The ‘Timber Terror’ goes all plastic!

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. 

Well, with two new editions of Workbench now posted on the all new Airfix website, we think we can safely say that normal service has been resumed. As we expected, when you go live with a website project of this magnitude, there were always going to be a few teething troubles, however, we seem to be ploughing through these at quite a pace and discovering some of the extra functionality the new software allows. You may have already noticed one or two larger images creeping into the previous two blogs, well that is just one of the changes we are trialling, as we hope to bring you bigger, better quality blog images, whilst not slowing down the site too much. Importantly, as many people will view the blog at least some of the time using their mobile phones, we have to be sure that larger images convert effectively to this medium, before going all big image Gung Ho! These blog changes are still very much a work in progress, so please keep watching this space. 

In the previous edition of Workbench, we spent a little quality blog time with our new 1/48th scale de Havilland Chipmunk and specifically with the product designer behind the project. Bringing you an insight into what takes to transform one of the most famous post war training aeroplanes into a scale model kit, we were fortunate enough to be able to include a host of exclusive images in our feature, showcasing the early design development of the new model. As we are still very early in the new year and there is still lots of information on exciting new models to bring you, we are delighted to say that we have more of the same for you in this edition, as we feature yet another aircraft type which hailed from the same design stable as the Chipmunk, the magnificent Mosquito. Regarded by many as the finest twin engined aircraft of the Second World War, we will see how one of our designers tackled this iconic subject and some of the challenges he faced in recreating this aviation classic in plastic form. With another collection of exclusive images straight from the computer of the new kit’s designer, we will be reviewing the early design stages of a new model which is surely destined to be one of the most popular releases in the current range, Britain’s world famous ‘Wooden Wonder’. If that were not enough to have you reading on, we also feature a Dogfight Double kit which is nearing release and one which marks a late war duel which pitted piston engine against jet technology - we also have an artwork reveal which you will most definitely not want to miss. We have much to get through, so let’s get those engines started!

Mosquito B.XVI - The RAF’s speedy bomber

When discussing the subject of famous British aircraft of the Second World War, most people would probably suggest types such as the Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster as being worthy of consideration, all of which are perfectly valid suggestions, but there is another very special aeroplane which must never be omitted from such an illustrious aviation group, the magnificent de Havilland Mosquito. Without question, the Mosquito was one of the finest fighting aeroplanes of WWII and one which could claim to be the envy of every other air force in the world at that time, particularly the Luftwaffe, who tried, but never quite managed to produce an equivalent aircraft. A true multi-role aircraft, the Mosquito’s famous nickname ‘The Wooden Wonder’ referenced the fact that this hugely successful British aircraft was constructed using ‘non-strategic’ materials and employed a clever system of balsa and birch plywood lamination, which gave the aircraft great strength. Although aircrews relied on the impressive performance and survivability of their Mosquitos during operational sorties, they would often refer to their mounts as being ‘Flying Furniture’, an affectionate play on its more widely known nickname.

The Mosquito was originally developed and tested largely as a private venture and without interference from either Luftwaffe bombers, or the British Air Ministry. At this early stage of the war, the de Havilland Company were fully engaged in either repairing damaged aircraft, fitting the latest propellers or constructing new Tiger Moths and it seemed as if they had little spare capacity to develop a ground-breaking new aircraft. In fact, the situation was so serious and war materials so precious, that the minister of aircraft production suggested that the D.H 98 project (which would go on to be the Mosquito) should be cancelled, allowing the company to concentrate on existing work commitments. Thankfully for the British war effort, this was not taken as a direct instruction by the de Havilland team, who simply moved part of their operation to a secluded location just 4 miles from the main Hatfield site. At Salisbury Hall, work on the new twin engined aircraft could carry on in relative secrecy, something which eventually allowed the Mosquito to enter service much earlier than would have been the case had it been under official scrutiny.

This computer rendered image of the new de Havilland Mosquito B.XVI helps to give us some idea of what the kit will look like once built 

Once the new aircraft was ready to be tested and was displayed for air ministry officials, the decision to proceed with its development was fully justified, as de Havilland clearly had a winner on their hands. Possessing blistering performance and impressive handling characteristics, an impressed ministry immediately placed an order for 150 aircraft, but perhaps of even greater significance, placed a ‘priority status’ production requirement on the new Mosquito. The fastest aircraft in the world at that time, the Mosquito would go on to prove something of an aviation phenomenon. Although initially intended as a high speed bomber, Mosquitos would also operate as day and night fighters, pathfinders, night intruders, maritime strike and reconnaissance aircraft - this was a true multi-role aircraft. Once the first production aircraft started to reach RAF squadrons towards the end of 1941, the de Havilland Mosquito quickly showed itself to be one of the most valuable assets available to the Royal Air Force, a real war winner and an aircraft which was truly without equal. It would go on to serve with distinction for the remainder of the conflict.

Originally conceived as a high speed bomber for the RAF, the final major bomber variant of the de Havilland Mosquito was the B.XVI, with deliveries to front line squadrons starting from 1944. This was a development of the earlier B.IX variant and one which had been optimised for high altitude operation, incorporating a new pressurised cabin. Another unarmed version of the Mosquito, the B.XVI could carry a 3,000lb bomb load, however, all but the first 12 aircraft from a total production run of 402 machines incorporated modifications to allow a 4,000lb ‘Cookie’ or blockbuster bomb to be carried internally, a weapon which possessed devastating destructive capability. Combining the power of these fearsome weapons with the legendary speed and bombing accuracy associated with Mosquito operations allowed Bomber Command to keep the pressure on the enemy throughout the latter stages of WWII. Interestingly, these huge bombs were exactly four times the weight of the original bomb load this exceptional aircraft was designed to carry, which is testament to the strength of the Mosquito’s construction techniques.

