Airfix 1/72 Avro Lancaster B.II With Some Nice Bristols!

[UKguyInUSA]

Hello Guys / Girls,

Here is my open box review of the Airfix 1/72 scale Lancaster B.II complete with 4 Bristol Hercules Engines; the first production model of this variant, released in 2013, so brand new tooling.....almost!

I completed this plane two weeks ago, but because I'm new on here, I've only just got around to working out how to upload images of 250kb maximum....I didn't have any available software tools to condense my 1.6mb images down to this size so that I could drop them in here. Anyway, I've gotten that sorted out last night and so this morning, I'm contributing my first ever build review and progress report. I'll follow these up over the next few days with the progression photos that I took during the build and complete it with the final photos and a video!

Airfix 1/72 Avro Lancaster B.II:

The Lancaster B.I variant, which superseded the twin engine Avro Manchester designed by Roy Chadwick, was designed to provide more power to enable a greater ceiling height and to enable carrying a larger bomb load. But, with the ever increasing demands for the Rolls Royce Merlin engine, production couldn't keep up and so the Air Ministry and Defense departments insisted that the fighters and fighter bombers, such as the Spitfire and Mosquito, were to receive the Merlins first. Therefore, the Lancaster B.II variant was equipped with the Bristol Hercules radial engines. These engines had some advantages, such as being air cooled and having a superior climbing rate to reach 18,000ft and able to cruise at a similar speed to the B.I, but could only achieve a maximum ceiling height of 20,000ft when fully laden. It was capable of carrying the larger 8,000lb bombs, enabled by the newly designed bulged bomb bay doors that came as standard.
There were 300 of the B.II variants manufactured, of which most of these were flown by the Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons, who had previously flown the Vickers Wellingtons or the Handley-Page Hampdens, which also were equipped with these radial engines. Therefore, it made sense for these squadrons to fly these craft, as their ground crews were already familiar with the engine, making the transition easier.

These aircraft served in many important battles, including the "Battle of Berlin", "Hamburg" and the "Ruhr" and during operations 60% were lost. Although not recognized as much as its Merlin Engine contemporaries, the B.II deserves recognition in history as a viable and capable alternative.

Speed: 265mph
Range: 1,550 miles
Length: 696ft 6in (21.18m)
Wingspan: 102ft (31.09m)
Armament: 10 x .303" Machine Guns and up to 23,000lbs of bombs.

Let's open the box and check everything is in order!


Image 1 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

That's a nice paint and decal guide and the instruction booklet comes with 110 assembly steps for the 239 pieces that are provided!


Image 2 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

There are 5 grey runners and 1 clear runner and a decal sheet. The material is a nice smooth material that feels softer and more malleable than the old brittle styrene kits of the 60's. I believe this could be an A.B.S (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) type material? I don't see any sink marks, ejector pin stress marks on visible surfaces, weld lines, knit lines, splay, short shots or warping, and, there is very little flash, if any, and parting line miss-match is almost negligible where it exists. The parts also have nicely recessed panel lines for those modelers that like to pre-shade and finish off with highlighting them!


Image 3 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

The decals look awesome; everything in register on the roundels and they don't look thick like the older style decals. I can't wait to apply these! There are markings for two squadrons: "Z-Zombie" No.408 (Goose) Squadron, 6 Group, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Air Force Linton-On-Ouse, Yorkshire July 1944 and "F-anny Ferkin II" No.514 Squadron, 3 Group, Royal Air Force Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, November 1944.
I've decided to go with the first option because I love the Zombie nose art!


Image 4 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

The clear parts look good; I can't see any blemishes, scratches, weld lines, air traps that would create voids, gate jetting / splay marks or warpage. All parts look solid and clear, although the gun turret moldings are thicker than the cockpit canopy parts.


Image 5 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

On closer inspection, there were 4 loose parts and a piece of a tail rudder that was broken off at the tip.


