Interview with a Vampire designer
We are pleased to bring you the latest edition of our Workbench blog, with all the news, updates and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix.
With the Airfix website blog tool now performing something close to what we had anticipated prior to upgrade, we are pleased to report that after posting three editions of Workbench in consecutive weeks, we are now back on our usual schedule, with the next edition of the blog due to be published as usual in two weeks’ time. We hope the enforced lack of web communication at the start of the year did not cause too much frustration for our readers, however, we can assure you that we were working hard behind the scenes to restore normal service and we are thankfully now back to where we should be, from a blog perspective.
In this latest edition, we have yet another exclusive look behind the scenes at one of the new model tooling announcements made with the launch of the 2021 Airfix model range and the third in a glorious trio of aircraft designed and built by the famous de Havilland Aircraft Company. After previously featuring a post war training classic and one of the most successful aircraft of the Second World War, the aircraft featuring this time has plenty of illustrious aviation achievements to its name, but by virtue of the fact that it was Britain’s second jet fighter in service, is usually found somewhere in the aviation shadows. Thanks to our designer Tom, the diminutive Vampire is about to receive some long overdue modeller affection. We will follow this feature with a look at a classic kit which is about to be re-introduced in a format which has not graced an Airfix range for over 40 years, a truly classic kit of a world famous aeroplane, before ending with a scale ‘Classic Conflict’, as two recent new tooling projects are brought together in a modelling recreation of an extremely famous tank confrontation. With our usual selection of exclusive Airfix imagery awaiting your inspection, our new 1/48th scale de Havilland Vampire is the first to go under the blog spotlight this time, as we find out what we all have to look forward to a little later in the year.
A Spider Crab turned Vampire
A diminutive little jet fighter, the de Havilland Vampire has many aviation firsts to its name, however, its position as Britain’s second jet aircraft to enter RAF service means it doesn’t enjoy the popular recognition it deserves. This new 1/48th scale tooling may help that situation and from the look of this computer rendered image taken from the design files, we certainly have much to look forward to
Throughout the fascinating history of aviation, there are some aircraft types which seemed destined for immortality from the moment they leave the design drawing board, such as the Supermarine Spitfire or Concorde, yet there are others which due to an unfortunate series of factors (mainly timing), seem to slip into relative obscurity, familiar only to the enthusiast community. One aircraft which could be described as occupying this unfortunate aviation territory, the de Havilland Vampire was developed exclusively whilst Britain was engaged in war and even though it proved to be an exceptional aeroplane with plenty of notable firsts to its name, it is always rather unfairly dismissed as Britain’s second jet. An aeroplane which was built ‘the de Havilland way’ and following on from a series of classic aviation stablemates, the Vampire helped to prove the viability of reliable jet powered aviation, pointing the way towards the future of not only military air power, but also civilian aviation.
With their superb Mosquito only just entering Royal Air Force service towards the end of 1941, de Havilland designers were next asked to turn their attentions to developing a new jet engine, one which was capable of powering a new generation of high speed fighter aircraft, but one which was reliable enough for relatively trouble free operation in squadron service. Entrusted to the brilliant mind of engine designer Frank Halford, he was determined that his engine would be less complicated and of simpler design than the one being developed by his rival, Frank Whittle and he was ready to test his engine by April 1942. Showing great promise and producing at least the desired level of thrust, the only thing left to do now was to see how it performed in the air.
A trip to the Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection in Oslo saw product designer Tom photographing this beautiful Vampire, even though he was actually going to inspect their North American Sabre
At a time when jet engine technology was still very much in its infancy and these early engines were both a little lacking in power and slow to respond to power input commands, de Havilland’s decision to produce their first jet aircraft as a single engined design was a brave one to say the least and placed great faith in the performance of their new jet engine. The diminutive new aircraft was initially designated de Havilland DH.100 ‘Spider Crab’, with this codename used to mask the highly secret nature of the aircraft’s development. Constructed around the new de Havilland Goblin 1 turbojet, the aircraft featured a relatively short, egg shaped fuselage nacelle and employed a unique twin-boom tail configuration for control stability which allowed the engine’s thrust to egress directly from the central fuselage. With a requirement to take the pressure off the wartime aviation industry, this experimental aircraft had to be constructed of both wood and metal and it is interesting to note that the majority of the fuselage employed the same laminated plywood/balsa construction the company had perfected during Mosquito production.
Unfortunately for the de Havilland team working on the new jet, their Mosquito was proving to be such a war winner that this experimental project was deemed of lesser importance than producing the tried and trusted Mosquito, which was probably the right decision for Britain’s war effort at that time. Nevertheless, rubbing salt into this aviation wound, the first flight of the new jet would be further delayed for a rather incredulous reason - the only serviceable de Havilland jet engine was ordered to be sent to America to help with the advancement of their own competitor jet powered project. Mosquito production priority and a series of unforeseen delays eventually dictated that the Gloster Meteor’s development outpaced that of its single engined de Havilland jet, with the Meteor going on to take the honour of being Britain’s first jet aircraft to enter service and indeed, the only Allied jet of the Second World War.
