GWH 1/144 Victor B.2
KIT #: | L 1004 |
PRICE: | $49.99 SRP |
DECALS: | Four options |
REVIEWER: | Scott Van Aken |
NOTES: | New tool kit |
HISTORY |
The Handley Page Victor was a British jet-powered strategic bomber, developed and produced by the Handley Page Aircraft Company, which served during the Cold War. It was the third and final of the V-bombers operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the other two V-bombers being the Avro Vulcan and the Vickers Valiant. The Victor had been developed to perform as part of the United Kingdom’s airborne nuclear deterrent. In 1968, the type was retired from the nuclear mission following the discovery of fatigue cracks, which had been exacerbated by the RAF's adoption of a low-altitude flight profile to avoid interception.
A number of Victors had received modifications to undertake the strategic reconnaissance role, employing a combination of radar, cameras, and other sensors. As the nuclear deterrence mission was given to the Royal Navy's submarine-launched Polaris missiles in 1969, a large V-bomber fleet was deemed surplus to requirements. Consequently, many of the surviving Victors were converted into aerial refuelling tankers. During the Falklands War, Victor tankers were notably used in the airborne logistics operation to repeatedly refuel Vulcan bombers on their way to and from the Black Buck raids.
The Victor was the last of the V-bombers to be retired, the final aircraft being removed from service on 15 October 1993. In its refuelling role, the type had been replaced by the Vickers VC10 and the Lockheed Tristar. The Avro Vulcan operated in the conventional and nuclear strike roles until 1982, when it was in turn replaced by the significantly smaller Panavia Tornado.
THE KIT |
Instructions are well done with ten steps. No 'in work' color information is provided for things like the cockpit or the inner gear doors or landing gear legs. There is, however, a huge full color painting guide which indicates that the gear area and legs are silver. Markings are provided for four aircraft. All are in the dark green/medium grey over light grey scheme. One will probably want to mask the upper camo colors. There are serials and badges for two planes from 100 Squadron and two from 139 Squadron. Additional numbers are provided if you wish to do another serial. All the markings are from the early 1960s. The decal sheet is nicely printed
CONCLUSIONS |
REFERENCES |
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