Image 6 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

Looking closer at the broken rudder piece, I can see that it has sheared right at the gate entry location. Also, opposite the gate is a cut out where the rudder movement limiting piece fits which has sharp internal corners. Therefore, we have the internal shear stressing that occurs at the gate location during freeze off exacerbated by the internal stresses that occur within sharp corners. When I contacted Airfix to inform them about this broken part, I recommended that they move the gate location within the mould further down to a location central to the two slots, so it isn't opposite one of the slots where there is internal stressing at the corners. They will want to repeat a mold-flow analysis to see how this effects the overall molding process to check if the process has to be modified; ie change temperatures, pressures and times.


Image 7 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

Ohh dear! Part # 8 is missing which is the upper bearing/location bracket for the front turret machine guns.


Image 8 mod by mldesigns58, on Flickr

Damn!! Part # 33 is missing too! This is one of the two tail rudder motion limiters. Airfix just lost one star out of a possible 5 star rating for their Quality Control Inspection Engineers missing these 3 items!

Conclusion thus far: This looks like a really excellent kit of high quality for all of the contents within the box. My only complaint would be, that when I was a teenager which was the last time I built models prior to restarting this year, I built an Airfix Lancaster and it came complete with bombs. Although, there's so much more in this box than there was back then, so for the $28.00 (17.00 GBP for our UK friends) that my wife paid for this kit (Christmas present), it's absolute great value for money! I can always buy the additional bomber re-supply set and make a diorama at a later date : )

My next post for this will show stage 1: Painting the cockpit and parts on the runner systems, along with assembling the two cockpit halves together.

Cheers,

Martin

P.S. After 6 hours of frustration trying to upload photos to this post and almost giving up, I tried "Flckr" which was really simple to use.

[gilly07]

Hello Guys / Girls,

Here is my open box review of the Airfix 1/72 scale Lancaster B.II complete with 4 Bristol Hercules Engines; the first production model of this variant, released in 2013, so brand new tooling.....almost!

I completed this plane two weeks ago, but because I'm new on here, I've only just got around to working out how to upload images of 250kb maximum....I didn't have any available software tools to condense my 1.6mb images down to this size so that I could drop them in here. Anyway, I've gotten that sorted out last night and so this morning, I'm contributing my first ever build review and progress report. I'll follow these up over the next few days with the progression photos that I took during the build and complete it with the final photos and a video!

Airfix 1/72 Avro Lancaster B.II:

The Lancaster B.I variant, which superseded the twin engine Avro Manchester designed by Roy Chadwick, was designed to provide more power to enable a greater ceiling height and to enable carrying a larger bomb load. But, with the ever increasing demands for the Rolls Royce Merlin engine, production couldn't keep up and so the Air Ministry and Defense departments insisted that the fighters and fighter bombers, such as the Spitfire and Mosquito, were to receive the Merlins first. Therefore, the Lancaster B.II variant was equipped with the Bristol Hercules radial engines. These engines had some advantages, such as being air cooled and having a superior climbing rate to reach 18,000ft and able to cruise at a similar speed to the B.I, but could only achieve a maximum ceiling height of 20,000ft when fully laden. It was capable of carrying the larger 8,000lb bombs, enabled by the newly designed bulged bomb bay doors that came as standard.
There were 300 of the B.II variants manufactured, of which most of these were flown by the Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons, who had previously flown the Vickers Wellingtons or the Handley-Page Hampdens, which also were equipped with these radial engines. Therefore, it made sense for these squadrons to fly these craft, as their ground crews were already familiar with the engine, making the transition easier.

These aircraft served in many important battles, including the "Battle of Berlin", "Hamburg" and the "Ruhr" and during operations 60% were lost. Although not recognized as much as its Merlin Engine contemporaries, the B.II deserves recognition in history as a viable and capable alternative.

Speed: 265mph
Range: 1,550 miles
Length: 696ft 6in (21.18m)
Wingspan: 102ft (31.09m)
Armament: 10 x .303" Machine Guns and up to 23,000lbs of bombs.

Let's open the box and check everything is in order!


Image 1 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

That's a nice paint and decal guide and the instruction booklet comes with 110 assembly steps for the 239 pieces that are provided!


Image 2 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

There are 5 grey runners and 1 clear runner and a decal sheet. The material is a nice smooth material that feels softer and more malleable than the old brittle styrene kits of the 60's. I believe this could be an A.B.S (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) type material? I don't see any sink marks, ejector pin stress marks on visible surfaces, weld lines, knit lines, splay, short shots or warping, and, there is very little flash, if any, and parting line miss-match is almost negligible where it exists. The parts also have nicely recessed panel lines for those modelers that like to pre-shade and finish off with highlighting them!