Making its first flight on 20th September 1943, de Havilland DH.100 ‘Spider Crab’ LZ548/G took off from the company’s Hatfield airfield in the hands of chief test pilot Geoffrey de Havilland Jr. Interestingly, the ‘G’ used in the identification code highlights the secret nature of the project and required that the aircraft must be guarded at all times whilst on the ground. Impressing right from the outset, an order was almost immediately placed for the diminutive new jet fighter, but as de Havilland’s manufacturing capacity was fully committed to existing wartime production, these first Vampire jets would actually be manufactured and test flown by English Electric at their Samlesbury facility, near Preston in Lancashire.
Tom is fast becoming a scale jet guru
With Tom’s previous design project being the soon to be released Canadair Sabre and with him already having the MiG 17F under his belt, he is fast gaining a reputation for being our classic early jet specialist
Over the course of the last three weeks, as well as catching up with our usual blog schedule, we have been really fortunate to not only have the opportunity to feature three of the new model tooling projects announced in the 2021 Airfix range, but also to speak to three of our Product designers about their work, each one at different stages in their careers. Having already seen how Matt and Paramjit immortalised their classic de Havilland designs into the Airfix range, this time, Tom is once again front and centre, as he completes this enigmatic trio of new de Haviland model kit designs. You may recall from an edition of Workbench posted back in 2019 that Tom is no stranger to tackling classic de Havilland aircraft in 1/48th scale, as he is the designer responsible for producing the magnificent Tiger Moth, a kit which is now in the market and is one of the most popular Airfix releases of the past twelve months. You may also recall that several of his previous projects also happened to be early jets, such as the MiG-17 and the Canadair Sabre, which led us to a rather obvious first question.
You seem to be developing a real liking for tackling early classic jet aircraft - is this by design, or just coincidence?
Tom was quick to remind us that he does also have the 1/48th scale Tiger Moth to his name also, but does have to admit that lately, he does feel like he is a fully paid up member of the jet club! In all honesty, Tom loves tackling the complex shapes associated with designing a scale kit representation of these early jets, particularly as their appearance is so distinctive and they can be quite a challenge to replicate. He told us that he is proud to say that he now has five completed Airfix design projects to his name, with each project started from scratch and finished completely by him. Although this number does include three early jet aircraft designs, each project is given to him by the development manager, which is just the way he likes it - Airfix design variety is definitely the spice of life. It just so happens that early jets have played quite a prominent role in his career to date, but this is something he definitely wouldn’t change.
A Vampire scanning extravaganza. The subject aircraft was the magnificent machine on display at the Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection in Oslo and from the look of this picture, it was not the only interesting aircraft Tom had the opportunity to admire during his visit
Various screen grabs featuring the data Tom received from the scanning trip to Oslo. This would provide him with some shape reassurance, even though he still had much Vampire design work to do
Like all his design team colleagues, at the outset of every project he takes on, as part of his research preparation, he will inspect and build any existing kits of the subject (current or past), not only to assess them for manufacturing quality, detail and accuracy, but also to see from a design perspective where he can improve on what has gone before. With a wealth of books and detailed photographs to call upon, Tom was told that he would also have the benefit of a LIDAR scan for this latest project and that he could go ahead and book himself an overseas research trip to inspect and photograph the aircraft to be scanned. This turned out to be another funny Airfix story, as the way he found out he would be designing the Vampire came about in quite an unusual way.
Tom booked a trip to visit the Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection in Oslo, slightly in advance of the scanning company turning up to complete their work, but in order to prepare for his next project at the time which was actually the Canadair Sabre. Our lead researcher had identified that the museum’s aircraft was the most appropriate to be scanned, but as Tom prepared to leave the office on the day before his flight to Norway, he was also told, ‘Oh and you might want to photograph their de Havilland Vampire as well!’ Two classic jets on the same trip. Tom told us that he flew to Oslo, inspected and photographed both aircraft and flew back home all in the same day, which he described as being a completely exhausting few hours. And we all thought the life of an Airfix product designer was a cushy number.
We were interested to know if the designers were put under any time constraints when taking on a new project, or if they were just left to create?
Tom told us that whilst there is no official timeframe placed on the designers, each member of the team knows how long any particular project should be taking, with an average design taking around six months, but larger scale and more complex models taking longer. Something like a 1/72nd scale kit or relatively simple 1/48th scale model should never really take more than six months, where a designer working on a 1/24th scale kit will expect to be on the same project for double that length of time. There is definitely never a sense of anyone looking over their shoulders and designers are not expected to have certain aspects of the design completed by a certain time, rather they are simply allowed to do what they do best, design and innovate. Basically, the team are encouraged to just go and do what they do, knowing that they have access to a wealth of knowledge and support at any time, should they need it.
