COBI WELLINGTON BOMBER - AND HEREFORD MODEL CENTRE

Hereford is blessed with an old fashioned model shop, helpfully situated at 4 Commercial Road, on the direct walk from the Railway Station to the Town Centre:

Dolls houses, trains, toys, kits, soldiers, paints, books....the Hereford Model Centre

The big picture windows allow for display of built models, and right at the moment one of the windows displays something rather interesting and very VBCW :

The Cobi WW2 Historical Collection Vickers Wellington Mk.2

The Cobi Wellington "as built" - and as displayed in a window of the Hereford Model Centre

Read all about the Vickers Wellington HERE, or see it in context HERE. Undoubtedly one of the most powerful bombers of the VBCW, the Kobi model measures about 2 foot x 2 foot, and contains 2 40mm aircrew, so it doesn't look ridiculously out of scale next to nicely based (heroic) 28mm figures:

Wellington and air crew out of the cockpit.

All parts are pre-coloured, and there is no need for something as traditional as glue; a lego like system is used to fit the parts together. Producing this Wellington is therefore less about modelling and more about shopping (price c. £60), but if you need a big bomber to dominate a VBCW table, and need it in a hurry, this is undoubtedly the "kit" for you.

Note: for a different scale look, check out the the Meng Lancaster HERE

HANDLEY PAGE HEREFORD

While the Hereford1938 campaign has been rediscovering the Vickers Venom and even 'disinterring' the Elstree Mongrel day bomber from the VBCW vault, the RAF aircraft most closely associated with the County has been awaiting its own blogpost - the Handley-Page HP53 Hereford "heavy bomber":

Handley Page HP53 Hereford

The Hereford was a variant of the better known Handley Page HP52 Hampden, a twin engine bomber developed by the RAF and Air Ministry from 1936 on, alongside the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and the Vickers Wellington. Full details HERE. While the Hampden was powered by Bristol Pegasus engines, the Hereford had in-line Napier Dagger engines. A first prototype Hereford flew in June 1937. A production order was placed with Short Brothers and Harland in Belfast, for 100 aircraft, and the first production aircraft flew on 17th May 1939. However, the Napier Dagger engines were its downfall:

"They tended to overheat when used to take off from the grass runways common in the RAF at the time, then cool down too much in the air. Engine failure was too common, and even when the engine worked it was both noisy and high pitched! When the engines worked, performance figures were similar to those for the Hampden, but the engine problems meant that the Hereford never became operational. A small number were used by training units in 1940, but many were converted back to the Hampden standard by swapping the Dagger engines for the more reliable Bristol Pegasus radial engines." [note 1]

None of this, of course was known to modellers at the time. Here is the Hereford on the cover of  the January 1939 edition of "Model Airplane News", a US publication - four months before it went into actual production - and in wholly realistic VBCW colour scheme:

The Hereford in that famous RAF camouflage scheme  - "all over orange"

Although no major kit manufacturer has produced a model of the Handley Page Hereford, Airfix produced a Hampden 1/72 kit in 1968, with relatively regular re-issues over the years until 2010:

Airfix Handley Page Hampden

The February 1969 edition of Airfix Magazine carried an article by Alan W. Hall detailing how an Airfix Hampden could be converted to a Hereford, with a painting and squadron guide:

The conversion was principally centred on re-modelling the shape of the engine nacelles, from the round radials of the Hampden:

Bristol Perseus engines being checked on a Hampden HP52

to the narrower and squarer nacelles of the Hereford:

On the ground - the best place for the Napier Dagger engines of the HP53

which conversion was achieved, back in 1968, by the careful carving of balsa wood, then coating the nacelle shape(s) with "a thick solution of talcum powder and clear dope....left to dry....and then rubbed down with fine sandpaper until smooth"!!

