TC`s build thread.

[tc2324]

Here are a couple of shots of the finished model before I start the backstory and diorama shots. Also scratch built some frame work to hold the modified `cookie` special weapons but need to do some rework on these as the colours seem a little off. Also added the standard naked lady underneath the cockpit for your viewing pleasure.....

[Spey_Phantom]

i love lancasters, and im surprised how mean it looks with those extra guns 

[Cliffy B]

Neato!!!!!  

Interesting color choice for the National Insignia surrounds.  Were those red surround versions that faded or a custom job?  I'm intrigued!  

Are you going to add any black or OD Green anti-glare panels?  All of that polished aluminum will blind the guys on a sunny day.

[AXU]

Uhaaaaaaa this is a killer !!!
Looks so good 

[tc2324]

Thanks for the comments chaps. Cliffy B, great point about the anti glare panel, (it`s always the silly things you forget... ). I`ll get onto that today.

[NARSES2]

Oh very nice 

[tc2324]

Took the chance today to add the anti glare panels. Remembered that the engines too needed to be done as well. I have to say that adding the masking tape to an already made kit was quite a challenge with one noticeable disaster. A bit of masking tape caught and ripped off the naked lady nose art, so I had to go with plan B and have added a semi naked lady now instead. I also repainted the `cookies` and I think they look a lot better.

My next disaster was to dicover that my son has somehow wiped the memory stick on my old camera so that all the background location pictures have been deleted. Thinking fast I made my way to my local disused RAF airfield at Fairlop with my diorama base and model in hand. Got a few funny looks from the local dog walkers but over all I`m very happy with the results. I`ll work on these tonight and post the full backstory and pictures tomorrow.

Here`s how she now looks after all the extra work.

[tc2324]

The success of the attacks on the german dams by the RAF carried out on 16–17 May 1943 did not go un-noticed by General Ira Clarence Eaker who was at that time the officer commanding the US 8th Air force based in England. The United States Army Air Forces prided itself and it`s policy of daylight "precision" bombing of military and industrial targets in German-occupied territory and the news that the RAF had delivered a precision weapon at night, at low level, under enemy  fire and had achieved seemingly excellent results was cause to pause and think why the Americans did not have a similar capability.





By the end of June 1943 General Eaker had set up a internal commission within the 8th Air Force`s HQ at High Wycombe to look into the procurement and logistics of a USAAF version of the now famous  617 Squadron of the RAF. By August the General had the commission`s report on his desk and it made for grim reading from an American stand point. While every the idea and set up for a `Special Operations` Squadron was sound, there had been concern about the aircraft that would form the back bone of this new unit. The B-17 and B-24 had both been considered. Both aircraft had good range and protection, however both the bomb bays on each aircraft would be restricted by the amount and size of any `special weapon` they may be asked to carry without major modifactions to the airframes. Also, one of the `plus` points was also a minus. The `protection` was heavy and would have an adverse effect on the maximum speed at low level on both aircraft types. At any rate, both the B-17 and B-24 were slow aircraft and also the stresses placed on both aircraft at low level may would more than likely be beyond both aircraft`s capabilities. The other twin engined types considered like the B-25 were also dismissed as their size would again restrict the size and amount of bombs carried. It was the last line in the report and the commissions recommendation that the only aircraft in the Allied inventory that met 95% of the criteria asked for in the original proposal was the RAF`s Avro Lancaster. This aircraft had the large uninterrupted bomb bay required,  the range, the speed and more importantly it had already proved itself as a low level weapons platform that could perform pretty much all that was asked of it. Although some of the junior officer staff under direct command to General Eaker were opposed to the idea, by September 1943 a meeting had been arranged with Air Chief Marshal Harris of Bomber Command and the proposal and request for a Lancaster was made. Harris was happy to oblige, however it was on the condition that the example given over  for evaluation would be a `war weary` example.



On the 1st November 1943 a Lancaster B.1 was delivered to RAF Molesworth which was home to the 303d Bombardment Group. It was here that the former RAF aircraft was given it`s new serial number and tail code which was the letter `C` in a white triangle. Initial trails then commenced and a number of issues were raised. Firstly the defensive weapons were deemed `light` and within a matter of days new turrets capable of holding .50 Cal machine guns were installed. Waist gun positions were also installed to provide better protective defensive fire from the perceived bean attacks it may face. The waist guns were fitted in `blister` pods as the space in that area of the aircraft was already cramped at best. This modifacation also meant that the dorsal turret had to be moved 7 feet forward of it`s original position. A new ball turret was installed for the front gunner, again providing space for the upgraded defensive weaponary. The idea a fitting a ball turret to the underside was quickly dismissed as the mission profile was for a low level surgical strike aircraft and the overall weight was also starting to climb beyond acceptable limits.



With this `new` aircraft came a new weapon. As the delivery would be at low level the need for a retarded weapon was paramount. Looking at the various bombs within the Allied inventory, the 8000 lbs `cookie` bomb was finally chosen, fins  fitted for directional control and a parachute pack fitted to slow the decent of the bomb so the aircraft would have time to clear the area prior to detonation. Added to this, the `cookie` was easy to load as all the `fittings` already existed within the Lancaster`s bomb bay.
By December the first Lancaster in American service had completed 15 evaluation flights and weapon delivery training missions with mixed results. On the plus side the aircraft handled well at low level, could deliver the bombs on target and had a good range. It was well liked by the aircrew that flew it. However, the added defensive weapons and the extra crew to man them had had an adverse effect on the aircraft`s speed. Coupled with the drag issue of the waist blister`s the Lancaster was not that much faster than the newer B-17`s and B-24`s coming off the production line. The final nail in the coffin for this project came with a change in leadership. In January 1944 Lieutenant General `Jimmy` Doolittle took command of the 8th Air Force in England and after reviewing the evaluation results and seeing the change in the tide of the war against Germany suspended all further test flights. So ended, for a few years at least, the idea of low level surgical strike missions within the US Army Air Force during World War Two.

The fate of the modified US Lancaster is unknown and it is believed to have been scrapped sometime early in 1945 at RAF Molesworth.

[Cobra]

Super Sweet,Cool,and Well done This is the Kind of thing you'd see in a WW2 Movie or in Games like,"Secret Weapons overNormandy"! Dan

[Cliffy B]

God, this is one cool build!  

[sandiego89]

Really like this.  Great courage taking this on. 

[GTX]

 

[beowulf]

waaaaay too cool

i love the way you do your black and white pics cos it makes it look even more real

[tc2324]

Just want to say a big thank you for all the kind comments.  I`m glad you liked.

[Stargazer]

Sorry for not visiting this thread in... a year?? Wow! You've been busy!  I like every model you made, but to me the Aphrodite+Adonis and especially the Junkers Ju 87S really stand out. The latter is pure genius!!