With the scan data still visible on the far side of this image, the near side shows the complete Vampire base model and represents the culmination of many hours at the computer for Tom
The advent of technology allows the team to meet just as regularly as they would usually do, even though they are all designing from home at the moment, so the team dynamic and general support network is just as robust as ever. The sharing of information and seeking of advice is something of an ongoing process, however, at certain points during a new kit’s design, the team member responsible for it is expected to produce a more robust review presentation, which can be assessed by the most senior members of the design team and the development manager himself. In addition to this, a checklist of design processes is usually produced once the skeleton model has been created, just for a final team checking of the overall shape of the design, just to ensure that everyone is happy for the design to proceed from this crucial stage. In almost every case, if the designer was a little unsure about any aspect of the design, the help he needed would have been provided well before the completion of his skeleton model.
Why did you elect to do the F.3 variant of the Vampire as opposed to the first aircraft to enter RAF service?
The selection of any new subject to join the Airfix kit range is one which has to be contemplated at some length and for several very important reasons. Clearly, cost will always be the primary consideration as the combined cost of scanning, designing, prototyping and the production of tooling can be quite staggering and you really have to be sure that the market can support your intended subject. At this stage, you also have to assess which tooling options can be incorporated into the project, potentially allowing several future release permutations to be available from the same tooling project.
With regard to the Vampire, the first F.Mk1 aircraft to enter RAF service were quite different from the aircraft which would be developed from it, meaning that if this variant was going to be modelled, there would be no latitude beyond modelling this variant. The very first Vampires had some stability concerns which required a redesign of the twin tail boom and horizontal stabilizer spanning between them, meaning that from F.3 onwards, the aircraft are distinctively different. In effect, from mark F.3 onwards, this is basically a new sub-variant of the Vampire and modelling this mark of the aircraft would offer the designer some inherent flexibility - we might explore this a little further in a future edition.
This magnificent CAD screenshot shows Tom’s new Vampire in all its glory and some of the impressive detail he managed to incorporate in his design
With every possible cost saving opportunity the development team can make during the production of any new tooling project potentially making or breaking any proposal, the opportunity to scan the Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection Vampire at the same time as their Sabre was an obvious win, even though the Vampire would definitely be on the design back burner for the time being.
Having had the opportunity to closely inspect a pristine preserved example of the Vampire, were there any elements of the aircraft’s design which you thought would present you with challenges when designing the new kit?
Tom told us that for an Airfix Product Designer, there is more to answering this question than immediately meets the eye. Clearly, his primary concern will always be to accurately represent the distinctive shape of the Vampire and all the beautifully manufactured elements the de Havilland designers incorporated into the aircraft. In addition to this, there is also the significant consideration that he will be producing a scale model kit of the aircraft, so making it better than anything that had gone before, as well as being a robust, enjoyable and logical kit to build from the modellers perspective, are always huge considerations.
With its sleek, elongated teardrop shaped fuselage and distinctive twin boom tail, the de Havilland Vampire was definitely going to be an opportunity for Tom to excel and he was up for the challenge. He described how just from the general shape of the fuselage, creating his shape and surface detail was going to require all his skill and experience and even though he had access to the reassurance of scan data, this is not always a design panacea and still requires caution when interpreting it. Although accurate, scanning is not a perfect science and can usually be relied upon to throw up a few anomalies, all of which will require the designer to fall back on the accuracy of his research and design experience. With regard to the Vampire project, he certainly noted this in the area behind the aircraft’s cockpit, such a distinctive part of the Vampire’s design and a section of the project where the scan helped him little, leaving him very much to his own devices. Sometimes, challenges such as these are the things which a designer really loves to get his teeth into, if for no other reason than their professional pride.
More appealing Vampire CAD screenshots, this time featuring the rear view of the aircraft and the colourful component view Workbench readers find so fascinating
The same view but without the colour. This view allows us to see some of the fine detail included in the wing flaps and jet pipe a little more clearly
Other areas of the Vampire’s design which posed some definite challenges for Tom were the unusually shaped engine intakes, which he described as definitely not wanting to allow themselves to be recreated as a scale plastic model and all the detail he wanted to include inside the wing. With the Vampire being a particularly diminutive aircraft, Tom also faced the usual design trade-off between wanting to add lots of detail, but having restricted space in which to work, due to the thicknesses available to him through the manufacturing process and materials to be used, all of which again would present him with plenty of ‘thinking moments’.
Advancing to prototype model production
Jumping ahead a little, could you please tell us a little about the end of the initial design phase and the production of a prototype model?
