How many Wellesleys are under way?

[Captain Canada]

Defo need to see more of this one ! What's going on the underside ?

[PR19_Kit]

Mmm, shipborne torpedo bomber?  Dare I suggest shortened wings?   

HERESY!

[NARSES2]

I've asked this in my Blog but I'll repeat it here as well.

The Matchbox/Revell kit has 4 small circular panels engraved under the wing - 2 a side. Are they inspection panels as I'm presuming or are they meant to be lights ? I can't find a picture giving a decent view.

[Dizzyfugu]

I wondered about that, too - no info found either. But I doubt that these are landing lights - four of them, and so far outside? But you never know, it's a British design... 

Flash news here: closing in on final touches, soon to be finished as "OZ-X" from 179th squadron, Gibraltar, 1943:


1:72 Vickers Wellesley GR Mk. IV; Royal Air Force Coastal Command, aircraft OZ-X/K7984 of 179th Squadron; Gibraltar, summer 1943 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vickers Wellesley GR Mk. IV; Royal Air Force Coastal Command, aircraft OZ-X/K7984 of 179th Squadron; Gibraltar, summer 1943 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Vickers Wellesley GR Mk. IV; Royal Air Force Coastal Command, aircraft OZ-X/K7984 of 179th Squadron; Gibraltar, summer 1943 (Whif/Matchbox kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[TallEng]

I've asked this in my Blog but I'll repeat it here as well.

The Matchbox/Revell kit has 4 small circular panels engraved under the wing - 2 a side. Are they inspection panels as I'm presuming or are they meant to be lights ? I can't find a picture giving a decent view.

I've found a picture   http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205208740
Which I think shows them (at least under the left wing) to be landing lights

Regards
Keith

[PR19_Kit]

I LOVE the ASV radar on your GRIV Thomas, very 'period' stuff. 

[NARSES2]

I've asked this in my Blog but I'll repeat it here as well.

The Matchbox/Revell kit has 4 small circular panels engraved under the wing - 2 a side. Are they inspection panels as I'm presuming or are they meant to be lights ? I can't find a picture giving a decent view.

I've found a picture   http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205208740
Which I think shows them (at least under the left wing) to be landing lights

Regards
Keith

They do indeed don't they Keith. Many thanks 

[kitbasher]

I've asked this in my Blog but I'll repeat it here as well.

The Matchbox/Revell kit has 4 small circular panels engraved under the wing - 2 a side. Are they inspection panels as I'm presuming or are they meant to be lights ? I can't find a picture giving a decent view.

I've found a picture   http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205208740
Which I think shows them (at least under the left wing) to be landing lights

Regards

Keith

They do indeed don't they Keith. Many thanks 

They appear in each of the photos and drawings in the Warpaint book.  Suspect they may be of a drop down nature like those seen on the Brooklands Wellington, which can just be made out in this picture..


Which kinda makes sense given the 'shared' designer.

[Weaver]

One Idea I had is a shipborne torpedo bomber (mentioned above),

Bang on....the B5N Kate bears a lot of similarity, especially in the wingspan.

It does rather resemble a Kate, doesn't it?

The Wellesley is only 2m longer than the Kate, but it has a 7m wider wingspan.....

I've always seen it as a land-based torpedo bomber replacement for the Wilderbeest. The requirement that Vickers won the contract for (with a biplane)to originally specificed torpedo bombing, but it was dropped when Vickers offered the Wellesley and it was accepted.

[PR19_Kit]

The Wellesley is only 2m longer than the Kate, but it has a 7m wider wingspan.....

And that's a problem because...........? 

[Weaver]

The Wellesley is only 2m longer than the Kate, but it has a 7m wider wingspan.....

And that's a problem because...........? 

It's a hell of a problem if you're deck crew on a late-'30s carrier and you're a bit taller than average....

[Captain Canada]

Looks awesome ! The additions you've done really look the part.

[Dizzyfugu]

I've asked this in my Blog but I'll repeat it here as well.

The Matchbox/Revell kit has 4 small circular panels engraved under the wing - 2 a side. Are they inspection panels as I'm presuming or are they meant to be lights ? I can't find a picture giving a decent view.

I've found a picture   http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205208740
Which I think shows them (at least under the left wing) to be landing lights

Regards
Keith

Could be anything, though - also just bare metal covers for something. Looks very flush to me, different from the Matchbox kit engravings. I am (still) not sold on the landing light.

The ASV antennae look a bit shaggy, still trying to adjuts them...

As a side note, AFAIK the Wellesley was originally designed to become a multi-purpose aircraft, including torpedo bomber duties - I just do not know if this had been the case when it was still a doble decker, or in the monoplane phase - and the latter only evolved into the bomber variant with the bombo gondolas under the wings. A torpedo would suit it well, though - could not be slower than a Swordfish... Again, with some shorter wings (ducks, expecting something thrown from PR19_kit), this could look nice!

Beauty pics soon to come (with story, separate post in the aircraft section), but weather and light are bad here, and the huge wing span of the Wellesley brings my photography resources to the edge. 

[PR19_Kit]

Again, with some shorter wings (ducks, expecting something thrown from PR19_kit), this could look nice!

Expected response as requested.... 

Shorter wings? SHORTER WINGS? No way...........

[Dizzyfugu]

Hm, somehow the hangar pics were not loaded here correctly - just see them now. That looks plausible - and will be an addition to my model. Thanks a lot for finding/posting this!