No. 7 Squadron Short Stirling Mk.III

[Airframes]

It is by today's standards Matt, but back in the mid 1960s, it was quite something, and of course the moulds were brand new then too, so the quality of parts would have been much better. At the time, compared to the original Airfix Lancaster kit, the Stirling was like a Rolls Royce next to a Trabant. But it is naughty of (the current) Airfix to re-release forty and fifty year old kits at 'modern' prices.

 

[A4K]

Great stuff Jan!

The kit may be a little basic in various places, but still the only one on the market.

 

[Lucky13]

Well, don't really care about the 'compared to todays standards', as it's gonna pure 'back to schooldays' build..(watch me fail!)..
There'll be a few problems as my fingers have grown ever so slightly and the parts are, well......effing small, to say the least!
Maybe even a base for her, with the tractor and the four bombtrollies underneath, loading up, have a few cheap bookshelves
at IKEA, might pick one up, as I'm seriously running out of space!
Hopefully, I'll get my Hampden while I'm in Sweden....

 

[Airframes]

That last sentence sounds rather ... er.... ahem !

 

[Wayne Little]

Stop p!ssing around get in to it man!

 

[Lucky13]

Looks like an alright kit, if you want to do the TB version of the Hampden, question is though, is it worth money?

Handley Page Hampden TB.Mk.I Valom 72042

 

[Lucky13]

Found a suitable subject for my No. 7 Squadron, Mk. III Stirling...

Mission: Wuppertal

Date: 24/25th June 1943 (Thursday/Friday)

Unit: No. 7 Squadron

Type: Stirling III

Serial: EF392

Code: MG-N

Base: Oakington, Cambridgeshire

Location: North Sea

Pilot: Sq/Ldr. John Ronald Savage AUS402882 R.A.A.F Age 26. Killed.

Pilot 2: P/O. Frederick John Haines 149607 R.A.F.V.R Age ? Killed

Fl/Eng: Fl/Sgt. Godfrey Hippesley Cox 569405 R.A.F Age 23. Killed

Nav: Fl/Sgt. Sidney James Barnes 656215 R.A.F Age 23. Killed

Air/Bmr: Sgt. Sydney Arthur Errington 1507631 R.A.F.V.R. Age ? Killed

W/Op: Sgt. Arthur Ashton Caley 1377873 R.A.F.V.R Age 27. Killed

Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Norman Robert Morrison R/140004 R.C.A.F Age 19. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Derek Richard Spanton 1323191 R.A.F.V.R Age 21. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off at 2328 from RAF Oakington to attack the Elberfeld half of Wuppertal, the Barmen half of the town having been devastated at the end of May. The Pathfinder marking was accurate and the Main Force bombing started well but the creep-back became more pronounced than usual. 30 aircraft bombed targets in more western parts of the Ruhr (Wuppertal was at the eastern end of the area). A total of 171 factories and businesses were destroyed and another 53 seriously affected. There was also an estimated 18.000 people lost their lives.

Believed to be shot down by Lt. Heinz Strüning of 2./NJG1 at 03:02 over the Dutch coast, crashing into the North sea. The body of Fl/Sgt. Barnes was eventually washed ashore and is buried in Bergen General Cemetery, the others have no known graves.

One of three 7 Squadron Stirlings lost on this operation.
Stirling R9281 MG-V flown by F/O. Arthur J. Davis, killed along with his 6 other crew members.
Stirling ED595 MG-Q flown by W/Cmdr. Robert G. Barrell D.S.O. D.F.C. and bar, killed with 2 other crew members with a further 3 made pow's and another escaping capture. 3 D.F.M's and 2 D.F.C's held by members of this crew.

 

[Lucky13]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaN91_NGJoI

 

[Lucky13]

Well, as a few things are drying with the F4U-4, I thought that I could start playing with the Stirling...

Can't find the blasted navigator seat! B*ll*cks!

How different it looks here, from the 'real' thing, suppose to look like interior green sorta!

The 'office'! Even though Airfix back in the day supplied the instrument panel on the instructions,
you need to cut them out though and glue them on, I plan to paint the panel black and leave it at that...

Wasn't going to use the crew, but to get the guns to sit straight, I probably have to, paint them black
as you can hardly see them anyway, gonna try Terry's wedge thingy first..

So that's where the blasted seat is, molded together with cheeky navigator! Whooops!

Some more fiddling with the 'office'...

Question is though, should I leave the seats green or paint them black?

 

[Wurger]

Nice.

 

[Lucky13]

Much obliged Herr Dr. Prof. Dipl. Ing... Taking it a bit slower, using an airbrush, a bit different from when I built her sister.....eeerrrmmm....some years ago!

 

[Airframes]

Good stuff old boy. The seats and floor at least, would be black. It's possible that the entire flight deck area was black also, as in the Lancaster. Seat backs normally dark green or dark brown 'leatherette'. Some footage of Stirlings shows the rear fuselage might be 'aluminium' painted, though difficult to tell between that and cockpit grey green in the B&W footage.
Use the 'cut out' instrument panel, and put a black dor from a pen, in the centre of each white instrument - should look passable under the canopy.
The 'MacRoberts reply' nose art is still being used on a Tornado, btw.

 

[Lucky13]

Righty old boy! Easy fix as nothing is attached yet.... Possibly as in, if you don't have the pics from the aircraft that you do, it's either or...
Like the rear turret in the movie, doesn't it look like it's painted interior green inside, or is it just me?

To be continued...

 

[A4K]

Great start Jan!

Re the Hampden TB.I - there is a cheaper option: Valom do a conversion set too:

(Note: there were originally 4 500-lb bombs for the B.Mk.I version, gave 3 to a mate)

 

[Wayne Little]

Doin' good there Jan!

 

[Lucky13]

Cheers lads! Interesting subject as only one of the crew has a known grave, the other 7 are still MIA...

Didn't know that Evan, cool! Might come in handy for a future Coastal Command Hampden!

 

[A4K]

Yep! Will sure come in handy for when I do my 489 (NZ) Sqn. TB.Mk.I!

 

[deckape]

Ahoy Lucky
Beautifull looking elephant you got started there your doing a great job the Short sterling has always been one of my favorite heavy bombers used by the RAF the old Airfix elephant still holds up to its weight in gold in the colectors hands Great job I be following your build I will post a couple pictures of my 1965 Airfix Short Sterling I bought back in that date I love the tractor and the bomb cart adds a good touch to the build. Hardy Well Done.

Boats

 

[A4K]

Great work Boats!

 

[zaxos345]

Great work so far Jan!

John