1:72 Armstrong Whitley Mk.V exhausts for Airfix

Clear Prop Models - exhausts for the Whitley Mk.V, 1:72 scale

This is a detail accessory in resin, made by 3D printing, not an airplane kit. The set is meant as a replacement for the plastic exhaust shrouds and pipes on a model of the British twin-engined night bomber Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk.V in 1:72 scale from Airfix. Resin allows finer parting edges, thinner walls and cleaner shaping of the mouths than an injection mold does. The base kit has to be obtained separately.

The real subject

Together with the Wellington and the Hampden, the Whitley was one of the three bombers with which British Bomber Command went to war. It was characteristic for its angular fuselage and its unmistakable nose-down attitude in flight, which came from the incidence of the wing. The Mk.V version, powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin V12 engines, was the most widespread variant; besides night raids over Europe, Whitleys also flew with Coastal Command and served to drop paratroops. The exhaust ducting of the engines, shrouded for night operations, is one of the few striking features on the model where detail shows at once.

Fitting and painting

• Before gluing, wash the parts in lukewarm soapy water: resin tends to be covered with print resin residue, on which paint will not hold.
• Cut the print supports off with a sharp knife or a fine saw and level the cut faces with a finer grit abrasive paper.
• Bond with super glue (cyanoacrylate); cement for plastic does not take hold on resin.
• The base is a primer, followed by dark metal, rust and soot; dull, soot-covered exhausts match the night operations of the real machine.
• Sand and cut resin with respiratory protection, ideally wet.

Who the set is for

For builders of the Whitley in 1:72 scale who want a sharp, faithful look on both engine nacelles without soft plastic shapes. Anyone who has ever worked with super glue will manage it: it is a quick improvement with a large visual effect.

An accessory for a kit, not a standalone model. The kit, paints and glue are not included in the package. Sand resin parts with respiratory protection and keep them out of the reach of children.