Tom told us that this is a particularly important phase in the design process, marking the point where the new model has been designed on the computer and is at a crossroad point with regard to future advancement. The next stage in its development is to have the individual component parts manufactured by a specialist product prototyping company, with each part produced just as it has been designed and as it would be produced in plastic once the model tooling had been manufactured. Rather than being produced using the traditional plastic we are all so used to, this rapid prototyping system is a form of 3D printing, where the individual components are built up by a laser making multiple sweeps to build up the required shape, turning the construction medium from a liquid to a solid. The finished component looks very much like it has been made in resin and is an exact copy of the part designed by Tom.
Once the prototype model has been produced, it is delivered back to the designer as a collection of individual parts, an exact copy of the Vampire kit components he has just spent so many weeks designing. He now has the opportunity to build the model from these prototype components, checking the size, shape, accuracy and fit of the parts during the build, noting any areas of concern and anything which may need to be modified in design. As you can imagine, great care must be taken throughout this process, as this is a one-time operation and these components can be quite fragile. In truth, due to the ‘test’ nature of the SLA prototype model, the Airfix development manager can be a little reluctant to let images of this particular build be released to the hobby, as it is still very much a case of being a work in progress. Having said that, we have been quite lucky, as we have been allowed to feature quite a few of these unique prototype models in previous editions of Workbench.
The unmistakable top view of the diminutive de Havilland Vampire is about to become a little more familiar to modellers all over the world
More colour thrown on the new Vampire, Tom supplied this image for no other reason than Workbench readers absolutely love to see them. Adding colour to individually designed kit parts is just one of the many functions of this powerful design software
Interestingly, to ensure project continuity and the timely delivery of a new tooling project, when the designer is ready to send his files for prototype production, he will also send the information to our tooling manufacturers, but just so they can generate a quotation at this stage. When they are happy with the design and are ready to present the project for finance approval, the tooling quote is already available, which saves valuable time in the overall development schedule. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the SLA prototyping production process and materials used, very few of the Airfix new tooling prototypes survive the build and evaluation phase of their production, which is a shame, as they represent a unique and fascinating part of the continuing Airfix story.
Once a model has gained finance approval, the native design files are released to the tooling manufacturers, who can then start work on producing the model toolings which will later produce the kit we will all be looking forward to making. This is another fascinating stage in the life of a new Airfix model and something we will cover extensively in a future edition of the blog.
How often do you have to make significant changes when you receive the first model test frame parts?
If the receipt of the SLA prototype component parts is an exciting day for a designer and his latest project, when a large box from the manufacturing plant arrives at Airfix HQ marked for his attention, it must be like his birthday and Christmas all rolled into one. As we have already reported in several previous review features, there is an unwritten rule amongst the Airfix design team that unless there are extenuating circumstances, the honour of opening the box goes to the designer whose project it is. When the part frames are removed from the box, they are often shared around the team for inspection, with the development manager taking a particularly keen interest, but as nobody knows the project like the designer himself, he will be the one who invariably spots anything that is not quite right.
Another pair of with and without colour Vampire CAD screengrabs, this time showing the distinctive side profile of Britain’s second jet fighter to enter service
The next phase of the process is to assess everything about the new kit, from frame layout to component integrity and starting your final project review. This is also the stage where the designer is once again required to wear two different hats, as he begins a test build to check everything from part thicknesses to accuracy of fit, whilst at the same time considering how the model will please or challenge the modellers who could be building it in just a couple of months’ time. In addition to this, he will be working closely with our illustrator on the production of the instruction booklet, deciding between them if the build order needs to be altered, or if additional guidance needs to be added to the document, if they have found part of the build which requires greater clarification. This could include the option to use alternative parts, or something which must be considered earlier in the build and could impact a little later on.
At this stage, Tom described how any changes he would usually need to make are quite small and are rarely major. Indeed, during his time with Airfix, he can’t actually remember an occasion where the receipt of test frame samples have resulted in a designer diving back into his files and initiating quite a major tooling change. He did go on to say that some models are much more complicated than others from a design perspective, which means that both the tooling and part frames will also be a little more complex. For some kits with either a large part count, or needing to be split in inventive ways to accommodate version options, whilst attempting to keep the number of tooling blocks down to a minimum, this is where there could be some changes needing at this stage. At the end of the day, the files the designers are producing will be used to manufacture plastic model kits and they have to be certain that the part layout is effective enough to ensure each component moulds as intended.
Interestingly, Tom told us that compared to his Canadair Sabre tooling, the Vampire is much less complicated and when it comes to tooling design and that generally, if the subject aircraft is less complicated, it follows that the tooling will also be - you can always rely on Tom to come out with some classic modelling one liners!
What do we all have to look forward to with the new de Havilland Vampire kit?
