Thursday 5 October 2017

Unblemished Blenheim

Posts have been rather few of late due to work pressures, so to keep things going here is another offering from the apparently bottomless pit that is the Partizan 'Plane Purchase.
This Airfix Blenheim is in pretty good shape so following a light dusting I have simply varnished over the decals. Once again the model is a tribute to its original builder.
UX-A represents a machine of 82 Sqn based at RAF Watton in Norfolk. It was shot down on 7 June 1940.

12 comments:

Al said...

Great model, I must get one of these for my early war colledtion

Pete. said...

Solid model plane that. Shame its real life service record wasn't that solid.

Cheers,

Pete.

Tim Gow said...

Al
If you're passing you can have this one!

Tim Gow said...

Pete
Indeed - but a couple of years earlier it could have been one of the greats.

maximex said...

I like Blenheim.
Short nose (MK1) was very nimble and agily too.
the long nose was (with a touch) too stable, to escape neighbor fighters, such I-16 or P-39 and Hurricane Mk II..
The usual nickname of Blenheim in the Finnish Air Force was Pelti-Heikki ("Tin Henry").

The Finnish Blenheims flew 423 missions during the Winter War, and close to 3,000 missions during the Continuation War and Lapland War.
Blenheim machine-gunners also shot down eight Soviet aircraft.
Thirty-seven Blenheims were lost in combat during the wars.

Peter Douglas said...

The box is a veritable Alladin's cave of wonders Tim. Great looking warbird, and let's not forget that it spawned the Beaufighter etc.

Cheers, Peter

Tim Gow said...

maximex
You chaps seemed to do very well with aircraft other nations thought were a bit rubbish!

Tim Gow said...

Peter Douglas
It is a nice looking thing.

maximex said...

I have one Airfix Blenheim (1967)
I like it, nice work, graceful and light.

Blenheim was manufactured in Finland (57 planes) under a license
and rest made in britain.
Altogether about 100 machines, Mk 1 and Mk IV. was in use
The problem was a cramped tower.
Could not mount 12.7 mm Colt tai Berezin mg
Fokker XXI its same engine
Long nose carries nearly 1,000 kg of bombs
Short nose (original English hangers) 500kg load

maximex said...

One Blenheim IV BL-200 is exhibited at the Central Finland Aviation Museum.
The renovation was started in 2006 and completed in 2008

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

I am going to have to make my "new" Airfix Mk 1F Fighter version of this
After I put the finishing touches to my Fairey Battle

Yes I am going to paint the Blenheim up in the "day light" colours in honour of the poor buggers who had to fly the beast against the Luftwaffe in 1940.

Paul Foster said...

Nice!