AIR491 - Airfix 1/72 Hampden - WWHP111748

AIR491 - Airfix 1/72 Hampden - WWHP111748

Preowned, Resealed, Mint

The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden was a British twin-engine medium bomber that first flew on 21 June 1936 and entered RAF service in 1938, forming part of the early-war trio of twin-engine bombers alongside the Whitley and Wellington. Crews nicknamed it the "Flying Suitcase" for its tall, narrow, cramped fuselage, but it could carry a 4,000 lb bomb or mine load, or a single 18-inch torpedo. Found too vulnerable to fighters by day, it was switched to night work and took part in the RAF's first night raid on Berlin and the first 1,000-bomber raid on Cologne, before retiring from Bomber Command in late 1942 and serving on with Coastal Command as a torpedo bomber into 1943. Of roughly 1,430 built, a sizeable batch was produced in Canada, and the type served with the RCAF including at training units on the West Coast.

Box contents:

• Injection-moulded plastic parts for the Hampden, including the two Bristol Pegasus engine nacelles
• Clear parts for the extensive nose and crew glazing
• Decal sheet for an RAF Bomber Command scheme (squadron code PD-A)
• Printed assembly instructions
• Glue and paint not included; assembly required