As far as the aircraft itself is concerned, Tom described how he feels a little bit sorry for the Vampire, as its place in aviation history is often overlooked and even amongst aviation enthusiasts, it fails to receive the recognition it deserves. He was determined that if his latest design project could go some small way to improving that situation, even if only in a scale sense, he would see this as a real positive. This is a beautiful little aeroplane and one which has quite a few interesting and unique design features, all of which Tom wanted to replicate accurately. He certainly wanted to stay true to the stunning, clean lines of an aircraft which was a real triumph for the de Havilland design team, a relatively simple aeroplane but one which safely and reliably introduced the latest propulsion technology into RAF squadron service, but utilising just a single engine.
Aspects of the design with which he is particularly pleased are the cockpit area, in which he managed to include lots of detail, despite having little room to work with, in addition to the undercarriage, which is similarly well detailed. He also said that he is pleased with the amount of detail he managed to include in the internal wing areas and flaps - in true unassuming Tom style, he said, “There are lots of cool things going on in there!”
This next trio of images show some of the design features Tom thinks modellers are going to be most impressed with, from the ingenious design of the tail boom anchor fixing, to the amount of detail added to the airbrake components
Something most of us will surely go on to appreciate once the model is released and residing on our respective work benches, Tom described how all the models he built prior to starting his design work were very disappointing in how they had replicated the distinctive tail booms of the aircraft. With part location points which left much to be desired, this left most, if not all of the models he built with misaligned tail booms sitting at all sorts of strange angles and not an accurate representation of the real aircraft at all. Added to this, the boom section of the built kits was extremely flimsy and did not instil any confidence in the modeller who had just spent hour on the build. This was definitely an area where Tom wanted to innovate during the design phase.
Without doubt, this is one area of the Vampire’s design where Tom hopes his efforts are going to be appreciated by modellers building this kit. Knowing that he wanted his tail boom design to both sit correctly and have the required level of strength he was looking for, he designed the model in such a way that the fuselage is split into top and bottom halves, creating something which he calls a ‘Vampire Sandwich’. The wings and fuselage pod have been designed as single pieces top and bottom, allowing the gentle curves of the real aircraft’s design to be accurately replicated and supporting his tail boom innovation. The boom arms effectively lock into position on the fuselage section, before the two halves are joined together to complete the construction, providing the tail rigidity the real aircraft had. After being disappointed with all the existing Vampire kits he had built, he seemed rather proud when telling us you could give his Vampire tail a good old shake, and it stayed firmly in place.
For what is an attractive, yet relatively simple aircraft design, Tom says that the Vampire is a beautiful thing to look at and in this larger scale, he hopes that his new kit will have a certain ‘wow factor’ once built and finished. He really hopes the aircraft will receive a little more attention following the release of this new kit and that modellers will be pleased with how he has committed this aviation classic to plastic.
How easy is it to switch from one design project to another?
This computer rendered image shows how this early jet fighter may have had beautifully clean lines, but also displays its offensive intentions with the placement of the chin mounted cannon
We thought it would be interesting to end this design chat with Tom by covering a few bases in one final question, but in effect, asking about the period when one project ends and the next one presents itself. He has already told us that projects are usually allocated to a designer by the development manager and how in most cases, they get very little, if any, prior notification regarding future subject matter. In this regard, the Vampire project was rather unusual, as he was given an indication of its existence whilst heading off on a research trip to gather information for his new Sabre. We are not sure if this sentiment extends across the entire design team, but Tom told us that he would describe himself as being quite excitable by nature and that he definitely loves a shiny new project to get stuck into. With that in mind, he said it is probably just as well that they are not told about the next project they will be taking on too far in advance, because it might lead to him being ever so slightly distracted, especially if he had just spent five months working on his existing project. Tom went on to tell us that as far as he is concerned, project variety is definitely quite important to him, to the point where he would rather tackle two or three projects in a year, as opposed to spending the entire time on one huge project, such as our 1/24th scale Hellcat. That being said, he does reserve the right to change his mind, especially if there is a chance of taking on a future big project.
With regard to the Vampire, Tom told us that as certain stages of the design and checking process take place quite some time apart, it is usual that a designer will have two projects on the go at the same time. When they are checking the first test frames from one new tooling project, they are probably well underway with the design work on their ‘new’ new project. Tom was actually working on three separate projects at certain stages of designing the Vampire, with the earliest one taking precedence when it came to completing the next design/development phase.
Where the de Havilland Vampire is concerned, good things definitely come in small packages. This delightful new model is going to find favour with thousands of modellers following its release
Investing so much time and effort into designing these new model kits, it’s no wonder that the team get rather attached to their new creations, with Tom describing the Vampire as ‘his baby’, but there will always come a time when they have to let go and allow their creation to roam free in the modelling world. Clearly, every designer wants their latest project to be a success, not only from a company perspective, but also in the eyes of the modeller. To see positive reviews about their creation in magazines and on-line must be hugely satisfying for the designer concerned, particularly when modellers comment on how much they actually enjoyed building it, but as Tom eloquently described, once a model is out in the marketplace, it belongs to someone else and they have to let go. In any case, at that stage, they will already have a new and exciting project to lavish all their design attention on.