Unfortunately, even the last (2010) production run of the Airfix Hampden now seems rather rare, and prices are therefore ridiculously high. If you're not into talcum powder and dope conversions, the alternative is an equally highly priced kit of a 1/72 Hereford occasionally available from the specialist producer,Valom:

It may therefore be some time before the Handley Page HP53 is spotted in the skies above VBCW Hereford. That may not produce too much difficulty (although some regret) as the Hereford's better known brother, the HP52 Hampden, ultimately proved to be highly vulnerable to German fighters. It was removed from daylight operations as early as December 1939. In short, it seems that the Hampden, likely many 'early war' British bomber designs (cf. the Battle, blogposts passim), was just a bit rubbish and was ultimately to be replaced (along with the Whitley and Wellington, from 1942 on) by the Lancaster. Absent a 1/72 Hereford, the VBCW just seems to be five years ahead of the alternative timeline.

[note 1]: Rickard, J (22 March 2007), Handley Page H.P. 53 Hereford, http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_hereford.html

AIRFIELDS OF THE VBCW

Now that the Hereford VBCW has a surfeit of aircraft (see HERE and HERE and HERE), the question arises (possibly slightly out of order) - where were all the airfields in the County? Some guidance can be obtained from "Herefordshire & Worcestershire Airfields in the Second World War" by Robin J. Brooks [pub. Countryside Brooks, Newbury (2006)]

 which states (extracted from pps. 13- 16):

“The Wye Valley in the 1930s had seen a sudden rise in the number of landing strips as the idea of flight took hold with the general public. Some were situated on large areas of flat grass such as the racecourses at Hereford and at Llandrindod Wells just beyond the Wye Valley. Others were private strips for the use of avid aviators. Eastbach Court, Talgarth, Boughrood Court (which was to be used as an Emergency Landing Ground during the war), Michaelchurch, King’s Acre and Kington, which was attached to a military hospital, were the most well known. Many were closed down as war approached but some, such as Hereford Racecourse, were reactivated after the war only to close at a later date. The same applied to Worcester, though there were fewer private strips compared to Hereford. The local racecourse known as Pitchcroft had seen early aviators in the persons of Colonel Samuel Cody and Gustav Hamel….”

“…Herefordshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands did have few very important civilian airfields that contributed to the war effort. To mention two, Castle Bromwich had been requisitioned for use by the War Office in 1914, was again requisitioned in 1937 and became the home of No.14 ERFTS. It also became a major aircraft factory and during its time more than 11,000 Spitfires and 300 Lancasters were built there. Likewise Elmdon was requisitioned in 1939 and was used as a flying training school and for the testing of Stirling and Lancaster bombers. Elmdon is now, of course, Birmingham International Airport….”

“In Herefordshire and Worcestershire, the [war] expansion scheme did not reach its peak until 1939/1940. Being far from the main area of battle in the south-east and east of England, they were always intended to be used for the training of aircrew. Of the seven airfields within the boundaries of the two counties, Pershore and Honeybourne were to become major Operational Training Units (OTUs) while Madley was to become a signals school to train aircraft wireless operators (and base for ferrying VIPs). Shobdon and Berrow were to train glider pilots with Worcester (Perdiswell) becoming the home of an Elementary Flying Training School. Defford was soon of huge importance in the world of telecommunications and electronic wizardry. One particular station in Hereford, RAF Credenhill, was to become a major training base for thousands of engineering ground trades. It was devoid of any form of runway but aircraft were brought to the station on trailers to allow airmen to work on them.”

VBCW Notes:

(1). Hereford Racecourse is the oldest operational airfield in the Hereford VBCW, having been identified originally by JP within his blog. The private airfield at Michaelchurch was researched by the Bishop of Ludlow's Broadcasting Service HERE. Research has yet to be carried out on the private landing strips at "Eastbach Court, Talgarth, Boughrood Court...Kings Acre and Kington" (nor the military hospital attached to it), but no doubt this post will promote a scramble amongst players to see if any of these valuable airfield sites are "within their patch" (or more likely, "could be brought within their patch")....