Taking on the Mosquito design challenge

An unusual view of Cosford’s Mosquito on the day we scanned the aircraft, taken from the cockpit of the reputedly haunted Avro Lincoln

During his relatively short career as a member of the Airfix team, Paramjit Sembhi has become quite the blog celebrity. Not only have we been able to chart his design development by featuring several of his previous design projects, but also his modelling skills have graced many an edition of Workbench, as he has expertly completed builds of both his, and other team member’s projects, along with a host of other kits which were scheduled for impending release. Now such a popular feature of our blogs, the sight of one of Paramjit’s builds usually signifies a new kit we have been charting the progress of all year is now finally approaching release and invariably also provides us with plenty of inspiration when undertaking our own model builds.

Clearly for the Workbench reader, hearing about how our Product Designers bring a new Airfix model kit to the range is a subject they find most interesting, as these particular features are always amongst our best read blogs of the year. As these projects can take anywhere between six to twelve months to complete, we have plenty of opportunity to look into the finer detail of this fascinating work, and to see how our design team use all the latest industry developments to ensure their latest design project is as good as it possibly can be, furthering the impressive legacy of this famous hobby brand. It is also fascinating to see how new members of this design team integrate and develop their unique skill sets as Airfix product designers, stamping their own identities on the projects they put their names to. Having cut their teeth on projects which may already have been started by other members, or by working very closely with more senior members of the team to build up their experience, there comes a time when you are given your first full project to deliver and whilst the support network will always be there, this must be a significant moment in their career. That was the situation facing Paramjit when he embarked on his first full Airfix kit design project, one which just happened to be on of Britain’s most famous wartime aircraft - the de Havilland Mosquito. 

This computer rendered cutaway view of the new Mosquito has been produced using specialist software and will be used in both the 2021 catalogue and as a box side panel illustration 
 
We were fortunate enough to enjoy a remote catch up with Paramjit during the past few days, forcing him to take a little time out from designing his current modelling masterpiece, to discuss one of the highlight announcements in the 2021 range, his new Mosquito B.XVI. We were looking to gain an insight into how he would approach a project of this magnitude and once again, ask him one or two questions we though our readers would ask of him, if they had the opportunity to do so. Trying to do things a little differently to our previous interview with Matt and his Chipmunk, we tried to slant our questioning towards the early stages of this model’s development, also asking if Paramjit would supply us with a few images to illustrate the points raised - here is what we discovered.

Our first question was similar to how we started our Chipmunk design review, as we asked Paramjit, ‘How do you start a project like this and specifically, what exactly are your first design CAD plots?’

Paramjit told us that as an avid modeller himself, what he likes to do at the outset of any project is to find out what kits of the subject he is about to cover have already made it to the market (if there are any) and what strengths and weaknesses each kit may have. Crucially from his point of view, he wants to improve on all aspects of what may have gone previously, whilst also making the kit both highly accurate and an extremely enjoyable build experience for the modeller. This exercise will help him to have a clear plan of design actions, even before he receives any scan data from the specialist scanning company we use. Once again, for a project of this magnitude, Paramjit was fortunate to be able to call upon the reassurance of a LIDAR scan as part of his research pack, as our Lead Researcher had arranged to scan the magnificent Mosquito on display in the War in the Air hangar at RAF Museum Cosford, an aircraft which will now forever be inextricably linked with this new Airfix model kit.

Paramjit told us that the scan is clearly an important part of his new Mosquito project and is indeed the place where he initially put pen to paper, or should that be mouse to computer screen. When the scan data is received, it is obviously at 1:1 scale and must first be reduced down to the scale you will be working in. Although this is done using specialist software, it requires a huge amount of skill and experience to complete this process effectively, because the correct scale dimensions are absolutely crucial to the project and if you make even the slightest mistake at this stage, it will throw the entire design out.

Nowhere to hide. The LIDAR scanning process will reveal every detail of Cosford’s Mosquito, including any damage or repairs made to the aircraft. The raw scan data will have to be processed before it can be used by one of our product designers

Paramjit’s first job once he has received the Mosquito scan data is to correctly align the aircraft, creating orientation planes to ensure it sits correctly

He went on to tell us that the next stage in this process is equally crucial and is to correctly orientate the scan information in the software - this will involve aligning the aircraft’s orientation from the side, top and front, before any other process can be started. Paramjit kindly supplied a couple of images to illustrate this point and how at this stage he has to decide if the orientation will present the Mosquito as a nose-up tail sitter, or with the fuselage in a level, horizontal attitude. The scan data sits in the background from this point forwards and is used to produce the skeleton model, from which all aspects of the new kit’s design will be worked. Paramjit will now begin plotting the surface detail for the new model, by first creating several section views along the length of the fuselage, using the scan data as his guide. He provided an interesting analogy at this point, which makes it a little easier for us mere mortals to understand. Think of the scan data as solid information, whilst the skeleton model data is rather like putting tracing paper over the scan, allowing you to get an accurate representation of the shape, whilst at the same time allowing you to add your own surface information.   