Image 3 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

The decals look awesome; everything in register on the roundels and they don't look thick like the older style decals. I can't wait to apply these! There are markings for two squadrons: "Z-Zombie" No.408 (Goose) Squadron, 6 Group, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Air Force Linton-On-Ouse, Yorkshire July 1944 and "F-anny Ferkin II" No.514 Squadron, 3 Group, Royal Air Force Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, November 1944.
I've decided to go with the first option because I love the Zombie nose art!


Image 4 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

The clear parts look good; I can't see any blemishes, scratches, weld lines, air traps that would create voids, gate jetting / splay marks or warpage. All parts look solid and clear, although the gun turret moldings are thicker than the cockpit canopy parts.


Image 5 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

On closer inspection, there were 4 loose parts and a piece of a tail rudder that was broken off at the tip.


Image 6 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

Looking closer at the broken rudder piece, I can see that it has sheared right at the gate entry location. Also, opposite the gate is a cut out where the rudder movement limiting piece fits which has sharp internal corners. Therefore, we have the internal shear stressing that occurs at the gate location during freeze off exacerbated by the internal stresses that occur within sharp corners. When I contacted Airfix to inform them about this broken part, I recommended that they move the gate location within the mould further down to a location central to the two slots, so it isn't opposite one of the slots where there is internal stressing at the corners. They will want to repeat a mold-flow analysis to see how this effects the overall molding process to check if the process has to be modified; ie change temperatures, pressures and times.


Image 7 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

Ohh dear! Part # 8 is missing which is the upper bearing/location bracket for the front turret machine guns.


Image 8 mod by mldesigns58, on Flickr

Damn!! Part # 33 is missing too! This is one of the two tail rudder motion limiters. Airfix just lost one star out of a possible 5 star rating for their Quality Control Inspection Engineers missing these 3 items!

Conclusion thus far: This looks like a really excellent kit of high quality for all of the contents within the box. My only complaint would be, that when I was a teenager which was the last time I built models prior to restarting this year, I built an Airfix Lancaster and it came complete with bombs. Although, there's so much more in this box than there was back then, so for the $28.00 (17.00 GBP for our UK friends) that my wife paid for this kit (Christmas present), it's absolute great value for money! I can always buy the additional bomber re-supply set and make a diorama at a later date : )

My next post for this will show stage 1: Painting the cockpit and parts on the runner systems, along with assembling the two cockpit halves together.

Cheers,

Martin

P.S. After 6 hours of frustration trying to upload photos to this post and almost giving up, I tried "Flckr" which was really simple to use.

Kool cnt wait too see done

[UKguyInUSA]

Is that the right way to do a report?

[UKscalemodeller]

Is that the right way to do a report?

seems just fine.

You figured out the picture issue then.

[DBMiller]

I just bought this kit a few days ago. Then I scared myself looking at all the parts.

[UKguyInUSA]

Is that the right way to do a report?

seems just fine.

You figured out the picture issue then.

Yep, Photobucket wasn't working out for me, it kept freezing when I was trying to open albums, so I gave "Flckr" a try and it worked a treat!

[UKguyInUSA]

I just bought this kit a few days ago. Then I scared myself looking at all the parts.

I had the same reaction when I opened it, but I just love the "Battle of Britain" trio- Spit, Hurricane and Lanc....just such gorgeous craft, so I was excited to make a start on her.

[UKguyInUSA]

Stage 1 Build photos of the Airfix 1/72 Avro Lancaster B.II

Painting parts on their runners prior to building sub assemblies.


IMG_4059 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4058 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4056 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

That's a dirty, worn shabby looking cockpit! It actually didn't look that bad in actual scale?! Amazing how these large images can bring the bad out. But, a lesson learned for future models.....take photos of your progress, look at the enlarged photos then go back to the parts and improve upon them.


IMG_4063 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

Nice Navigator maps sitting on that table.


