Avro Lancaster B.III
LM583, PO-T

This 40 year old Airfix Lancaster kit which I purchased from a fascinating seller of models, sans instructions, at the recent Westland Scale Model Show, is finally complete. Having failed to revive the original decals of M for Mother, the Lancaster completing the highest number of WW2 missions, with extreme UV and decal softener, I fell back on a set of Xtradecal aftermarket decals which I had the good fortune to obtain from the same seller.

This build has, therefore, been finished in the interesting look of Avro Lancaster B.Mk.III LM583, PO-T of 467 (Australian) Squadron, piloted by Flying Officer David John Sandell, which took off at 20:31 on 29 August 1944 from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire to bomb Konigsberg and was lost without trace, believed to have been one of the 15 of a force of 189 RAF bombers shot down by nightfighters during the raid.

The interesting feature of this aircraft is its white painted tail fin which indicated it as a G-H Leader's aircraft, i.e. an aircraft carrying blind-bombing H2S radar, which would lead the rest of the Squadron to the correct aiming point. Each squadron of No.5 Group, Bomber Command, had its own distinctive G-H tail markings, that of 467 Squadron being a blue cross on a white background.

There is much debate on line as to the accuracy of this Xtradecal sheet X72195 as to whether PO-T should actually be PO-O, as referenced in a number of other sources, and how this could be an easy typo with O and P being next to each other on the keyboard. Also the decal sheet contains black crosses for the tail rather than the correct blue ones, perhaps as historical photos are black and white? Interesting ….

Back to the scale model. I decided, for a change, not to complete this kit wheels down, but rather to mount it airborne, as if flying at hedge hopping height atop an old Airfix stand sprayed black, blending with its night camouflage black underside … I can almost hear those 4 Merlins.