A Quiet Evening in Lincolnshire: Lancaster Diorama Part 2

I thought I’d post a quick update on the Lancaster diorama. Last time I mentioned that I would be adding some RAF ground vehicles to the display to add some life and realism, and these have started to come together in the past week or so. I have been referring regularly to my three volumes of ‘Lancaster at War’, a multi-part reference work which has first-hand accounts from Lancaster aircrews and ground crews as well as many great photos of the Lancs and their crewmen. The photos show how many people and how much equipment was depended upon to service and maintain the aircraft, and it is clear that I need to reflect this in my diorama.

So, I will be using at least one vehicle from the Airfix Bomber Re-Supply set I mentioned last time, plus a die-cast tractor intended for railway modellers. I might also include an Airfix refuelling bowser, as well as several RAF ground crew figures.

I have built the Bedford MVT from the Airfix Bomber Resupply set, and it builds up as a really nice little truck. The kit allows you to build it either as a water bowser or as a light truck with a canvas roof, which is what I chose.

 

I bought a David Brown aircraft tug tractor made as a die-cast model by Oxford Diecast. It’s a nice little model (it really is small, about an inch long) but was in the wrong colour, being in the light blue colour of the Fleet Air Arm, so I repainted it in RAF blue-grey. I’m not sure it’s quite the right colour, but it looks OK. It is also apparently 1/76 scale, so too small for a 1/72 diorama, but again it looks alright to me.

Both vehicles have been painted with Humbrol enamel paints then gently weathered using a Tamiya weathering set. The next job is to buy and build an AEC Matador refuelling bowser kit.