At the beginning of a new design project, do you set yourself any particular goals, or is there anything you are looking to achieve?

As the design and manufacturing process for plastic kits is becoming more advanced all the time, making the most accurate representation of the Mosquito was a prerequisite, however, from looking at the kits already in the market, Paramjit was pretty clear on what he was hoping to achieve. Adding as much detail to the cockpit and bomb bay design  as possible were high on the priority list, but his number one aim was to do something quite innovative with the main undercarriage assembly. Previous models he had built required the modeller to build the undercarriage at the same time as the engine nacelle assembly, which made things quite challenging, not to mention fiddly, when it came to painting and fixing the undercarriage. Paramjit thought there must be a better way to do this and he described this challenge as his No.1 goal for this project.

As the rest of the Airfix team were setting up at the Scale ModelWorld show at Telford that year, Paramjit took a detour to the RAF Museum Cosford, with the intention of obtaining a little extra information to help him with this undercarriage design innovation. With his camera in hand and obviously with the express permission of museum officials, he waited until the War in the Air hangar was particularly quiet, before crawling underneath the Mosquito’s undercarriage and bomb bays, to take a series of detailed photographs which he hoped would provide him with the information he was looking for. All the time we were talking to Paramjit at Telford over show weekend, he was actually thinking about his Mosquito!

So that’s what you were doing whilst we were all setting up at Scale ModelWorld! Paramjit headed for the RAF Museum Cosford to take some detailed photographs of the areas he knew he needed more information from

When it comes to designing a model in 1/72nd scale, adding detail can be something of a challenge for the designer, as the medium (plastic) thicknesses available to him are basically the same as those in the larger 1/48th and 1/24th scales, meaning he has less room to play with. Even though it may be possible to add additional fine detail, if this area has too limited space in which to work, it will tend to look out of scale and a little busy when building, so there is always a trade-off between accuracy, modeller build enjoyment and manufacturing tolerances which will always challenge every designer. That being said, with the undercarriage sub-assembly innovation and a clever bit of design around the canopy fit (something Paramjit first incorporated into his Spitfire Mk.Vc tooling), he is extremely pleased with how the Mosquito has turned out.

Our next question was, ‘Do you have any trepidations about tackling such an iconic aircraft as the Mosquito, one which has long been a favourite of the modeller?’

It goes without saying that taking on any new Airfix design project brings a certain amount of pressure, if for no other reason than your work is going to be scrutinised by your peers, colleagues who do exactly the same work as you do, with each one having varying levels of experience behind them. When you add to this the fact that a new Mosquito is one of those subjects modellers have been requesting for such a long time now, it’s not difficult to see how this kind of situation could certainly phase some people. Thankfully, these are not worries that Paramjit dwells on for too long, preferring to concentrate on how he is going to attack the project and how he can innovate. The pressure he puts on himself is more from the perspective of the modeller who will eventually build his kit - if he were the modeller building it, would he be happy with it, or would he think it could have been designed better? As long as he is happy to say he has achieved in this regard, he knows he will have done a good job.

As an avid modeller himself, Paramjit wanted to make sure his Mosquito kit was as accurate and detailed as it was enjoyable to build. He was also looking to innovate wherever possible, like the way he has designed the main undercarriage

His description of how he took ownership of the new Mosquito project is quite a funny one and speaks volumes about the humour and camaraderie between this close knit group. As a keen modeller himself, Paramjit is always interested to learn what new models the team will be tackling in the months and years to come, so when during a team meeting he heard our lead researcher discussing the fact that he had just completed a scan of Cosford’s Mosquito with the development manager, he said, ‘Cool, are we doing a Mosquito?’ Quick as a flash, the researcher turned to him and said, ‘Yes and you are doing it!’ That is how Paramjit learned that the Mosquito was going to be his new project. In addition to this, whilst the Mosquito was going to be the fourth project in his Airfix design portfolio, this was actually going to be the first one he had started from scratch by himself. All his previous projects had been inherited with some of the early design work already started, but for the Mosquito, he was on his own, figuratively speaking. He was very much looking forward to getting started, but it was only once he began the work that he saw just how complicated a project it was going to be. 

How do you actually use the scan data you receive?

This question yielded yet another fascinating answer, as it transpired the Mosquito project was the first time Paramjit had used this type of information in one of his design projects. In more ways than one, the Mosquito turned out to be a milestone project in his Airfix career. Using everything he had learned on the previous four projects he had worked on, having access to scan data for the Mosquito was a new dimension to the design work and another area where he was able to develop his own style. We have already seen how he scaled the scan and aligned its orientation in preparation for the work ahead and how he described this information as the master around which all his design work would be traced. He also went on to tell us that the scan data is critical in allowing the designer to check all the Mosquito’s shapes, angles and thicknesses, crucial during the next phase of the process, the production of a skeleton model.

A scanning masterclass. In most cases, the scan data will only give the designer around 90% of the information he needs, leaving plenty of opportunity to use their experience and to hone their design skills

There are some areas of an aircraft which don’t particularly take kindly to being scanned, such as the cockpit canopy, leaving the designer with plenty of opportunity to excel

A section slice view of the Mosquito fuselage, where Paramjit has traced the correct shape of the aircraft at this point, ensuring that any erroneous lumps and bumps on the scanned example are ignored

The same section viewed from a different angle in the design software, this information could not be accurately produced without first completing the section view. 