We couldn’t let Tom go without asking him what subjects he prefers working on and what he would hope to take on in the future. He told us that as far as he is concerned, it is a case of subject over scale and he prefers to have a little design variety in his work, as opposed to taking on an extremely time consuming special project. He wouldn’t mind if all the subjects are aircraft, tanks or vehicles, it is more the fact that he regularly gets the opportunity to completely immerse himself in that different subject, keeping everything new and exciting.
Have we saved the best until last? Until our next Vampire project update, we hope you enjoy seeing this top open view of the new model, showing how Tom has managed to recreate this famous aircraft in kit form
With regard to what subject matter he would like to tackle during his time with Airfix, he told us that he is a big fan of science fiction and he would love to turn his hand to designing a kit in this area, possibly something with a Marvel link. In ending, he said that no matter what the subject, he wants to design it well, producing a faithful scale representation that modellers will enjoy building. Let’s keep an eye on this situation and see if the ‘Jet Guru’s’ next three projects are also classic jet aircraft, or something a little different.
We would like to thank Tom for helping us produce this feature and for allowing us this insight into his stunning de Havilland Vampire tooling project. Having also supplied us with all the images used to illustrate the feature, we have to say that we genuinely could not have done this without him and are really grateful for the time he spent away from his latest project to help us - thanks Tom. As he is also the man behind the new 1/72nd scale Hawker Tempest, we are afraid we may be bothering you again in the very near.
Concorde - Flying 'Blue Riband' style
Classic Airfix artwork for a classic Airfix kit. The last time this enigmatic kit/scheme combination was available in an Airfix range was back in 1973
There can be few aircraft in the history of flight so instantly recognisable as Concorde, an ambitious Anglo-French project intended to present the world with a viable supersonic passenger aircraft and significantly to have it flying before an American competitor could take to the air. A beautifully sleek aeroplane, Concorde captivated the world and is probably responsible for enticing more people into the fascinating world of aviation than any other aircraft in history.
The first Concorde to fly was French prototype aircraft No.001, which took off from the airfield at Toulouse on 2nd March 1969, to be followed by the British prototype on 9th April. Both aircraft were presented to an excited public at the Paris Airshow in June of that same year and from that date, it was clear that the Anglo-French consortium had produced an aviation classic – the world had already embarked on its journey of infatuation with Concorde. As the aircraft’s development programme continued apace, initial interest in Concorde was extremely encouraging and orders were received for around 100 aircraft, from 17 of the world’s most progressive airlines. Unfortunately, as the programme started to overrun and costs began to spiral significantly, this initial support soon diminished, as cost conscious airlines looked towards reducing their future operating costs. Even before the first production Concorde aircraft had entered service, the aviation world had become a very different environment in which to compete and Concorde would not only be judged a unique and technologically impressive aeroplane, it would also be flying in the face of the entire commercial aviation industry.
As Concorde was just about the most famous machine in the world during its development in the 1960s, it was also very much on the radar of the Airfix development team at that time, who were keen to introduce this aviation world beater into their kit range, even before the first prototype aircraft had made its maiden flight. Produced in 1/144th scale, this spectacular new kit was first released in 1966 and proved to be an instant hit with modelling enthusiasts all over the world. Allowing everyone the opportunity to have a built model of the world’s most famous aircraft on their display cabinets as the first two French and British prototypes made their first flights in March and April of 1969, the decal option with this first release presented the aircraft in the colours of BOAC, Britain’s national airline at that time. Even though Concorde was still in prototype form back then, it was clearly envisaged that the aircraft would be the pride of the BOAC fleet and carrying the registration G-BOAC, this particular aircraft would be the flagship aircraft of the fleet.
Such a handsome looking machine, at the time this concept livery for Concorde was first circulated, it was anticipated that there was every possibility of the aircraft operating in these colours. As it was, by the time the aircraft made its first commercial flight for the national carrier, it had changed its name to British Airways
In actual fact, this was all assumption and an exercise which was for illustrative purposes only. Although the markings were for aircraft G-BOAC, the aircraft on which the kit was based was British prototype aircraft No.002, which carried the registration G-BSST, the aircraft which first flew from Filton to RAF Fairford on 9th April 1969. It would eventually go on to make 438 flights, 196 of which would go supersonic, as this magnificent aircraft prepared for its commercial debut. Indeed, although it was perfectly reasonable to expect Concorde to proudly wear the livery of Britain’s national airline, by the time she made her first commercial flight in January 1976, BOAC was no more, with the national carrier being British Airways. Despite the fact that Concorde would have looked truly magnificent wearing the blue and gold of BOAC, she would never have the opportunity to do so, other than as we see here, as a concept livery on a scale model representation. It goes without saying that she still looked magnificent in the liveries of both British Airways and Air France, the only two carriers to actually operate Concorde commercially.