IMG_4064 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

IMG_4069 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

Flight Engineer / Co-Pilot seat on the Starboard side of the cockpit


IMG_4067 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

Stage 2 build update will include assembling the two fuselage halves together, assembling the lower and upper wings to the fuselage, followed by fitting the 4 engine nacelles.

Please provide constructive criticism, I won't be offended!

Cheers,

Martin : )

[T3hGuppy]

Cockpit is shaping up great dude.

Love the map on the table.

[UKguyInUSA]

Airfix 1/72 Avro Lancaster B.II Stage 2 Build Upload:

The fuselage halves glued together and taped until set;


IMG_4073 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

The central tie-bar structure for engaging the wing assemblies to is a great idea, nice and rigid! The Lancaster I made when I was a young teenager had a recess in the side of each fuselage to locate the wing assemblies, but because the distance to the tip of the wing is massive compared to the depth of location, a small force on the wing tip would put your wing out of position effecting the dihedral.


IMG_4072 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

Inner Engine Nacelles that also include the entrances to the wheel bays painted and assembled ready to fit:


IMG_4074 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

Lower wing sections assembled, time to add the upper sections:


IMG_4078 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

The upper wing sections fitted, along with all 4 engine nacelles and the two tail stabilizer fins complete with flaps. When fitting those upper wing sections, make sure you do dry fitting runs in between filing the top of the internal rib structure, until they sit flush with the lower sections.


IMG_4080 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

An underside view of the assembly so far- she's beginning to look like a bird : )


IMG_4083 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

In the next stage, we'll have the wheel assemblies fitted, the radial engines and cowling sub-assemblies put together, along with the four propeller assemblies and gun turret assemblies and mask the undersides to spray the first upper color- Dark Earth Brown.

Cheers,

Martin

[T3hGuppy]

Wow really flying along with this build dude.

Will be done in no time

[Daishi12]

Stunning work so far Martin. I have to say that having a critique on the injection moulding techniques that model making companies employ is, for me, a welcome addition to the build thread. Please keep us updated on what response Airfix give to you.

[UKguyInUSA]

Stunning work so far Martin. I have to say that having a critique on the injection moulding techniques that model making companies employ is, for me, a welcome addition to the build thread. Please keep us updated on what response Airfix give to you.

Hello Daishi, I just finished my dinner.....6.22pm here on the east side of the USA and just checking in since my last post.

Thanks for the compliment, much appreciated : ) Injection molding is in my blood, I've been involved with it since I graduated in Engineering- 31 years in total in the business. Part of my job as the point of contact for all new customer enquiries is to work with customer engineers and their resource managers to analyze the customer product (3D Solid Models and drawings) that they wish to get into manufacturing, break the individual components down, modify them for mold-ability, cost savings and efficiency, commonly known as DFMA - Design For Manufacturing and Assembly, and when we reach a compromise, I then run mold-flow analyses to develop theoretical processing parameters to achieve a good molded result for each component. if there are assemblies to quote, I might run a FEA (finite Element Analysis) to check for possible problems. I then provide a quote for the whole manufacturing of their product, including mold design and manufacturing, molding, Quality Control, any secondary value added assembly work such as inserts, machining, silk screen printing, pad printing, sonic welding, laser etching, eto sterilization, packaging and shipping and if it's a dedicated automated molding and assembly cell, I develop the automation, robotics and processes. So, that said, I recognize issues with molded product easily and would love a job at Airfix!!! I'd be able to get free kits then! : )

Cheers, Mate! : )

[UKguyInUSA]

Airfix 1/72 Avro Lancaster B.II Stage 3 Build review:

The wheel assemblies were fitted into their wells, Bristol Hercules Engines were painted and assembled, propellers were painted and assembled and the gun turrets were assembled and painted, too. Except for the front gun turret, due to part # 8 missing, which was on its way to be assembled at the end of the build.


IMG_4143 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

Masking the underside of the plane in preparation for air-brushing the upper side Dark Earth. I also masked all of the fuselage side windows using a liquid mask painted directly onto the clear windows.


