Hi,
I’m looking for a cheap (£30-£40) 1/72nd scale Whitley or a 1/72nd Manchester conversion kit for the Lancaster.
Frog did a Whitley and Hannants do a Manchester but at £82 it’s a tad expensive.
Thanks,
Ted.
Hi Ted,
there are a couple of FROG Whitleys on Ebay at the moment, within your budget. Also remember that the kit was re-issued under the Novo, Maquette and Modelcraft labels.
But there’s no cheap wy, short of scratchbuilding, of making a Manchester.
Cheers,
Chris.
Here is another option for a 1/72 scale Whitley. It has been OOP for a long time but I have one stashed away. You might find one on eBay. It has raised panel lines and it looks to around the quality of an Airfix kit from the same time period.
Soulcrusher[oX)]
That looks like another Eastern Bloc re-pop of the FROG kit. What’s the name of the manufacturer?
Remember thar Paragon Designs did a Manchester conversion for the Airfix Lanc, though it’s been OOP for a while.
Cheers,
Chris.
It could be a repop Chris. The molds look pretty old. The large parts like the wings and fuselage are cleanly molded but all of the small parts have lots of flash and the detail is very soft. The company is ZTS Plastyk for the former Chech Republic. This is the only injected mold kit of this subject that I have ever seen. It looks like with some work it could be build into a decent kit.
Soulcrusher[oX)]
I got a Whitley just a few months ago, at the LHS actually, the FROG model. I’m starting it for the FAA GB, yes I know. It’s a fair kit.
That should be a cool build there Bondo! Do you plan on rescribing or just building it OOB. Either way I love it. I can not remember ever seeing one of these every build. I would definelty be a show stopper done up nicely just because of the obscure subject matter. I can’t wait to see it there Bondo.[tup]
Soulcrusher[oX)]
I am excited too. But I don’t want to hijack the thread, I’ll post some details in the Navy Air Wing GB.
ZTS Plastyk are actually a Polish company, SC. Here’s their website (in Polish only):
http://www.modelarstwo.net.pl/index.html
As you can see, their list is strong on ex-FROG stuff, but doesn’t currently include the Whitley. The site gives contact details, however, so there would be no harm in asking if they actually have any in the warehouse!
I built the FROG Whitley as a kid, and recall it having good shapes but detail which was a bit basic, even by early 1970s standards.
As a bomber, the Whitley wasn’t up to much, and was soon relegated to second-line duties, such as paratroop training. A long time ago, I rented an apartment from a lady who, in WW2, had been a parchute packer at, IIRC, what is now Manchester airport. She told of how they used Whitleys to take the trainees up, and how they had to jump through an open circular hole in the fuselage underside, specially cut for the purpose!
Cheers,
Chris.
I’m sure I saw the Manchester conversion in my LHS a couple of months back.
Try giving TAHS a call.
Karl