Representing a truly historic addition to our Vintage Classics range, Concorde A05170V is not only a scale representation of arguably the world’s most famous post war aircraft, but it also occupies a significant position in the history of Airfix. First released in the years immediately prior to the flight of the first prototypes, the kit in this guise, featuring these BOAC markings and this original box artwork has not been in an Airfix range since 1973. If for no other reason than this, the impending release of this kit will have many modellers rushing to add this kit to their stash, even though many will use its historic status to simply have it as a collectable item, rather than actually building it. For those who do want the enjoyment of experiencing some true Airfix nostalgia, the kit will look magnificent wearing its BOAC livery and has quite a story to tell, from both the angle of aviation and Airfix history.
Our Vintage Classics Concorde A05170V is scheduled for a Spring release, but with much of the production allocation already spoken for, this could be a good time to make sure you don’t miss out on this true Airfix kit classic.
Dual clash of armour
Our new Classic Conflict gift set pits two of the Second World War’s most potent tanks against each other, in a scale modelling sense
In the previous edition of Workbench, we featured an impending release in our hugely popular Dogfight Doubles series of kits, a range which can trace its origins back to the mid 1960s and the clever decision to box two kits together containing scale representations of aircraft which may well have fought each other in combat. Bringing that story right up to date, the current 2021 range includes a new kit which is an interesting variation on this theme, but rather than featuring two aircraft kits in the same box, it is offering two of the most fearsomely destructive tanks of the Second World War. The first release in our Classic Conflict series of kits pits arguably the most famous tank design in the world, the mighty German Tiger I, against a rather specialised version of the American M4 Sherman, but one which featured an ingenious British modification which significantly upgraded its offensive firepower.
With the German Tiger and Panther heavy panzers taking such a heavy toll of Allied armour following their combat introductions and with the American built M4 Sherman being in such widespread Allied use, British designers attempted to produce a modified version of the tank which was capable of taking on their fearsome German adversaries. Based on the ubiquitous M4A(4) Sherman hull, the Firefly was an ‘up gunned’ version of the tank, equipping it with the powerful British 17 pounder anti-tank gun, which also allowed it to fire armour piercing shells which were already in widespread use. This modification required the tank’s turret to be redesigned, with the British gun having to be turned through 90 degrees, so it could be loaded from the side. It also required the tank’s radio equipment to be fitted in a protruding armoured box at the rear of the turret, as interior space was very much at a premium. Unfortunately for Allied tank crews, no additional attempts to improve the Sherman’s armour were made, leaving it just as vulnerable to enemy attack, however despite this, the Allies now had a tank which could take on and destroy the heaviest of German tanks, at ranges which were not suicidally close. As Allied armour poured into the Normandy region following the D-Day landings, the Firefly’s arrival could not have been more timely and its improved firepower would prove an unwelcome surprise for many an unwary panzer commander.
With this and our previous blog both featuring the design talents of two of the younger members of the Airfix team, Tom and Paramjit, it is interesting to note that both of these new tank toolings only relatively recently emanated from the desks of these designers, with Paramjit taking the Tiger I and Tom tackling the Firefly. In an interesting design juxtaposition, this Classic Conflict clash of 1/72nd scale armour kits could also be viewed as a friendly battle of the Airfix product designers - they probably won’t thank us for that analogy, but it is just a bit of Airfix fun. With this impressive release also featuring stunning new box artwork, let’s now take a closer look at the scheme and decal options to be included with this new kit.
Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger I Ausf E, Commanded by Michael Wittmann, Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 101, Normandy, France 1944
A celebrated panzer ace with reputedly around 135 tank victories to his name, Michael Wittman combined his undoubted tactical skill with the awesome power of the mighty Tiger I tank to devastating effect on the battlefields of Europe. Perhaps his most famous action was the ambush of elements of the British 7th Armoured Division at Villers-Bocage on 13th June 1944, when during the space of a frenetic 15 minutes of combat, he destroyed 14 tanks and at least the same number of armoured personnel carriers. Unfortunately for Wittmann and the rest of Schwere Panzer Abteilung 101, the Allies were now flooding Normandy with troops and armour and his undoubted skills would be required in multiple locations at the same time. Wherever he found himself in combat, he would usually be at a significant numerical disadvantage.
On the morning of 8th August 1944, the Germans were coming to terms with strategic losses as a result of a massive Allied offensive ‘Operation Totalize’ in and around the Caen area. With his Tiger concealed in a wood, Wittmann was attempting to assess the situation and plan where best to direct a counterattack. Knowing he would be facing much greater numbers of Allied armour, he still had great faith in the fighting qualities of the Tiger I and backed himself to better any armoured unit who dared to oppose him. The Germans were still coming to terms with news of the combat introduction of a powerful new Allied tank, the Sherman Firefly, however, reports were that they were in very short supply and were being deployed only sparingly.
