It was perhaps
inevitable that when such an advanced bomber as the Handley Page Victor was
introduced into service it would be tested in roles for which it was not
designed. After HP test pilot Johnny Allam achieved Mach 1.1 in a very shallow
dive the RAF crews were determined to wring every bit of performance they could
out of this exotic looking machine, and the creativity among them is legendary.
Thus it was that in December 1957 shortly after its introduction with 232
Operational Conversion Unit an excuse was found to take a B1 on a trip to Goose
Bay, Labrador, on the pretence of cold weather testing and a Christmas goodwill
trip. Armed to the teeth with their NATO duty free tickets the target for that
night was actually the base liquor store, with a mind to a high-speed restocking
of the mess back in the U.K.
Click on
images below to see larger images
Upon arrival the initial reaction of the RCAF personnel was unbridled
jealousy. Whispers were that the upcoming Avro Arrow could catch anything made
now and in the foreseeable future, but here was a big brute of an aircraft that
could certainly give present-day fighters a run for their money. After the
requisite low passes that the RAF enjoys so much it found Terra Firma and parked
close to the ogling multitudes. "Looks as mean as a bloody wolverine!"
exclaimed one crusty old Flight Sergeant, and the name stuck. That, however, was
not good enough. In the minds of the assembled gawkers the RCAF simply had to
possess one, and a plan was hatched.
The Victor’s crew were trooped, with no resistance whatsoever, to the
Officer’s Mess and entertained in the grandest manner. The Victor was towed to
the paint shop. After darkness had fallen the rest of the plan was enacted. The
well lubricated crew was escorted through a blinding snowstorm to their
quarters, drunkenly oblivious to two things; the clear weather forecast they had
received for the next three days, and the dozens of base workers on the roof
cheerfully sweeping mother nature’s recent bounty of snow down upon their
heads. After consultation with the base commander the Met office then issued a
report of a rare winter hurricane travelling between Labrador and Greenland,
contrasting with ideal conditions for ice fishing to the west. A vehicle was
procured, augers, tackle, and victuals loaded, and the RAF lads were introduced
to another Canadian tradition.
The result of two days of labour brought a tear to the eyes of all who saw
her. An RCAF Wolverine, resplendent in grey/green camouflage complete with Maple
Leaf roundels, was brought into the cold crisp air of a bright winter morning,
with a drill team escort carrying hockey sticks at the shoulder and marching to
the music of Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians. The crew of this most
graceful bird accepted the hoodwinking with very good nature. They had been
treated to a wondrous weekend, a prank had been pulled, and when the carpenters
showed up with a hastily customized cargo pannier to hold tons of booze in the
bomb bay honour had been fully satisfied. The Wolverine’s service with the
RCAF was brief, but memorable.
This was the first 'What If' that I ever completed, back in 2004. For years I
hadn’t the foggiest notion who manufactured this model. I bought it through
mail order back in the early seventies, with no idea as to the quality. It came
bagged, but whatever paper or cardboard piece may have held it closed has since
disappeared into the ether. But cruising the HyperScale discussion board one day
I noticed a posting about Lincoln International kits, and a reply to it from one
Matt Hopson was very helpful. It seems to be their Victor alright, and they made
some other interesting stuff as well, such as a 1/160th Vickers Valiant and
1/144th Sunderland and Rotodyne. If I could own those moulds I would be in
heaven!
Instructions are a simple exploded drawing and the decals can charitably be
described as crap. Thirteen pieces altogether; fuselage halves, four wing
pieces, three for the tailplane, cockpit glazing, pitot tube, and a two-piece
stand. No gear, no interior, nose glazing represented by depressions. Roundels
and number are represented by raised lines. Checking the dimensions gives it a
scale of about 1/153rd. I think it may be the same model used in that cinematic
classic ‘Gammera the Invincible!’, where Victors of some variety definitely
appear in the opening scenes. The kit seems to represent a B1, which unlike all
subsequent versions was not equipped with the heat exchanger intake at the base
of the vertical stabiliser which cooled the ECM equipment.
Way back when I got it the idea of building an interior was not even
considered, and I didn’t bother with trying to make the engine intakes
realistic. I did however grind off the raised markings, and carved out the nose
windows. These were filled with good old Elmer’s glue, which for some reason
did not dry clear. The pitot tube has gone missing and was replaced by scrap.
Aileron, flap, and elevator lines are recessed, but in this scale I was not
about to scribe panel lines.
Just about done, and tragedy befell me. Enemy forces of unknown origin, but
believed to be a cat or a cleaning lady, knocked it off a shelf and broke the
port tailplane about halfway in, and the pitot tube. I didn’t bother replacing
the length of pitot because I was going to shorten it to just about where it
broke anyway. The problem was the tailplane. After tearing apart the most recent
vacuum cleaner bag I determined that it has disappeared into some uncharted
region of intergalactic space. I had to fashion another out of scrap plastic,
and do my best with my limited skills to blend it in evenly. You can still see
the scar if you look closely, maybe one day I will try to smooth it out a bit
better.
The comment in the story about the wooden cargo container is based on a true
incident. Back in the 70’s I was working with Airfield Maintenance at Pearson
International Airport, and one evening shift a fireman dropped in from next door
to say that he had heard a Vulcan was coming in on its way back from a Red Flag
exercise. Sure enough it arrived about half an hour later, and I went over for a
look. As I wheeled the truck up, camera in hand, one of the crew was ascending a
ladder into the bomb bay, which actually did have a wooden cargo pannier.
Walking under the belly of the beast I snapped a photo of him taking out a case
of Bell’s Scotch (for a wee party at the hotel?), but unfortunately the lens
was not wide angle enough to fully catch the humorous aspect of the situation;
standing near the foot of the ladder was a customs officer who asked the
standard question "Anything to declare?" The crewman must have had
‘big brass ones’ because while cradling the crate of whisky he casually
looked back over his shoulder and replied "No". My hero!
Paints are Model Master Acryl brushed on. Underside is #4765 Light Grey,
topside is #4779 Schwarzgrau and RAF Dark Green. Roundels and fin flashes were
salvaged from a Hobbycraft F-86F Sabre, and as you can see they have silvered a
bit since application. I tried to use the original kit decals for the identity
number, but they turned to wet powder. Rather than trying to paint the canopy
frames I decided to simply use a black ‘Sharpie’ permanent marker.
Dave
Bailey
Click on
images below to see larger images
|
|