Trumpeter 1/48 Wellington Mk. IIIBy Chris Banyai-Riepl |
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Overview
The
Vickers Wellington was one of the main bombers of the RAF during the early
years of the Second World War, but its slow speed and limited payload
restricted its use in the later years. The Mk. III Wellington was an improvement
over the Mk. I, with more powerful Bristol Hercules engines and a four-gun
rear turret instead of the original two-gun model. With over 1500 built,
the Mk. III Wellington was a common sight in Bomber Command throughout
1941, until it was replaced by later Wellington variants, and the more
useful four-engined bombers.
The
Kit
The Wellington Mk. III was a logical choice for Trumpeter to continue their 1/48 Wellington series, as this is basically the same plastic as the Mk. I. The main difference here is the fuselage, as this kit has far fewer windows in the sides. Less noticeable are the engine and turret changes, but they are there, showing that Trumpeter has done their research with this one. The kit is molded in the typical light gray plastic, with a couple trees of clear parts. Enhancing the kit further is a small fret of photoetch parts, along with some white metal landing gear and vinyl tires. A small decal sheet and an acetate film instrument panel rounds out the box contents.
Although
the Mk. III fuselage has fewer windows to gaze inside, there is still
quite a complete cockpit. With all the various bulkheads, floor pieces,
and details, it will seem almost a shame to cover it up with the fuselage
halves. Still, this will be useful in breaking up the monotony of the
aircraft, as the somewhat colorful interior will contrast nicely with
the black, green, and brown camouflage. While on the interior, this kit
comes with a full bomb bay and a wide variety of bombs to place in it,
so you can build your Wimpy to go after just about any kind of target.
Aside
from the cockpit, the large fore and aft turrets are the other eye catcher
on this bomber, and they are well represented here. The nose turret is
a twin-gun mount and, after some cleanup and careful painting, should
look good. The rear turret, with its quad machine guns, looks downright
lethal, as I am sure anyone who flew up the back end of a Wellington discovered
for himself. In both cases, the main turret shell is split into front
and rear sections, thus ensuring that the clear parts remain quite thin.
The
engines are also nicely done in this kit, with both rows of cylinders
split into a front and rear face. While this does create a seam in a rather
difficult place, I would not worry too much about it, as the separate
exhaust collector on the front covers up quite a bit. This in itself is
a nice touch, one that most other kits tend to miss. There are two options
for the cowl flaps, open or closed, and the multi-piece cowling should
make painting quite simple.
The
main construction is straightforward, and as long as you take care in
test fitting, there should be little to no need for filler. That is good,
as it will preserve the surface detailing, which is expansive. Some have
raised the question about the heaviness of that detailing, which shows
the geodetic construction quite well. As the majority of this plane is
covered in black, though, I think that the heaviness will end up looking
quite nice under the black paint.
The small (compared to the rest of the kit, anyway) decal sheet provides
basic markings for two aircraft, both camouflaged in dark green and dark
earth over black. There is not much variety for these Mk. III Wellingtons,
so about the only difference you will find is a code letter change, and
perhaps the color of said code letters. The decals are well printed and
thin, and should be no problem in application.
Conclusion
For
a 1/48 Wellington, this is your only choice in injection molded kits.
Luckily, it is rather good, and should build up into an impressive replica.
Now you have something to set next to that Tamiya Lancaster you have sitting
on your shelf. My thanks to Stevens
International for the review sample.