On that fateful day, Wittmann was unable to use his own assigned Tiger I (Turret number 205), so he and his crew were using the machine belonging to Battalion Commander Heinz von Westerhagen, a machine which had the turret number 007 and one which would soon be forever linked with Germany’s most famous panzer ace. The plan was to attack and destroy Allied units occupying high ground near the town of Cintheaux, south of Caen, claiming the position for themselves and holding it until support units could arrive. Wittmann led a force of 4 Tigers across the perilous Normandy countryside, concealing their progress from air attack wherever possible. As they passed an orchard on the way to their objective, near the town of Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil, the battle group were completely unaware that their progress was being watched and that they were heading into a planned armoured killing zone.
Amongst the Allied tanks concealed in the orchard was a single Sherman Firefly, with one members of its crew being a young gunner who was fast gaining a reputation as being something of a crack shot. Waiting until the Tigers were at relatively close range, the Firefly opened fire at the last Tiger, getting off two quick rounds before the enemy tank could react, knocking it out. Withdrawing to take up a new firing position and to avoid being fired upon by the remaining Tigers, the Sherman next targeted a Tiger displaying the turret number 007, getting off a round before they themselves could be fired upon. The round penetrated the hull of the German tank, setting off an explosive chain reaction which ignited its stored ammunition with such force that it blew the turret completely off the tank’s hull.
Clearly, the explosion would have instantly killed the Tiger’s crew, including Germany’s famous Tiger ‘Ace’ Michael Wittmann, although this was unknown at the time. Even the mighty Tiger tank could not hold back the overwhelming armoured superiority enjoyed by Allied armoured units and their supporting air power in the wake of the D-Day landings.
Sherman Firefly VC, Staffordshire Yeomanry, 27th Armoured Brigade, Operation Goodwood, Normandy, France, June 1944
With the Germans adding additional armour protection to their older Panzer IV tanks and with the newer Tiger and Panther tanks utilising thicker armour as standard, the 75mm gun which featured on most British tanks at the end of 1943 was proving to be less than adequate in combat. Having just introduced the powerful 17-pdr anti-tank gun into service, which was proving incredibly successful, the question was ‘How could they fit this new gun into an existing tank design?’ The answer proved to be a re-designed turret for the ubiquitous American built Sherman V (M4A4), a tank which was in widespread service with the British Army and one which could now be fitted with the new gun.
With the Normandy landings in the advanced stages of planning and with the new British Sherman Firefly due to play a significant role in the battles to come, the race was on not only to produce enough converted tanks, but also to train the crews selected to operate them. The gun’s additional hitting power was going to be desperately needed if a successful breakout from the beachheads was going to be achieved, so many of the new tanks were scheduled to arrive on the landing beaches on the day of the landings themselves, or over the days which immediately followed. They would have to be in Normandy and ready to fight, if the expected German counterattack was to be stopped in its tracks.
Operation Goodwood was a major post D-Day, British led armoured offensive to secure the town of Caen and a series of vital bridges over the River Orne. Allowing the Allies to push deeper into France, the operation was also intended to force the Germans to commit their armoured reserves into battle, which it was feared were being massed to facilitate a devasting counterattack against the Allies in Normandy. Commencing on 18th July 1944, the offensive was backed up by strong air support which kept German armour pinned down during daylight hours and whilst the original objectives of Goodwood may not all have been completely achieved, the operation did keep many German division fully committed around Caen and unable to strengthen other sectors of the front line. As a consequence, American units were later able to break out from the Cherbourg Peninsula, as the German forces they faced simply could not be reinforced.
The Sherman Firefly VC featured here was one of the machines deployed during Goodwood and is noteworthy as it carries the distinctive name ‘Belvedere’ on both sides of its hull. Some sources claim that the Firefly got its name due to the bright muzzle flash it created when firing its gun, something which would certainly draw attention to itself during combat. With only limited numbers available during its combat debut in Normandy, Fireflies were usually deployed as part of small armoured squadrons, which mainly consisted of the standard 75mm gunned Shermans. The scheme applied to this machine actually does quite an effective job of disguising the longer barrel of the Firefly’s 17-pdr gun.
Pairing both of these newly designed 1/72nd scale classic WWII tanks together for the first time, our new Classic Conflict Gift Set also includes a selection of paints, two paint brushes and a tube of poly cement, everything the modeller could need for an enjoyable few hours of modelling. Also scheduled for a Spring release, A50186 is available for pre-order on the Airfix website now and is currently the only way to get your hands on one of Paramjit’s new Tigers!
That’s another bumper edition of Workbench done, dusted and in the can - we hope you founding at interesting and enlightening read. Importantly, Workbench is now back on track, so it will be two weeks before the next edition will be posted on the Airfix website. As always, if you have any suggestions for subjects you would like to see covered in a future edition, please do drop us a quick line, using this workbench@airfix.com link to contact us.
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