1/72 A.W. Albemarle Mk.V

Description

This is an injection-plastic aircraft model kit.

Under pressure from the U-boat blockade, the RAF issued a requirement for a medium bomber built with as many domestic raw materials and resources as possible. The result was the Albemarle, with a welded steel tube fuselage frame covered in plywood, wooden wings with steel spar and fitted with then-novel tricycle landing gear (a small semi-recessed tailwheel was also built in, to protect the tail from striking the ground on take-off and landing). However, the hoped-for performance figures were never achieved, which led to the type being moved into “special transport” roles or used as a glider tug. It was in these roles that the type saw combat, taking part in the paratrooper and glider operations over Sicily, Normandy and Arnhem. Over 600 were built, of which only 30 were actually delivered as bombers.

This kit , while still “short run”, shows just how close the genre has come to catching up to the “big boys”. Clear parts are injected, not vacuformed. Surface detailing is recessed and reasonably fine. A fret of photoetched parts provides cockpit and engine details, and a large bag of resin provides engines, machine guns, exhausts, wheels, cockpit sidewall details and other parts. Worth noting is the large pass-through spar included to give the wings something to anchor to as well as assure correct dihedral. This kit will still require some modeling skills, but nothing beyond the abilities of those with a couple of kits under their belt, and where else are you going to get an injection Albemarle?