IMG_4145 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

Image showing the upper side air-brushed with the first camo color. This was allowed to dry for a few hours then I penciled the outline for the Dark Green camo color. I used Tamiya # 49- Khaki for the Dark Earth- the Humbrol # 29 Acrylic looked more like dark chocolate, too dark, and when I compared it do the Humbrol # 29 Enamel, the shades were completely different. Since beginning modeling this year, I chose to use Acrylics for the ease of cleaning and the lack of odors. I used Enamels when I was a teenager and from memory, I knew that the Acrylic shade was incorrect. The enamel shade looked good, but I needed an acrylic match. So, I purchased about 6 pots of different brands and shades and created color matching swatches and compared them to the Humbrol # 29 enamel shade; the Tamiya Khaki # 49 was the closest.


IMG_4148 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4151 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

After completing penciling the Dark Green camo outline, I Air-Brushed the Dark Green onto the upper surfaces. Again, the Humbrol Acrylic # 30 didn't match the Humbrol Enamel # 30....it was far too blue looking. So, again, I purchased about 6 pots of Dark Greens, but ended up mixing Humbrol Acrylics # 30 and #117 at a 50/50 ratio to get a color match with the Humbrol # 30 enamel shade. The # 117 introduced the shade of green into the blue and looked really good....in my eyes.


IMG_4153 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4156 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

The next build review will include masking the upper surfaces in preparation for Air-Brushing the underside midnight black, fitting the 4 Radial Engines, Propellers and cowlings to the front of the nacelles.

Cheers,

Martin

[UKguyInUSA]

P.S.....I'm logging off and will be back later tonight.

Have a good day and happy modeling! : )

Martin

[T3hGuppy]

Great work dude.

Really interesting bit of info about your job too.

[UKguyInUSA]

Great work dude.

Really interesting bit of info about your job too.

The job's okay, although I took semi-retirement on June 11th 2013.....I have shares in the company, so I'm still tied to it and get monthly financial reports to see how things are going, and if they need some help, I get involved on a consultancy level now. I might go back, I don't know? My wife wants to quit her job... she fell in love with England when I took her there to meet my family and friends and is talking about buying a small pub in the Cornwall area so we can run our own business. She hates having a boss, so the idea of being in charge of your own business appeals to her. I'd like to go back to England, too. Medical costs over here are through the roof to see Doctors, buy meds and have any treatment. I had an MRI in November to check out my Spine, it cost me $1,200 out of pocket....about 750.00 GB pounds. Then I was having back therapy twice a week wherein each half hour session was $180.00???!!! I stopped having the therapy, knowing that if I was back in England, it would be free. I'd always said to myself that if there wasn't a free health service in the states when I retire, I'd go back home to the UK. Work all your life to save for a Pension, then when you're old and need medical treatment....it all disappears quickly. I don't think so, you work hard to save for a pension, so you can have money to enjoy a retirement?!! Not have it taken from you!

So, that's why I have all day to play with models....I'm semi-retired! You can get a lot done in 12 hours, mate!

[UKguyInUSA]

Airfix 1/72 Avro Lancaster B.II build, Stage 4;

After masking the upper camouflage to leave a nice straight demarcation edge, the underside surfaces and fuselage sides up to the masked demarcation were air-brushed midnight black. Masking tape was removed and the radial engines fitted in place.


IMG_4157 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4159 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4161 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

When the radial engines had set in place, the engine cowlings were fitted, followed by the propellers. The cowlings were then hand-brush painted to match the surrounding camo-colors.


IMG_4165 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4164 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

A couple of views of the undersides- time to add all the Ailerons / flaps to the wings, then give it a nice coat of gloss varnish and allow that to dry overnight before applying the decals and weathering.


IMG_4162 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4163 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

In the next stage 5 build, gloss varnish will have been applied and allowed to dry, decals put on and some light weathering, staining and paint chipping applied.

Cheers,

Martin

[T3hGuppy]

This build reminds me I really must get me another Lancaster.

Keep up the great work.

[UKguyInUSA]

This build reminds me I really must get me another Lancaster.

Keep up the great work.

The Lancaster is a beautiful craft....I could build a squadron of these and not get bored. In fact, it would be easier producing them on a production line basis instead of singularly...instead of airbrushing one cockpit, airbrush 10 together, airbrush 10 camo-schemes together....would save a lot of time!

