Tamiya British Lancaster B MkI-III 1/48 Aircraft Model Kit

1:48 scale plastic model kit of the Avro Lancaster B Mk.I / III bomber from Tamiya, #61112.

This new version of the ever popular Avro Lancaster has been lovingly reproduced by Tamiya and now includes several new design features.

• Length: 443mm
• Wingspan: 648mm.
• Includes two kinds of nose windows, rear gun turret, and exhausts.
• From early to late types of the Mk.I and Mk.III variants can be reproduced.
• Cockpit interior, rear gun turret and main landing gear well have high detail finish.
• The front gun turret, dorsal turret, and rear gun turret are moveable.
• Two Merlin engines are included and can be reproduced with or without engine covers.
• Either open or closed bomb bay can be selected. Ordnance such as 200lb and 4000lb bombs are included.
• Slick type main landing gear tires depict the effect of supporting aircraft’s weight.
• Pilot, radio operator, bomber, gunner, and ground crew figures are included (5 figures total).
• 4 kinds of markings included.

The Avro Lancaster was one of the RAF’s main heavy bombers during the WWII. The prototype flew in January 1941 which featured 4 Rolls-Royce Merlin engines on its wings. The Lancaster had a 10m long bomb bay which took up nearly half the length of its fuselage, and coupled with its strong airframe, this enabled the Lancaster to carry bombs up to 9,856kg in weight.

The MkI was equipped with Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, and the Mk.III was equipped with Merlin engines built by Packard in America; a total of 7,377 Lancasters were produced until the end of the war. The Lancaster first saw action in March, 1942 and went on to fly as the main night time bomber over Germany in the latter half of the war and dropped 608,612 tons of bombs in 156,000 sorties overall.

The Lancaster bombers caused severe damage against German industrial output and contributed to the victory of the Allied Forces. The Lancaster along with the Spitfire and Mosquito can be considered as one of Britain’s best aircraft of the war.