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Scale 1:66   Length 13"   Wingspan 18.5"

Photography by Action Asia Photo
 © 2002-8 Action Asia Photo - All Rights Reserved
www.actionasiaphoto.com

AVRO's entry in the heavy bomber category was the last - and best - English heavy bomber of WWII. They flew more missions and dropped a greater tonnage of bombs than all other English heavy bombers combined. The origins of the Lancaster came from the development of the AVRO Manchester bomber which was powered by two Rolls-Royce Vulture engines. It wasn't long after the Manchesters made it into service in 1940 that it was realized the complex and under-powered Vulture engine would not suffice. Roy Chadwick, the designer, replaced the two Vulture engines with four Merlin engines and the Lancaster was born. It had superb handling characteristics, relatively high speed and the capability of hauling a heavy load over a long distance. If empty of bombs it could fly on one engine although losing height. On two engines it could maintain level flight. It could be handled like a fighter aircraft, being able to dive sharply to over 400 mph. These characteristics helped a lot of bomber crews reach their targets and get home again.

The first Lancaster I took to the air in October, 1941. Other than the engines it differed from the Manchesters in the adoption of a mid-upper and belly turrets. However, the belly turrets were ineffective and soon removed. Lancaster I models fought throughout the rest of the war, although  few made it to 100 operational sorties. A high production schedule of Lancasters soon meant that Merlin engines were in short supply (they were also used in Spitfires, Mosquitos, Halifax bombers and many other aircraft). This necessitated adopting an alternative power plant. The Lancaster I was fitted with the Bristol Hercules radial engine and renamed the Lancaster II. After a long testing program it went into operational service in March, 1943.

The arrival of American-built Merlin engines (built under license by Packard) resulted in the Lancaster III model, however they were nearly identical to the Is. There was also a Lancaster VII built by taking Lancaster Is and IIIs, adding a four-bladed propeller, and removing the nose and tail turrets. They were loaded with electronic jamming equipment and flew in the bomber stream jamming the German electronic defenses. The Lancasters continued well into the 1950's being flown by England, Canada, and Australia. A total of 7,366 Lancasters of a versions were built.

During world War II the British attempted to disrupt German industrial production by breaching the dams in the Ruhr.  The Dam Busters mission was flown on May 16th, 1943 by Squadron 617 using Lancasters that had been modified to carry the 9,250 pound "Bouncing Bomb" which was 50 inches in diameter and 60 inches long. Of the 19 Lancasters that participated in the raid, 9 were lost but two of the five targeted dams were breached totally which caused extensive flooding and damage to industries located downstream.

Crew:         Seven
Length:      72 ft
Wingspan: 102 ft
Speed:        287 mph  (with typical bomb load)
Ceiling:       24,500 ft
Range:       1,660 miles (with 14,000 bomb load)
Engine:       Four Merlin Packards
Armament: 8 x .303 caliber machine guns - 2 in the nose, 2 in the upper turret and 4 in the rear turret. Total shells carried was 14,000 rounds.
Bomb Load: 8,000 lbs in 1941 and increased annually until able to carry 22,000 lb  Grand Slam using a strengthened fuselage and removal of  bomb bay doors

Related Links
The Battle of Britain Memorial - The Lancaster