LIFTING OFF OUT OF LOCKDOWN - REDS

Comrade Colonel Professor Winter's County Communist Front has struggled to keep up with the recent accelerated pace of air force expansion. This is possibly due to the limited manufacturing capability available to the far-left within Herefordshire, or to its recent concentration upon increasing the output of "Proley Tanks", or simply Winter's pre-occupation, at the expense of industrial production, with the elimination of his many internal enemies. Be that as it may, the Comrade Colonel has welcomed the Escuadrilla Espana (prop. Andre Malraux) to the recently liberated Shobdon Airfield:

The Escuadrilla Espana fly in to Shobdon Airfield, anxious to lend
"fraternal support" to "fellow anti-fascists". These
aircraft have retained the markings used in Spain.

Winter's 'home grown' squadron of interceptor types (Squadron "Ned Ludd") proudly boast
the red star on their wings, possibly because (it is rumoured) these
aircraft are exclusively piloted by 'Soviet advisers"

The outnumbered (but not undergunned) "Luddites" grimly display Soviet
military precision in aerial maneouvres....

...whereas the enthuiastic but somewhat wild Spanish Republicans straggle into battle as
 best possible. Note tails adorned with Republican markings. The aircraft with the
red marked rear fuselage is a Section leader, indicating the Escadrilla's
notoriously relaxed approach to combat organisation.

Some historians argue that Winter's Reds principally used captured Gloster Gladiators and Vickers Venoms during the Herefordshire VBCW. However, Dr. I. Cataract of the VBCW Historical

 Institute has conclusively opined that these aircraft are, in fact, "export versions" of the

 Polikarpov I-15bis (biplane) and the Polikarpov I-16 (monoplane).  It would take a

 brave man to query the learned Doctor's opinion (or eyesight) - and for 

further evidence, see HERE

LIFTING OFF OUT OF LOCKDOWN - RAF

The professionals of the Royal Air Force were not to be left behind in the "2020 Modelling Challenge" ("Aircraft & Anti-Everything"):

"Gloster Gladiators" lined up for inspection. This is the original biplane configuration
of the modelling challenge "piece of cheep Chinese plastic" with a simple paintjob.
In an alternative timeline, interwar silver and colourful heraldry similarly banished,
 this paint scheme would become known as "Munich colours".

A mixed Squadron of 'Gloster Gladiators' and Vickers Venoms. The pressures of the VBCW
often resulted in RAF Squadrons having 'mixed types", much as in early WW1. The Venoms
have the same "cheep Chinese body" as the "Gladiators", with only the second wing
removed. A simple job of finger pressure and a little subsequent cutting/sanding.

A "standing patrol", Venom in the foreground and Gladiator in the rear.
With scientific detection of enemy aircraft still in its infancy, this WW1
tactic for protection of airfields was still much in use during the VBCW.

Vulnerable to attack - Mongrel day-bombers on the ground. The RAF also used
'Blenheims' and 'Battles' as tactical bombers, but were not above adopting the
Mongrel (a favourite of the BUF) when required. More info HERE

An RAF heavy bomber coming into land. Some have tentatively
identified this as a "Lancaster", although in 'other times', this famous
four engined bomber did not enjoy its first flight until January 1941.
Perhaps an example of scientific development being spurred on by Civil War...

A contemporaneous newspaper photograph of the same landing, extracted from
"Our Civil War Illustrated" (pub. Newnes, London 1938). While the headline simply
records "New Bomber Introduced", the article noted "strong local opposition to
engine noise and inconvenience to cattle" with a "vociferous campaign" being
launched by locals "against the planned extension to the airfield's flare path".

Safely down - the Lancaster ("Meng Model Kids") being refuelled by an
RAF Bowser ("Lledo"). A shot to establish relative scale (and how to have
a squadron of heavy bombers in the VBCW without overwhelming the
area of the wargames table)

Light bomber and Heavy bomber - a Mongrel soars over a grounded Lancaster. Another
shot to establish relative scale. Despite their very differing origins (historically and in
terms of plastic and modelling quality), the two types look fine together.

"Instrument check, is it? Engine check, sir!" - a pair of Mongrels joyride
over the airfield. As the VBCW wore on and parts and aviation fuel became
scarcities, such early RAF practices of youthful enthusiasm became
 frowned upon. These two light bombers have to get back soon, anyway..

...ready for that afternoon's full parade. Clockwise from the Lancasters - Gladiators,
Venoms at the fore, Mongrels. The overworked RAF Bowser sits in the middle.