As we saw in our previous blog when discovering how Matt designed his Chipmunk, each product designer will overlay sliced sections over the scan data, where he can trace out the exact shape of the aircraft at that point, using the scan data as his reference. Then, using a series of geometric plots placed on top of the scan, this will produce a framework of faceted data sections, areas where the designer will be chopping his design into sections and using this as a framework for the production of his tooling design. Tracing over the scan data, this will allowing him to smooth out all the shapes, curves and surfaces, cleaning up all the scan information and allow him to work on the production of his skeleton model. Basically, this is the way a designer will interpret the scan data, knowing that what he is really looking to do is to use this information to help him produce files for the production of model kit tooling blocks.

Paramjit also described how this helps the designer to understand not only how the subject aircraft was put together during manufacturing, but how all the parts and their shapes flow into one another, not to mention showing him the surfacing detail he should follow (and the bits he will have to decipher for himself). In summary, the availability of scan data at the outset of any project makes the designer more confident that he is following the actual shape of the subject aircraft, even though it does not provide any shortcuts in the design work he will have to do. It’s a case of reassurance, not relaxation.

From a modeller’s perspective, it would have been remiss of us had we not asked Paramjit if there were any aspects of the Mosquito’s design which caused him any particular problems, so we did and this is what he said.

Immediately starting his reply with a cheeky giggle, Paramjit said, ‘All of it!’  He was only joking of course, but he did say that there were a number of areas which he really did have him scratching his head. The scan data is a real bonus to have available at project start, however, there are some areas which do not respond particularly well to the scanning process and leave the designer to adopt more traditional methods. Areas which provide false or inaccurate readings have to be disregarded and the surfacing detail has to be produced using the plots available at points on either side of this data. When this happens to be a complex shape, this really does require some thinking about.

One area which regularly produces inaccurate data are the transparent sections associated with an aircraft’s canopy and as Paramjit had to design two different variations of the Mosquito’s canopy for this kit, he did highlight this as quite a challenging aspect of the kit’s design. In fact, he told us that he had actually finished and moved on from this section, only to later keep thinking about it and how he could possibly have done this better, returning to it several times to make some quite significant changes. This process also included him sourcing new information, giving him different angles from which to assess both the original and his scale representation of the feature. He told us that there was surprisingly little research information available at the detail levels he required.

Another area which required quite a lot of thought was how Paramjit was going to design the exhaust stacks. Because of the shape of the Mosquito’s engine nacelle, to make these parts as a single piece would not have been possible with current manufacturing technology, as the metal section of the tooling block needed to replicate it would simply have been too thin. The answer he came up with was to design the exhausts in two parts for each stack, specifically because he wanted to retain detail and accuracy for this rather distinctive feature of the model. Once again, this feature took quite some time to figure out, with the individual exhausts having quite an aggressive looking backwards sweep and protruding quite some way from the nacelle itself. Paramjit has supplied several images to illustrate how he overcame this problem with an ingenious piece of design, one which will hopefully be appreciated by modellers.

This fascinating image shows the trace view of the entire Mosquito fuselage, still representing quite an early stage in the design process and all supporting the creation of the vital skeleton model 

This accurate plot of wing shape information shows how the scan only provides the designer with so much information, leaving the rest to his skill and experience. It does, however, provide crucial shape confirmation at this important stage

A design headache and how to overcome it. The rather distinctive engine exhausts caused Paramjit a few ‘fit’ problems, from the perspective of the modeller. His ingenious solution was to produce this feature in two parts, which interlock to give an accurate representation

The part split and how Paramjit solved the exhaust problem

When designing one of the latest crop of Airfix model kits in 1/72nd scale, the designer is always having to face the issue of overall detail accuracy and in some cases, should this be compromised for the sake of designing a kit which is enjoyable to build. Clearly, if detail can be included without making the kit overly complicated, this is the ideal scenario, but where particularly challenging aspects of the project come to the fore, the combined experience and opinions of the entire team may prove crucial in overcoming the problem. Other areas which proved a challenge were the landing gear assembly, a discernible twist in the wing and the bomb bay assembly - actually, Paramjit qualified this to being the weapons loadout for the detailed bomb bay. Saving us asking another question linked to this, Paramjit also described how overcoming these challenges were aspects of the design work he was most pleased with, knowing that he had managed to retain detail and accuracy, whilst at the same time ensuring a simple and trouble free assembly of parts for the modeller.

As this was your first full design project, how long did the Mosquito take you?

In all, from learning that he was going to be designing the Mosquito to feeling he was happy to move on to another project, Paramjit said it took between six and seven months, during which time he ate, slept and breathed Mosquito. There were plenty of occasions where he went back into aspects of the design long after they had been finished, because he had had another idea he wanted to try, all with the aim of making this kit as good as it could be and as enjoyable for the modeller to build as possible. 

