabeled parts in
instructionsWORKBENCH REVIEWS