Next up - Red Air Force!

LIFTING OFF OUT OF LOCKDOWN - BUF AIRFORCE

Well, at some point we all (in the real world) will get out of lockdown - hopefully in time for a (slightly delayed) Spring Big Game 2021! Back in the world of the Hereford1938 Very British Civil War, the British Union of Fascists have been first to take advantage of the "2020 Modelling Challenge" ("Aircraft and Anti-Everything") with a display of airpower lifting off "at a strategic site out of County", thought to be the Gloster Aircraft Works at Hucclecote, Gloucestershire:

A flight of BUF Vickers Venom interceptor aircraft. The timing and demands of the Civil War 

caused the Venom to be favoured over the more complicated and expensive Spitfire, and 

even the rugged Hurricane. See HERE for an explanation and brief history of this

 iconic - if scarcely remembered - VBCW type.

A full BUF Squadron of Venoms line up for inspection. Vickers turned out hundreds of these 
aircraft over the course of the Civil War. The BUF's pilots were recruited either from
the civil aviation sector, or via the BUF's many "gliding clubs", with a relatively few
senior officers being directly transferred from the RAF (often, but not always, under protest).

A half Squadron of BUF ground attack aircraft - the Mongrel day bomber. Developed by Sir Reginald B'Stard, the
 famous (in his day) aircraft designer, these have been identified as characteristically "square tailed" Mk.II(G) types,
of course indicating manufacture by Messrs. Woolworths & Woolworths of Enfield.
 A potted history of their design can be found HERE

Lift off! Mongrel Day Bombers fly out of Hucclecote Landing Strip.
(Wargamers Note - bases from tops of Tesco coffee jars (small) weighted
with cheap WH Smith modelling clay, stands from bamboo barbecue skewers.
Even these 'cheapskate' bases plus costs of paint came close to being more
expensive than the aircraft models themselves....)

The complete BUF airforce in late afternoon flight (or forest of bamboo skewers).The Mongrel day bombers
take the lead, with 'top cover' being provided by the Vickers Venoms. The two 'weavers' or 'tail end Charlies'
bring up the rear at a slightly higher altitude, as per best RAF early war practice. It is thought that this was
a training flight rather than a battlefield mission.

Next up - the "Red" Air Force and Royal Air Force.....

AIRCRAFT (7) AIR MARSHALL EDWARD VIII

Quite apart from the bothersome business of being King (or "kinging", as he liked to put it), upon his accession, Edward VIII automatically became the senior Air Marshall of the RAF:

Air Marshall Edward VIII, Chief of the RAF. A contemporary postcard
recording his inspection tour of 8th July 1936.

Sunglasses on to view the flypast at Northolt. Behind the King, the Duke of York

This Pathe newsreel records some events from the morning inspection at Northolt (including the King "sneaking a fag" while supposedly closely inspecting his air force) and is complementary to the Pathe newsreel flagged up in this previous post.

The July 1936 RAF inspection was, of course, one of the last occasions upon which the King and the Duke of York were seen in public together before the outbreak of the VBCW. By July 1936, the King was already looking forward to his summer cruise aboard "The Nahlin" in the company of Mrs Simpson (as she then was), which holiday alerted the world (if not then the British public) to the forthcoming crisis in the British monarchy, and thereafter the country. See HERE.

PS. It is unknown how much "air support" the Duke of York presently enjoys within the VBCW. Following his return from Canada, the Duke is instead gathering "popular support" for the Albertine cause in South Wales - and Ross-on-Wye.

AIRCRAFT (6) VBCW "MONGREL DAY BOMBER"

Our piece of "cheep Chinese plastic", as used in the Modelling Challenge 2020, may be many things (check back on this thread using the label "Aircraft & Anti Everything"), but it is clearly more of an "air superiority fighter/ground attack fighter" than a "bomber". For the purpose of VBCW "air fleets", this posed a significant problem that could only be solved by - well, doubling down with another piece of "cheep Chinese plastic", as purchased from Ebay:

As long as you don't look at the underside of the fuselage, it's, er.....ok. What do you want for 80p inclusive of P&P?