This image shows how the designer is able to check the surfacing information against the scan sitting below it, clearly showing just how accurate the scan data actually is

Paramjit spent quite some time designing the two canopy options this kit will include, particularly as this section of the scan threw up the most read anomalies

Parts of the kit which he seemed to spend the most time on definitely included the Mosquito’s canopy, the landing gear and the engine nacelles - all these design elements had him re-visiting these sections time and time again, not only to replicate these details correctly, but also to produce something he was happy with. To illustrate this point, Paramjit told us that commonality between the left and right engine nacelles was only around 80% (information which could be mirrored in design) and for the rest of this information, he was very much on his own. This included the incredibly challenging sections where they were joined to the wing, an aspect of the design which required every ounce of experience he had built up over the years. He is very happy with how it has turned out, but knows that the modeller will ultimately be the judge of that.

We then started discussing the subject of releasing for tooling production and the procedures around this important process, but decided between us that this was so important and so interesting, that it would be the subject of a separate Workbench article a little later in the year - please keep an eye out for this.

As you are all doing the same type of highly specialised work, do all the Product Designers attack a project in the same way?

This produced quite a surprising answer, because in Paramjit’s opinion, he thinks not. Even though the end result will probably be almost identical in every case, the journey getting to that point could actually be very different for each designer. He likened it to being given the outline of a story, then being told to go away and write about it. If you gave this task to ten people, even though the story would contain the same information, all ten writers would probably have written a slightly different version on the same theme and it is just the same when designing a new Airfix kit. Each designer will have their own way of interpreting the information they are given and importantly, of using the powerful software at their disposal.

The entire skeleton model in all its glory, with all the sections where individual part groups will have to be designed later shown all at the same time 

During team review meetings, members are encouraged not only to ask for help from their colleagues if they are struggling with a particular element of their latest project, but also to offer how they might do things slightly differently if they were working on the project being reviewed. This sharing of knowledge and experience is absolutely essential for continual development, with even our most experienced designers having the opportunity to learn from newer members of the team. Paramjit’s final analogy on this subject was that if the team were making a model kit without the benefit of instructions, the built models would all look the same, but the build sequence would probably differ in every case - he appears to be turning into quite the modelling philosopher!

Thinking about when the new Mosquito is eventually released, what do you think modellers are going to like most about the kit?

Paramjit said that he hopes the kit will find favour in several areas, particularly regarding matters of detail, accuracy and build enjoyment - the latter is extremely important to him. If you incorporate lots of fine detail into your kit design, but make it so complicated to build that it is a bit of a headache, he believes this to be completely unacceptable and not what the design brief requires. Model making should be an enjoyable experience, something you look forward to doing time and time again, but if your latest build has fought you every step of the way, this is surely not what it’s all about. The real skill of the designer is to include all the detail that will wow the modeller, but make the build process logical and relatively straight forward.

The other areas where he hopes modellers will be impressed are the little bits of design innovation he has incorporated into the kit, particularly the way the canopy fits into place and the fact that you can build the main undercarriage separately from the wing/engine nacelle assembly, adding this at a later stage, once you have built and fully painted it. Other areas to look out for are the detailed cockpit, the bomb bay detail and the four 500Ib bombs he has included.

The skeleton model without the scan data shown underneath. Whilst this reflects many hard hours of design work for Paramjit, he clearly still has much to do

This computer rendered image created from the CAD software shows some of the areas of the new kit Paramjit hopes modellers are going to be particularly pleased with

Another view of the Mosquito skeleton model

Even though he has invested much time and effort into this project and he is confident that he has made the new kit as good as it possibly can be, Paramjit admitted to always being a little nervous when a new kit approaches its initial release. Clearly, the modeller will always be the ultimate judge of a designer’s performance on any new kit project and he will always want it to be well received. He also said that ‘You definitely can’t take anything for granted and the learning process associated with product design will always constantly evolve’. He is pragmatic enough to accept that as he gains more experience and his ‘designed kit’ list continues to grow, if he assesses how he designed some of the earlier kits in his portfolio at some point in the future, he may find aspects of it which he may have done differently, if starting the project over again.

We wanted to end this feature by asking Paramjit if there was any particular model design subject he would like to take on during his career at Airfix?

We sort of knew what to expect Paramjit’s answer to be here, because every Scale ModelWorld show we have worked with him since he joined the company, when he goes off kit hunting, he invariably comes back with a huge ship kit under his arm. Sure enough, his first answer was how much he would love to work on something like a reasonably large scale version of a Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier, especially because these ships never seem to be out of the news at the moment. A project of this size would take quite some time to complete and whilst he wouldn’t divulge if there were any Airfix plans to take on such a project in the near future, he would certainly like to be involved if they did.

Having made several of our 1/24th scale Hellcat kits, Paramjit would like to think he could turn his hand to designing something so intricate and highly detailed during his career at Airfix

Paramjit sent us this final design image of his new de Havilland Mosquito kit, just to ensure we all keep a slot in our build schedules for it a little later in the year  

Over the past couple of years, Workbench readers have also become aware of Paramjit’s modelling talents, with images of his many impressive builds lighting up numerous blogs during that time. Amongst his build successes, he has built no fewer than four examples of our 1/24th scale Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat and describes this as one of the finest kits he has ever built. Designed by one of his current Airfix colleagues Chris Joy, Paramjit describes how he would also like to design a 1/24th scale aircraft model and how this would probably be the project by which he would personally judge his development as an Airfix designer. Allowing him to not only incorporate the highest part count in any of the current Airfix kits, these ‘Super Kits’ allow a designer to really go to town on the detail, producing something which really can claim to be an incredibly accurate scale representation of the real aircraft. Subjects which he would be interested in working on would be something like a Gloster Gladiator, simply because it is such a good looking aircraft, or perhaps something like a Red Arrows Hawk, as this would just possess such huge appeal. From a modeller’s perspective, we hope he will have the opportunity to work on all three of his suggestions!

