Whats the best 1/72 lancaster available at the moment?
As far as I know , the Airfix 1/72 kit is still the one to get. I have one that I’m converting to a Mk.X In RCAF Rescue trim. It’s a good kit with petite raised panel lines and very well done rivet detail but the cockpit is a little barren. Overall fit is excellent as well, especially for a kit this old.
There are only 2 kits that I can think of. One from Airfix & one from Revell. Both are pretty old toolings & won’t have the detail of modern kits. I haven’t built either, but from what I’ve seen, the Airfix would be the better choice. There is also a resin kit of the Avro Manchester from Planet Models, but it is very expensive.
Regards, Rick
There used to be one from Matchbox as well. It too was a bit light on detail, but with a little work could be detailed to represent a decent model. The decals were crap though. I was building one that found it’s way the floor due to frustration with that problem. So much for a relaxing hobby when you have become over stressed at work.
Now that you mention it, I think the Revell kit may actually be a rebox of the old Matchbox kit. Not 100% sure though.
Regards, Rick
Rick, As a kid, I had the revell kit. Unless they changed the mold, it was the “Dambuster” version. Not only that, it had movable control surfaces like the B24 kit if memory serves me right. After all, that was 40 years ago.
Rick, the Revell kit predates the Matchbox kit by several years. It came in the conventional bomber kit as well as the “dambuster” variant. The Matchbox and Airfix kits are the only others of which I’m aware.
Are their any kits that have recessed panel lines?
Afraid not. I saw a review of the Revell Re-issue a couple of years back and the short version was Avoid it like the plague.
The Airfix version is not perfect, after all what kit ever is, but it provides the basis for a really good superdetailing project. The latestversion contains an extra sprue containing the parts for a Grand Slam, along with the bomb bay inserts
I haven’t figured out what version I want to do yet but I did have a quick idea of building one with an opened superdetailed bomb bay ? How difficult would that be if I was to use the airfix kit?
Not difficult at all! The Airfix kit has the bomb bay doors moulded as a seperate piece that you can cut down the center to display the doors open. Also, the bomb bay included in the kit already is boxed in and has modest detailing so you can super-detail to your hearts content.
Great! NOW I find out about the Revell kit! LOL Oh Well :0
The Airfix kit is the way to go. Internal detail is a bit scarce but the Modellers Data File contains a lot of detail information and 1/72 scale plans as well as colour schemes and all the differences to convert to any version. The kit is available as standard bomber,Dambuster or grand slam. Hope this helps.