This particularly fine example of the Chinese plastics industry is made of rather softer plastic than our Vickers Venom job, but it is still workable and takes paint kindly enough (over a plastic primer). And it actually "scales" rather nicely with the Vickers Venoms, so all is not at all lost.

But what kind of 1930s plane is it? Originally, it was purchased in the hope that - with its long canopy, elongated nose and single propellor, it would bear a passing resemblance to that wonder of 1930s British Aircraft Industry, the Fairey Battle "day bomber":

Introduced to service in 1936, by 1940 the Fairey Battle was fulfilling its grim role of being shot up by marauding Me 109's (when not being shot down by ground AA fire).

And to a certain extent, it does. But closer examination reveals the horrible truth - the front end and wings appear to be an oversized (and mangled by constant copying over the years) species of Spitfire, while the canopy and tail appear to come from an (equally mangled early variant) Stuka! If this was to be a Fairey Battle, it would be a fairly "bastardized" version! 

Camouflage painting may hide many "problems", but this was time for a more significant intervention : the ever helpful VBCW 'backstory'. Hence can be presented - the Elstree Industries "Mongrel" day bomber (although actual manufacture may have been sub-contracted to Messrs. Woolworths & Woolworths of Enfield) as designed by Elstree's most famous aircraft engineer, Sir Reginald B'stard (knighted in the 1938 Honours List for services to the VBCW aircraft industry). For those unfamiliar with his technical work (quite why he is ignored in almost all the 'history' books, in favour of Camm and Mitchell, remains a mystery), he is probably now best known for being the grandfather of that public spirited Member of Parliament of the 80s and 90s, Alan B'stard:

Alan B'stard MP, grand-son of the VBCW aircraft designer responsible for the Elstree "Mongrel"

The Elstree Mongrel, once introduced into VBCW service, will complement the RAF's existing "heavy transport/bomber" fleet:

This well armed transport was recently seen in action at The Second Battle of Shobdon

A squadron of RAF Heavy Bombers at an airfield "somewhere in the West Midlands".
(The model is a "snaptite egg scale" Lancaster by Meng Kids)

AIRCRAFT(5) THE KING'S VENOM

From "British Aviation : Ominous Skies" by Harald Penrose (p.92):

"The full panopoly of the [aircraft] industry's latest designs was on view at the A&AEE Martlesham Heath on 8th July [1936] when the King [Edward VIII], in RAF uniform, accompanied by Air Chief Marshall the Duke of York, make a tour of four stations of his Air Force. In his Royal Rapide, piloted by Flt. Lt. "Mouse" Fielden, he flew first to Northolt to inspect the Fury and Gauntlet Fighter Squadrons, then visited No.11 Flying Training School at Wittering, afterwards to Mildenhall to inspect Hind and Heyford Bomber Squadrons, and so to the A&AEE ["Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment"] where he was received by Air Commodore R.H.Verney and the Station Commander, Grp. Capt. A.C. "Cissie" Maund. On the tarmac, backed by the original World War 1 hangars, were the Spitfire, Hurricane and Venom, all with gun muzzles aggressively protruding, the hitherto unrevealed Bristol Blenheim medium bomber, Westland Lysander, Fairey Battle, Vickers Wellesley, Vickers Wellington, Handley Page HP52 Hampden (nicknamed the 'flying panhandle') and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley. The King went aboard the Wellington and received a dissertation on gun turrets, spending five minutes personally operating the nose turret. Thereafter, Sqn Ldr "Ted" Hilton, Officer commanding the bomber Test Flight, demonstrated the Blenheim, and Sqn Ldr D.F. Anderson, Officer commanding the fighter Test Flight, flew the Spitfire. Reported Flight [magazine]:

'The Spitfire roared past the Royal Standard at well over 300mph, followed by the Blenheim, the speed of which was a revelation of what a modern monoplane bomber can do. We certainly have a bomber which can outfly any fighter in service in the world today....'"[note1]

The only Blenheim prototype, K-7033, which had made its first flight only in June 1936, just weeks before
Edward VIII's inspection tour.