We very much look forward to following Paramjit’s Airfix career as he continues to grow his design portfolio with more new tooling designs, but for now, would like to thank him for spending so much time with us in producing this feature we hope our readers find interesting. All the images used in support of the article were also supplied by him, so we are doubly grateful for his fantastic support. His new 1/72nd scale de Havilland Mosquito B.XVI kit is fast advancing towards its triumphant release date and we are looking forward to bringing you further project updates prior to that, as soon as they become available to us.

Dogfight Double - A duel of eagles

Dependant on our age, most Workbench readers will have a particular Airfix kit or number of kits which hold a special meaning for them, be that the first kit they ever made, or one which left the biggest impression on our young modelling minds. With 66 years of releases behind us there are certainly plenty of kits to choose from, but whichever your particular favourite might be, there was one range which always demanded to be considered above most others, our Dogfight Doubles series. Since the first kit appeared in the mid 1960s, these beautifully presented models have been posing the same simple question, ‘What could be better than a fantastic Airfix kit to build?’ The answer is quite simple - Two Airfix kits! That is what you were getting with a Dogfight Doubles kit, a pair of model kits which could be posed on the supplied stand to make it look as if they were engaged in combat with each other. Combine this with spectacular box artwork and you had a series which was high on the Christmas and birthday ‘wants list’ of many a young modeller, as these were usually just out of reach for most pocket money purchases.

Moving ahead to 2021 and the Dogfight Doubles story is still very much alive and when looking at the stunning box artwork image featured above, it’s not difficult to see why these models are still captivating current generations of modelling enthusiasts. Produced in support of a kit pairing which sees arguably the finest fighter aircraft of WWII matched with the most technologically advanced aircraft to see service during the Second World War, this fascinating image depicts a period during the war where the Allies had secured a hard fought superiority of the skies over Europe. Every day where the weather allowed, hundreds of bombers flew to targets across occupied Europe by day and night, pounding Germany into submission, however, even though the number of Luftwaffe aircraft rising to challenge them was always decreasing, they were still capable of taking a heavy toll of Allied aircraft. The threat they posed was never more deadly than when the new Messerschmitt Me262 jet fighter became available in significant numbers and even threatened to swing this balance of aerial supremacy once more in favour of the Luftwaffe. Fortunately, its introduction proved to be a case of too little too late and even though the Me262 was around 100 mph faster than the Mustang in level flight, Allied pilots were resourceful when it came to neutralizing this fearsome new threat.

This magnificent new kit was first announced as part of last year’s range, although quite a lot has happened since then. Thankfully, we are pleased to report that it is now on schedule for a Spring release and we expect it to be an incredibly popular addition to the range. Pairing these two late WWII aviation classics together in the same release and with both being relatively new tooling designs, there is a lot to like about this kit, not least of which is the stunning box artwork shown above. Let’s take a closer look at the two scheme options which will be included in this new kit.

North American P-51D Mustang 44-14164 / E2-D ‘Detroit Miss’, Aircraft flown by Lt. Urban Leonard ‘Ben’ Drew, 375th Fighter Squadron, 361st Fighter Group ‘Yellowjackets’, USAAF, Air Force Station F-374 (RAF Bottisham), Cambridgeshire, England, 1944 

From the time he took a pleasure flight with his parents in a Ford Trimotor airliner, Urban Drew knew he wanted to be a pilot and on the morning of his 18th birthday and with America thrust into WWII following the Pearl Harbor raid, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, ready to do his duty. An exceptionally gifted pilot, Drew successfully negotiated his flight training, but was disappointed to be retained as an instructor, whilst other, less talented pilots were heading overseas for war. Over the next few months, he would repeatedly request transfer to an operational unit overseas, only to have his request denied and to be told that he was serving his country training new pilots. Despite his disappointment, he was determined to prepare his students for war, which he did to the very best of his ability.

Something which was not exactly on the training curriculum at the time, Drew insisted on schooling his students in the art of low flying, not just ambling along admiring the scenery, but flying aggressively at low level, as if your life depended on it. Gradually coaxing his charges to fly lower with every sortie, they were not deemed to be proficient until they were actually flying on the deck at high speed. This was something which would serve Drew well once he finally made it to Europe, with many of his former students owing their lives to his low altitude tutelage.

With his superiors noting his growing frustration, it was decided that his flying skills were needed elsewhere and he was posted to fly with the Eighth Air Force in England, travelling aboard the liner Queen Elizabeth and destined for the 361st Fighter Group at Bottisham, East Anglia, the famous ‘Yellowjackets’. It is reported that Drew was requested for this posting by the unit’s CO, as they had been suffering at the hands of the Luftwaffe over recent months and morale was low. Drew’s reputation as an accomplished pilot who was well liked by the men he trained was all the recommendation he needed and Drew would have his chance to fly in the European Theatre. Immediately calling upon his impressive low altitude flying ability, Drew’s first victories were scored against Luftwaffe ground targets, on missions which were deemed particularly hazardous. As his mission tally began to rise, he was also one of only a handful of USAAF pilots to have reported seeing a strange new Luftwaffe aircraft in the skies above Germany, whilst on a bomber escort mission. In debrief, he reported that the aircraft was travelling at great speed, appeared to have two engines, but no propellers - he had been one of the first to see a Messerschmitt 262 jet fighter on a combat mission.

