Airfix 1/72 Handley Page Hampden....

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Lucky13

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49,293
27,446
Aug 21, 2006
In my castle....
Might have to get another one it seems! 🤨🤔😉

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Source: RAF Forced Landing - Handley-Page 52 Hampden Mk. B.1 - Serial # P2090
 
P2090, 61 Squadron, Hemswell, Helsingborg....
P5304, 455 Squadron, Leuchars, Arvestuottar, north of Arjeplog in Swedish Lappland....
AE436, 144 Squadron, Leuchars, TsaTsa, Sarek, Swedish Lappland....

I must say that AE436 and P5304 were a far way from home!

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The wreckage of AE 436 was found nearby the top of the 1852 meters high mountain Tsatsa
in August 1976, thirty-four years after the crash.

Source: Hampden Tsatsa
 
Handley Page HP52 Hampden Tsatsa, Sarek Sweden
144 Squadron RCAF attached to Coastal Command serial AE436 code PL-J 04.09 1942

This torpedo bomber with Canadian crew took off at 08.30 pm from Sumburgh, Shetland. Along with 16 Hampdens from 455 Squadron. They were on a transfer flight to Vaenga, via Afrikanda in northern Russia. PL-J crashed into the remote mountain Tsatsa in Swedish Lapland.
P/O D. I. Evans and Corporal B. J. Sowerby survived the crash and were interned in Sweden for a while. Flight Sgt. James Steven Jewett (21), P/O William Henry Bowler (31) and Flight Sgt. John Parker Campbell (27) were all killed in crash. They are buried at Kviberg Cemetery. Eight of the 32 Hampdens of 144 and 455 Sqdn were lost on route due to bad weather and navigational error.
One Hampden (AE356) was shot down by Russian fighters:

On 5th September AT 109 UB-C of 455 Sqdn. RAAF were shot down by flak from the German fortress at Kiberg and made a forced landing at Molvika near by Vardø, Norway. The Australian crew became PoW's: S/L James Catanach F/O Georg Robert Anderson. F/Sgt C W F Cameron. Sgt J R Hayes. F/Sgt J D Davidson.

AT138 of 144 Sqdn shot down by two Bf 109's over Northern Finland. Crew: Sgt J C R Bray. P/O John Douglas Smith RAF. Sgt G D Kirby. Sgt R S Otters. Aircraftman 2nd Class Leslie Harry Mallinson. (20) RAF. Only the pilot survived.

P1273 of 144 Sqdn crashed in a swamp near Petsamo. Crew: Sgt H L Bertrand. Sgt K C Smith RCAF. Sgt K S Piper RCAF. Sgt E D Blind RCAF. Cpl G R Desforges.

On 5th September P1344 of 144 Sqdn crashed near Petsamo. Crew: P/O E H E Perry. F/Sgt Gordon Ernest Miller RCAF. Sgt James Morton Robertson (31) RAF. Sgt Daniel Cameron Garrity (25) RAF. Cpl C Shepherd.
Also possibly AC2 Robert Ernest Holmes (20) RAF.

On 4th September P5304 UB-H of 455 Sqdn. RAAF crashed at mountain Arvestuottar, north of Arjeplog in Swedish Lappland.
Crew: Sgt Edward John Smart RAAF. Sgt Thomas Graham Nicholls RAAF. Sgt Louis Arthur Biggin (27) RAF. Sgt John Mackenzie Oberlin Harris RAAF. Cpl Donald Henry Nelson RAAF. All were killed in crash.

P5323 /UB-L of 455 Sqdn ran out of fuel and landed at Kandalashka. Crew unhurt.

AE310 of 144 Sqdn also ran out of fuel and landed at Afrikanda. Crew unhurt.

AE356 of 144 Sqdn was shot down by Russian fighters in the vicinity of Murmansk. Sgt. Walter Thomas Tabor was killed The remaining four were unhurt.

Source: Hampden Tsatsa
 
The Valom and AZ kits are better than the Airfix offering Jan.
(The AZ is reboxed Valom with corrected canopies in the TB.I boxing)
I can post pics of all three if you want to see comparison.

Please do, if you don't mind....👍🏻
 
AZ Model # AZ 7548: Handley Page HP.52 Hampden TB.Mk.I
(reboxed Valom, minus bomb door sprues, PE and torpedo, but with corrected TB.I lower gunners canopy)
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In my opinion Jan, for a standard B.I, you should get a Valom kit.
For a TB.I, use a Valom kit with the canopy sprue from the AZ Kit.
There is a seperate Valom weapons set (#DSV 01 Handley Page Hampden B.Mk.I/TB.Mk.I Conversion and Weapons Set) with the Valom bomb door sprue, resin torpedo and bombs, and PE for the latter, but you'd still be missing the cockpit PE that comes with the Valom kit.
 

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