Blenheim Mk.1 and Spitfire in company. A view Edward VIII may well have had on 8th July 1936.

British Pathe, as ever, was on hand to film Edward VIII's inspection of the Fury and Gauntlet fighter squadrons at Northolt - see HERE - but it appears (perhaps for security reasons) that they were not invited along to Martlesham Heath to film the new generation of fighters "all with gun muzzles aggressively protruding" - Spitfire, check; Hurricane, of course; Venom.....Venom? What on earth was a Venom?

A contemporary cigarette card gives a good view of the Vickers Venom prototype
"painted in cream for exhibition purposes...with RAF roundels". The marking
PVO-10 was a "Private Venture" registration, and the Venom would subsequently
be marked with a large "3" on the fuselage (although there was only ever "1" prototype).
The "3" designation was used at the 1936 Hendon Air Display as the aircraft's "new types
number", enabling the public to identify it from the list of aircraft

within their display programmes.

The 1937 popular "part work" magazine, "Aero Engineering" carried a data sheet on the Vickers
Venom and the (now, not then) better known Vickers Wellington 1....

....and here is that 'Data Sheet', with the prototype Venom photographed with its fuselage "3".
 For the 1937 readers of "Aero Engineering", the Venom was just
 one of the RAF's new eight gunned interceptor fighters...

An earlier colour scheme for the Venom, which was unveiled in 1936 "in natural polished metal
and silver dope on the fabric control surfaces" at the Society of British Aircraft Constructors display.
This display took place at De Havilland's airfield at Hatfield.

Regular readers of the blog will recall the mystery aircraft captured on film ("just after the prototype Spitfire") at the 1937 Hendon Air Display - see this earlier BLOGPOST. Whilst there has been some (VBCW) speculation that the mystery aircraft was an "Elstree Aeronautics prototype", in fact it has now been positively identified as the Vickers Venom in flight.

Which takes us back to the VBCW, and the 2020 Modelling Challenge. Once our piece of "cheep Chinese plastic" - with its prominent radial engine - is converted into a monoplane (a matter of seconds), it makes for a pretty fair (well, at least with a fair wind) wargamers' resemblance to the "Vickers Venom". The Venom was, after all, the ultimate British development of a radial engined fighter (powered by the Bristol Aquila as opposed to the Spitfire's inline Rolls Royce Merlin), and the model competition field is threadbare - there has only ever been one 1/72 kit of the plane, the now very OOP Magna Models metal and resin version:

The Magna Models 1/72 kit assembled and painted by
Peter Burstow. See:
https://modelingmadness.com/review/preww2/gb/burstven.htm

In any event, why did the Venom remain only a prototype and not go into production? Why was it Spitfires and Hurricanes defending our shores in 1940 - and, given the hopes and illustrations of 1936/1937, not fleets of nimble Venoms? [note2]. Some of the factors that seem to have told against the Venom were:

(1). Supermarine, the manufacturers of the Spitfire, was a subsidiary of Vickers, the proposed manufacturer of the Venom. The same congolomerate producing two different designs for the same role, i.e. fighter interceptor, would have been somewhat problematic; particularly as Supermarine had well known issues with Spitfire production that required urgent resolution by management;

(2). apart from Spitfire manufacture via its Supermarine subsidiary, Vickers was also producing the Wellington bomber. It's production was at full capacity, which would have meant the Venom either being produced under licence, or by a sub-contractor, or an entirely new 'shadow factory' being constructed. None of these were straightforward prospects;

(3). there were significant "cut out and fade out" problems with the powerplant around which the Venom had been designed, the Aquila AE-3S radial engine, which problems were never really resolved;

(4). the Venom lacked all armour protection. While "the possibility of fitting 600 pounds of armour to the Venom was...briefly investigated" it was "swiftly dismissed as the airframe would have to be completely redesigned to take the additional weight".