On 7th October 1944, Drew was asked to lead a bomber protection sortie on a raid deep into Germany, but as a ‘Ramrod’ mission, once the bombers had been sent safely on their way home, the escorts were free to roam for targets of opportunity. As the flightpath would take them over Osnabrück, the area where he had previously seen one of the new German jets, he was hoping that he might have another opportunity to get close to one. Flying his personal Mustang ‘Detroit Miss’ and with the bombers safely handed over to other units for the journey home, Drew and the rest of the 375th looked for trade over Osnabrück. To the north of the city, he could see the airfield at Achmer and noticed two of the strange looking aircraft he had seen once before taxiing towards the runway. Without having time to alert his squadron mates, he immediately threw his Mustang into a steep dive and pushed the throttle to maximum, knowing he would only have one chance to fire on the jets below. If they managed to get into the air, not even a Mustang at full power could hope to catch one of these speedy new Luftwaffe fighters. As he raced towards the airfield at almost 450mph, only pulling out of the dive when he was at treetop height, the lead jet was already in the air and the second aircraft had started its take-off run - had he already missed his chance?

Determined not to let this opportunity pass him by, Drew flew straight along the centreline of the runway at Achmer and waited until the second jet just taking to the air filled his gunsight, before firing all six of his 0.50 calibre machine guns into its fuselage. The Messerschmitt did not take evasive action and exploded in a ball of flame, showering ‘Detroit Miss’ with debris, as Drew’s Mustang had no option but to fly straight through the explosion, calling on all his skill and experience not to lose control of the aircraft. With his Mustang still seemingly responsive, he immediately looked for the lead jet, which by now must have been building up speed and could already be well out of range, especially if he had seen what had been going on behind him. Spotting it in the distance, Drew gave chase, but the jet was already beginning to outpace his Mustang - now he was going to need a big slice of luck. 

Inexplicably, the Messerschmitt pilot surrendered the speed advantage that would have saved his aircraft and started to turn, possibly in an attempt to face his attacker, but more likely down to his inexperience flying jets - this tactic would be how the pilot of a piston powered Focke Wulf or Me 109 would have dealt with this situation. Despite the extreme range and whilst pulling a high G turn, Drew fired the perfect deflection shot with all guns blazing, aiming well ahead of the Luftwaffe jet, which flew straight into the hail of bullets. The jet’s canopy came off as the pilot effected his escape, with the Messerschmitt slowly rolling onto its back and careering into the ground. Ben Drew and his ‘Detroit Miss’ had just destroyed two of the Luftwaffe’s incredible new jet fighters in a matter of seconds and would be one of only a handful of Allied pilots to achieve this feat during WWII.

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a ‘Schwalbe’, Wk.Nr. 11711, Aircraft flown by test pilot Hans Fay and surrendered to Allied forces at Rhein-Main, Frankfurt, Germany, March 31st 1945

Representing a huge technological leap forward in aviation technology, the Messerschmitt Me 262 may have pointed the way towards the future of aviation and may have been significantly superior to anything the Allies had in the air at that time, however, it appeared too late to have a significant impact on the war and was hunted mercilessly to make sure large numbers could never operate at the same time. Historically though, the Me 262 Schwalbe remains one of the most important aircraft of WWII and a significant development in the history of powered flight. Occupying a unique position as the world’s first operational jet powered fighter, it is still regarded as the most advanced aircraft of the Second World War.  

Due to the fact that the combat introduction of the Messerschmitt Me 262 came too late to affect the outcome of the air war over Germany towards the end of the Second World War, it is not entirely accurate to even describe it as the Luftwaffe’s best fighter of WWII, let alone one of the world’s best fighting aeroplanes.  It did, however, herald the dawning of a new age in aviation technology and had Germany’s position not been so perilous at this stage of the war, could have had a truly devastating impact on the conflict, even possessing the potential to significantly prolong the fighting. It was eloquently described by famous British test pilot Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown as the most formidable aircraft of WWII and a quantum leap in aviation performance terms, standing as one of the most significant aircraft in the history of flight.

Within the amazing aviation story of the Messerschmitt 262 jet fighter, there are a host of fascinating stories relating to individual machines and their pilots, including the one associated with this brand new machine, flown my Messerschmitt test pilot Hans Fay on 31st March 1945. Messerschmitt Me 262 Werknummer 111711 was one of 22 newly constructed aircraft assembled at the Schwabisch-Hall training airfield and stored in a forested area, to protect against constant Allied air attacks. With Allied ground units now also threatening to overrun the airfield, a plan to fly the aircraft to the safer, more secluded airfield at Neuburg an der Donan was put into action, with the aircraft all flying separately, taking off at five minute intervals. The aircraft flown by Hans Fey was the fourth Me 262 to take off from the airfield, but rather than follow the route flown by the previous three aircraft, his machine appeared to be heading in a different direction.

