Victoria Cross Blenheim: ARBA's
1/48 Resin
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History
The Bristol Blenheim was the first modern all-metal cantilever monoplane of stressed-skin construction to enter service with the RAF. When the prototype "Britain First" took to the air in 1936, it was immediately hailed as a major step forward in combat aircraft design which placed the British aircraft industry in the forefront of fast day-bomber development. As such, it denoted the beginning of a new era for the Royal Air Force. More than any other aircraft, it sounded the death knell of the fighting biplane and set a pattern in light-bomber design which other nations were not slow to follow.
Yet, such was the pace of combat aircraft development
during the last two years of peace in Europe that, when the RAF went
to war in September 1939, it soon found that the Blenheim was not the
redoubtable weapon it had supposed. Nevertheless, it was to bear the
brunt of much fighting on every front to which the RAF was committed
for the first three years of the war, and despite its limitations,
it served valorously. However divergent were views of the effectiveness
of the Blenheim as a weapon, it was one of the truly historic aircraft
of the war.
The Blenheim took part in the RAF's first bombing mission of the war, attacking German warships in the Shillig Roads on September 4; they were subsequently active in France until the German victory in 1940; they made daylight low-level raids throughout Occupied Europe until replaced by the Mosquito in 1942; they fought against appalling odds in Burma and Malaya; they served conspicuously in the Western Desert; they were active against enemy shipping from Norway to the Bay of Biscay; they were among the few types to serve with all RAF Commands: Bomber, Fighter, Coastal, Training, and Army Co-Operation; and they served with both Allied and Axis air forces!
To date, any modeler wanting to do this famous and
important aircraft was limited to two not-so-great 1/72 scale models:
an almost-acceptable Mk.I by Frog, and a truly dreadful Mk.IV by Airfix.
There was also an indifferent 1/48 vacuform once released; I looked
at it and rejected it for obvious quality deficiencies
ten years ago, and have managed to forget the name of the malefactor who
created it. Thus, when I came upon the ARBA table at this year's IPMS-USA
Convention in Santa Clara and saw the kit Alan Ranger and Bill Anderson
had created of the Blenheim Mk.IV, I wanted it. At US$95.00 retail, it
was out of my budget; but then I discovered I had something they wanted
for a new project and...to make a fast deal even faster, business was quickly
transacted.
The Kit
The kit comes in a strong cardboard box with a photograph
of the restored Blenheim IV on the cover. Inside is a well-cast resin
model as seen in the accompanying photo. The fuselage is broken aft
of the cockpit, since ARBA also makes a kit of the Mk.I. The quality
of the casting is high, with only a very little bit of flash to clean
off. Once the parts are cut free of their mount pieces, construction
proceeds quickly.
The only drawback is that the vacuformed clear parts are not very clear. In conversation with Alan and Bill, I suggested they use Butyrate, which I have used for vacuforming for years; since Churchill's statement about "two great people separated by a common language" is true, it took a bit to discover that Butyrate is called something else in England, that they were aware of it, and that it would be used in future production of the kit. I can report that not even a dip in Future will really clear what is here now, but it is acceptable.
Construction
Basic assembly is easy since there are only eight
parts: cockpit, aft fuselage, left and right wing, left and right engine
cowling, horizontal stabilizer and vertical fin. Since you must use
cyanoacrylate, be sure to test-fit everything; it is crucial to eyeball
the wing installation to get the inner sections horizontal, and it
is easy to miss this. Attachment of tail surfaces presents no problem
other than to be sure things are lined up properly inasmuch as there
are no attachment guides. While everything joins nicely, putty will
be needed along all joints; fortunately, resin sands easily (wear
a face mask so you don't inhale the dust!) and the basic construction
of the model is complete.
The engines are well-cast plugs which slide into the engine cowlings, and I left them out until final detailing after the model was painted.
The easy part is now over.
The Cockpit
The first thing to do is test-fit the components
of the cockpit and rework them as necessary to obtain proper fit; the
only part that had more than a bit of sanding to do was the navigator's
table that fits to the left side of the nose. There is a well-cast
resin seat for the pilot, and two white metal seats for the bombardier/navigator,
one for the Mk.I, one for the Mk.IV; I determined I would fold mine
against the wall, inasmuch as it kept popping off when attached on
the "in use" position. If you are doing the early Mk.IV -
as I did - you must also open that part of the lower hatch that allows
access to the undernose gun. An outline is lightly engraved in the
resin, so boring it out with a craft knife and opening it is not hard.
What is hard is making sure the canopy fits. Cut it out by the lines shown, and then test-fit and modify as necessary. I strongly recommend dipping the canopy in Future, not for the sake of clarity but to allow use of cyanoacrylate to attach it without fogging. You will need CA to get the forward section right. I cut out the side panels so I could use the bulged windows; I decided to pose them in the open position, a decision that had more to do with the fact of their not fitting perfectly than with a desire to let a viewer see the cockpit interior more clearly. Once the canopy is firmly in position, you will want to lightly putty the join line, then file it down all around for smooth fit. The resin section of the nose needs sanding down to round off the sharpness of the joint. I cut out the center section of the lower window and installed that as one piece. Again, one must trim and test-fit.
Painting
I masked off the canopy using Scotch shiny transparent tape, then painted the model in the early war camouflage scheme of Dark Earth/Dark Green uppers, Sky lowers, using Gunze Sanyo acrylics and following the official camouflage pattern. Once dry, the entire model was shot with several light coats of Future to seal it with a glossy surface for decaling.
Markings: What Aircraft to Make?
The kit does not include decals. (Bill did say they are working on this and that decals may show up in the future.) I knew I wanted to do the aircraft flown by Wing Commander Hughie Edwards, O.C. 105 Squadron, flown on the famous July 4, 1941 low-level daylight attack on Bremen in which he won the Victoria Cross. However, I had no information on the airplane. Thank God for the Internet! I posted a request for information up on r.m.s., and within 24 hours Bob Swift had sent me all the information I needed to do Edwards' aircraft. Decals came from the decal dungeon, cutting and splicing for the serial number and using an old Modeldecal sheet for the squadron codes.
Finishing
I washed the model to get rid of setting solution and gave it another shot of Future. Once that was dry, I shot the model with thinned Testor's Dullcote to get the proper flat finish. I then used ModelMaster Metallizer "Aluminum" to pick out paint chipping on the foot holds, and along the wing root. I shot a mixture of thinned Tamiya black and brown for exhaust staining. When all was dry, I fitted the painted engines in the cowlings, unmasked the canopy, set the assembled gun turret in position, attached the undernose clear fairing with the Vickers "K" gun, and installed the landing gear. I used clear repair thread for the radio and IFF antenna wires, glued on the side windows and, voila! Wing Commander Hughie Edwards' VC-winning Blenheim sat before me on the worktable.
Conclusion
This is the only 1/48 model of a Bristol Blenheim of acceptable quality available anywhere (At least until the rumored Tamiya kit appears - I'll believe that when I see it.) so your options are limited. At a price of close to US$100, you need to be a serious Blenheim fan to want to do it. For anyone who has done a resin kit before, you won't be disappointed by the final result. I like it.