These problems saw the Venom relegated swiftly from its once prominent position as part of the 'new generation' of British fighters. However, there was a flurry of "fresh interest" in the Venom programme in mid-1937, apparently based on its relative cheapness, prospective ease of manufacture and maintenance, and the possibility of sub-contracting manufacture to enable potential sales to friendly foreign countries. This "last flurry" died out soon enough, however, and the British aircraft industry instead concentrated entirely on the Spitfire and Hurricane.....

But as for the VBCW......all these same factors - cheapness, ease of manufacture and maintenance, sub-contract manufacture - combined to make the Vickers Venom highly attractive as a fighter plane for the contending factions, and 1938 soon saw a number of 'shadow factories' set up by both the RAF and the BUF, the latter particularly designed to supply "Air Wings" for use on newly acquired carriers such as the Charles A. Lindbergh....

Notes:

[1]. The maximum speed of the Blenheim was, in fact, 266mph (at 11,800ft). See HERE. Flight magazine's opinion was therefore mere puff - the Blenheim could not outfly the Spitfire, nor even the Hurricane Mk.1 (316mph at 16,200ft). In fairness, however, the Messerschmitt 109 was only introduced to the Luftwaffe some eight months later, in February 1937, and even then could not reach the Hurricane's speed until the introduction of the "E" series in late 1938/early 1939.

[2]. The Venom had a top speed of 312mph at 16,500ft, a service ceiling of 32,000ft and a rate of climb of 3,000ft a minute. It was therefore in the same class as the Hurricane Mk.1 in all respects, and quite as capable of dealing with a Blenheim. By way of contrast, it clearly outmatched the Gloster Gladiator (still in service during the Battle of France 1940 and, at least as to one squadron, the Battle of Britain, thereafter in Greece, the Middle East and Malta), which had a top speed of 253mph at 14,500ft and a rate of climb of 2,300ft a minute.

Additional Notes:

[1]. Edward "Mouse" Fielden's biography can be found HERE. For the Dragon Rapide of the King's Flight, see note 5 to this EARLIER BLOGPOST.

[2]. Air Commodore R.H.Verney's biography can be found HERE, and Group Captain "Cissie" Maund's HERE.

[3]. This page is particularly useful on the Vickers Venom, specifically on its potential use as a navalised fighter. This YouTube video demonstrates the Venom's undoubted ease of maintenance.

BAE Systems brief history of interwar Vickers experimental designs can be found HERE

AIRCRAFT (4) : PATHE NEWS AND ELSTREE AERONAUTICS

A link to the Pathe newsreel recording of the 1937 RAF Airshow at Hendon - but what aircraft appears so briefly at about 3.44, just after the prototype Spitfire [note1]? Could it perhaps be our own Elstree Aeronautics prototype, caught on contemporary camera?

See HERE

[Note 1] The first flight of the Spitfire was on 5th March 1936, but it was not introduced into service until 4th August 1938. The 1937 Hendon Airshow took place in May 1937.

AIRCRAFT (3) MORE COLOURFUL INTERWAR TYPES

Continuing our look at interwar types (and colourful camouflage schemes) to inspire conversion and painting of our "piece of cheep Chinese plastic":

The Amerikanskis must not be allowed to have all the
best camouflage schemes! A Polikarpov I-15bis in the
service of Comrade Colonel Professor Winters taxis
into the wind at Shobdon Airfield....

...while this Polikarpov I-16 Rata is preparing to land, fresh from combat in the skies of Spain.
A retractable undercarriage (the first in operational service) solves any undercarriage
problems for the modeller!

The Henschel 123B is the German effort, retaining a biplane configuration but
with a 'big radial engine'

while the Gloucester Gauntlet might be the choice for the Royalist faction looking
for a top "Interceptor Fighter". The Gauntlet was the fastest aircraft in the RAF
from 1935 to 1937 (top speed 229 mph - compared to the slightly later Spitfire Mk.1's
top speed of 355mph!!) and the chequerboard patterns are an open invitation
to a courageous modeller with too much time on his hands...

whatever the choice of type and camouflage, completion of the 2020 Modelling Challenge ("Aircraft and Anti-Everything") by Ebay purchase of our piece of "cheep Chinese plastic" should give the VBCW
modeller enough planes for "full Squadron manoeuvres" over the battlefield!