With the war now lost, test pilot Hans Fay had been planning for some time that he would defect to American forces and present them with an example of the Luftwaffe’s new jet fighter. His plan had to be deferred for a time, as he feared his actions would put his family in harms way, with German officials wanting to make an example of them to any service personnel thinking of taking similar action, however, news that his home town had been captured by American forces meant it was time to act. Whilst the other aircraft headed for Neuburg an der Donan, he piloted his aircraft towards the American held airfield at Rhein-Main, Frankfurt. His flight was fraught with danger, as the sight of one of the latest Luftwaffe jets in the air would have every Allied ground unit firing in its direction and if fighters caught a glimpse of it, they would swarm to remove the threat it posed. 

It is thought that Fay, aware of the potentially dangerous situation he found himself in, flew for the duration of the flight with the undercarriage down, flying at relatively low speed and following the track of an Autobahn, presumably so he could land on it should he come under attack. At 13.45 on 31st March 1945, the Me 262 landed at Rhein-Main and surrendered to American forces, the first completely serviceable Messerschmitt Me 262 jet to come into Allied hands. It was noted to be in a natural metal finish, with reduced visibility national insignia, a finish it would retain for the rest of its life. The aircraft would later be taken to Thornville in France and shipped to the US aboard the Madawaska Victory, to be flown in evaluation flights at Wright Field, Ohio. It was lost having suffered an in-flight engine fire during a test flight on 20th August 1946, with the pilot managing to safely bale out of the stricken aircraft, but the Messerschmitt jet being completely destroyed in the ensuing crash.

Various view options of this Dogfight Doubles model pairing for placement on the back of the box - which option will the Development Manager opt for?

It is reported that German test pilot Hans Fay cooperated fully with his captors following his unexpected delivery flight and proved invaluable in supplying flight performance data and operational support to American pilots about to fly his former mount.

The fact that this impending Dogfight Double kit release features model representations of two of the most capable fighter aircraft of the Second World War, certainly makes this an attractive modelling proposition, but when you also factor in the amazing stories behind each of the scheme options offered, this is just about as irresistible a modelling combination it is possible to have. This Mustang/Messerschmitt combination A50183 is now scheduled for a spring release.  

Last call for the 2021 catalogue

Throughout each year, the Workbench blog brings you all the latest Airfix modelling information and directs readers to the respective product pages on the Airfix website, so that you can view our models in all their glory and obtain the models you want. This certainly appears to be the ‘modern’ way people like to conduct their modelling affairs, however when it comes to the subject of new range launches, there is something still quite visceral about securing a printed copy of the Airfix catalogue, just as millions of modellers have done over the years. Plenty of our readers will remember how the launch of a new Airfix catalogue was without doubt, one of the highlight events of our year and how the first Saturday following its release would have us waiting outside our local model shop for the doors to open, just so we could secure our copy. Usually returning home with a nice little series one kit for good measure (it would have been rude not to), the catalogue was a cherished aide memoire in which to tick off the kits we had built and those we intended to build next.

Those days may now be way in the past (for some of us), but they still bring back happy memories. They also say that old habits die hard and for some of us, securing a copy of the current Airfix catalogue is still a tradition we like to maintain, if for no other reason than to keep our collection up to date and to see how the publication has changed over the years. Unfortunately, everyone is aware of how shopping habits and the High Street have changed over recent years and it can now be quite difficult to secure a copy of the catalogue by hand, let alone find a well-stocked local model supplier. Clearly, the current world situation has only served to make this more difficult, with the on-line ordering and postal delivery of the catalogue probably now being the only way to secure your copy this year. With the current catalogue looking better than ever and with stocks dwindling rapidly, this could be the weekend to make sure you have your copy.

It’s Airfix nostalgia all the way in the Vintage Classics section of the new Airfix 2021 catalogue

The latest Airfix catalogue features digital artwork of the new de Havilland Mosquito B.XVI on the front cover, the subject of this latest edition of the blog and is crammed with news, information and useful web/social media links, in addition to all the modelling products we are so famous for producing. With all our current ranges included, the catalogue is packed with impactful artwork and modelling inspiration, with some of our very latest model tooling projects rubbing shoulders with some true Airfix classics. Nothing cries ‘Airfix’ more than the Vintage Classic header page, a montage of some iconic Airfix kits from years past, which have been re-introduced to delight those who remember making them in their youth and younger modellers who might fancy tackling some proper British modelling nostalgia. There is so much to see in the new Airfix catalogue that you might just lose yourself in there for a pleasant 20 minutes or so. The next time you order a kit from the Airfix website, why not add a copy of the new catalogue to your order whilst they are still available - we are afraid we can accept no responsibility if you find yourself tempted by another kit or two on reading it.

That’s all we have for you in this latest bumper edition of Workbench, which we hope included something which you found of interest. Once again, as we attempt to get back on schedule after our slow start to the year, the next edition is only a week away, so we will see you back here next Friday for more Airfix blog goodness. 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.

In between new editions of our blog, the Airfix conversation continues over on our Airfix Forum Workbench thread, with further discussions taking place on both the official Airfix Facebook page and the Airfix Twitter channel – please do get involved in the discussions and let us know what you think about Workbench.

Whenever you decide to visit, the Airfix website is always the place to be for all the latest model availability information, previous editions of our blog, a selection of modelling tips and much more.

The next edition of Workbench is scheduled to be published on Friday 19th February, when we will have more interesting features from the world of modelling.

As always, we are incredibly grateful for the support you continue to give our Airfix Workbench blog.

The Airfix Workbench Team