Glad you like it

Thanks,

Martin

[UKguyInUSA]

Airfix 1/72 Avro Lancaster B.II build, Stage 5;

Gloss varnish was applied and allowed to dry overnight, all decals were then added using "Walthers" decal setting solution....brushing some onto the area the decal was to be applied and letting it fix, then putting some more on top of the decal to shrink fit it to the surfaces and remove any trapped air, this solution IMO work better that the Microsol and Microset solutions.


IMG_4169 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4173 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4174 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4176 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


Decals completed, now it's time to add some subtle weathering, paint chipping and staining;


IMG_4178 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4181 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

In the next build stage 6, the final stage, two coats of matte / flat varnish will be added, followed by assembly of the stabilizers and rudders, the front and rear gun turrets and the upper and lower dorsal gun turrets, along with the small delicate parts such as pitot tube, antennae and aileron limiters then remove the liquid masking from all of the fuselage windows to complete her.

Cheers,

Martin

[UKguyInUSA]

Hello Guys,

Here are the final reveal photos of my entry into the group Bomber build, that I completed 2 1/2 weeks ago, but only worked out how to post photos a few days ago.
I have also included a link at the end to my youtube account video that I made when the build was complete. If you haven't seen it, please watch and leave comments, including constructive criticism which is most welcomed. Also, if you subscribe and you have a youtube account, I'll subscribe to you and we are then automatically alerted with each others latest update videos that we post!

Hope you enjoy?!



IMG_4710 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

[url=https://w
IMG_4716 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

ww.flickr.com/photos/122252753@N02/13614134793/][/url]
IMG_4712 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4713 by mldesigns58, on Flickr



IMG_4715 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4718 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4719 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4724 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4725 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4717 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4727 by mldesigns58, on Flickr


IMG_4728 by mldesigns58, on Flickr

Well....there she is!

I hope you enjoyed the photos, and, forgive me for posting so many, but this was my first large bomber build and apart from really enjoying the build, I'm kinda proud of myself with this one wherein it is my favorite build out of the 6 that I've built to date.

Overall conclusions: Airfix have come a long way since the kits I built as a boy/teenager in the late 60's early 70's. The parts were so clean and crisp, flash free, no sink marks, no ejector pin stress marks on visual surfaces, no short shots, blemishes, splays etc and, nicely recessed panel lines for those modelers that love them for pre-shading and highlighting. I completely forgot about pre-shading....well....I'd never done it before....that's all new to me.

I give this kit 8 out of 10 or 4 out of 5 stars. The reasons that I didn't give it higher than this are as discussed in my first posting for this thread....two parts were missing and one part was broken, so the Quality Control / Inspection Engineers at Airfix let their team down!

Quality of molded product = 10/10

Quality of assembly instructions = 10/10

Quality of painting instructions = 10/10 (all color)

Quality of Decals = 10/10

Quality of packaging and box artwork = 9/10

Quality of Customer Service to provide missing and broken parts = 9/10

Quality of assembly fits = 9/10 ... No filler was required, everything went together like a dream, just some filing and sanding in some areas to ensure snug fits, but, in todays day and age with 3D CAD design software and high end C.N.C machinery, we'd expect this kind of quality from mold tooling which this was in 2013.

Quality of details of molded product = 8/10.... I built this straight out of the box and I am not aware if there are any after market products available to enhance this model, but my score is 8 because it would have been nice if the bombs were provided. But, that said, Airfix do have a "Bomber re-supply set" that includes vehicles, personnel, bomb trailer and bombs- here's a link to view this and at a later date, I might just buy this and make a diorama.

http://www.airfix.com/shop/diorama-and- ... ly-set-172

To any modelers who love the Lancaster Bomber, this kit is highly recommended, especially that this is the only product out there depicting the B.II version with the Bristol Hercules radial Engines and would make a great addition to any others that you might have, If you've been contemplating building a Lancaster for the first time....this has to be at the top of your list!

Here is the link to the video of this build....please leave comments and subscribe!

Thanks to those that have made comments on this thread, I thank you for taking your time to read, look at the photos and do that when you could be doing something else, greatly appreciated!

Happy modeling!

Martin