Airfix Vickers Wellington Mk.II 1/72 2021 release full build and review HD 720p

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In this video I'm building the Airfix 1/72 scale model of the Vickers Wellington Mk.II bomber from World War Two. This is a 2021 kit, based on a 2018 tooling with new parts and decals.
This is a skill level 3 kit so quite detailed and intricate, but there are some short cuts and top tips along the way.
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[@IncogNito-gg6uh]

The Anson and the Wellington were the first Airfix kits I built in the mid 1960s. I had never heard of Airfix, or, for that matter, the Anson or the Wellington, until I stumbled across these kits at a Woolworths Five and Dime. I thought the detail on those kits was extraordinary back then.

[@chrisclarke8361]

My grandfather was a bomb-aimer in a Wellington over Italy and Northern Africa during WWII. He then emigrated to Canada.

[@garys_stuff]

Your grandfather, like so many of his generation, was a hero. I hope he lived well after the war. Good clean air in Canada!

[@chrisclarke8361]

@@garys_stuff Thank you! We're all very proud of him. I like to think he lived well. He met my grandma in London (she's Canadian) and after marriage, they moved back to Ontario. He worked for Imperial Oil while my grandma was an English Teacher. He was your typical 1923 born Londoner to us. RARELY ever spoke about his time in the RAF, we only really heard about it from what he told my grandma. He loved his tea, sweets, football, and Benny Hill. He sadly passed away in 2009 after he and my grandma moved far out west to British Columbia. His nickname during the war was Andy (not sure why). I was able to read his training book from just before his first live sortie over enemy positions. It was training about bomb placement and weather and then in the next section he states "That was one hell of a night!". I miss not being able to spend more time with him. His name was Gordon Roland Annison b.1923. We miss you, grandpa!

[@randytaylor1258]

@@garys_stuff We know how the war turned out but they didn't where they enlisted. Wellies were flying over the continent before there were convoys and pathfinder and you never knew who was going to make it back and who never did.

[@barbarajames3050]

My dad was a Warrant Officer in WW2 and was a navigator on the Wellingtons on Coastal Command. He never spoke about his war years, however he was known as lucky Jack, as whenever they were out on a sortie they always returned safely. I want to make this Wellington in his memory.

[@garys_stuff]

Your Dad was a hero. Coastal Command didn't use the Mk.II with the Merlin engines like this however - your best bet might be to get one of the Wellington GR Mk.VIII kits Airfix released in 2019, should be very easy to find on the second hand market online. It'll be in the right kind of colour scheme, have the right engines and will have the right aerials, etc. for it. It is from the same basic tooling as this one so the quality will be excellent. Really nice thing to do to remember and celebrate "Lucky Jack"!

[@davegoldsmith4020]

The airfix Wellington was one of the first kits I made with my dad in the early sixties, at the time I did know he had been an air gunner on Wellingtons in Egypt in WW2.

[@garys_stuff]

As I say to anyone here who has a relative who has served, they are proper heroes. Most of their stories only come out later in life, or sadly once they are gone. I know I've only heard a fraction of my Dad's history in the FAA - Malaya and Korea included...

[@polishedceri8624]

@@garys_stuff how absolutely incredible to have a father who was in the FAA, they don't receive the mainstream recognition they deserve. I love everything about the FAA and your father is among the absolute highest tier of my hero's and I'm very very grateful for his service.

[@garys_stuff]

@@polishedceri8624 thanks, that's very kind! Best thing he ever did was introduce me to the Field Gun Competition at the Royal Tournament each year - shouting for the FAA against Devonport or Portsmouth is a cherished memory. We still talk about it now!

[@chrissharp5073]

I can remember building this kit way back in the 60's when I was a "sprog" and it was a lot simpler model then! How these kits have evolved since those far off days! Nice model and certainly requires a lot of patience to build, well done and thank you for sharing

[@DavidMartin-ym2te]

And me! That was a long time ago...

[@randytaylor1258]

@@DavidMartin-ym2te Remember when Airfix and Frog kits are in bags hung on a rack? That was back when you almost carved the kit out of the plastic parts!

[@Jeff-cv4qn]

@@randytaylor1258 I remember well LOL

[@AlanWitton]

Great looking kit Gary! I've just finished building a Bristol Beaufighter TF.X in 1:72 scale

[@russelltaylor535]

I had the same issue as you did with the mis-molded gun barrels. A call to Airfix got them to send correctly molded replacements.

[@garys_stuff]

Thanks Russell, good info! Cheers, Gary

[@jonbell3020]

Nice video mate, you’ve got me a bit closer to building mine. Nice un sloppy, above average way of presenting it too and no bullshit. Thanks ordinary bloke. 👍

[@pomojemu3235]

Good job and good set of marking choice ;) Greetings from Poland!!!

[@randlerobbertson8792]

My dad was Raf groundcrew . met my mum whilst training at Padgate camp near Warrington. Served from about 1941 for bomber command and later coastal command, past wars end. He had an especially soft spot for the wimpey and when travelling long distance was always fascinated by watching through the fuselage windows, the wings having a 'quiet flap'(yes - they did). I suppose its his war stories about aeroplanes like this, told to me as a young boy that got me interested in aeroplanes. Some of. his stories were quite visceral when it came to meeting bombers like wimpeys returning in the morning after night raids over Germany, badly shot up and great damage to the geodetic structure, whole areas of wing or fuselage missing fabric or, with bombs hung up, ground crew had to sometimes catch fused bombs in a 'bomb sheet' as they stood around the plane and the bomb doors were opened and, turrets that needed cleaning out - blood and guts wise after unfortunate occupants had been hit. So many, many stories he had, from Padgate, through Bircham Newton to Sunderlands and catalinas in the far east. So this build was poignant to me and quite fascinating to see how the kit has developed from the crude effort with pegasus engines I built as a kid. really enjoyable.

[@garys_stuff]

Glad to have rekindled some great memories of your father, Randle. Like you, I can only listen to my father with wonder at the things that generation went through. Good to hear such a personal connection to the hobby, thanks for sharing it.

[@michaelcampin1464]

Thats was comical.about the Elsan toilet. It made me smile on a cold and dreary day in Northern England. Thank you 😀

[@garys_stuff]

My pleasure Michael!

[@jtpsquaash]

Really nice build lovely work on the interior

[@paintingpanzers]

Excellent video Gary! I've just stubbled across your channel and subscribed! I have a picture holding a Wellington Bomber that my dad and I painted when I was a young lad so I've purchased one to paint up. I'll be using this as reference :)

[@garys_stuff]

Thank man! It's a lovely kit!

[@paulagoodwin3641]

Great video and very helpful. Thanks

[@ChannelClosed1346]

Exellent work!👍

[@randytaylor1258]

Well, that went together well. That wouldn't have been the case with older Airfix molds. You seem to use the term interior green for 2 different colors. Interior green is as you have described it, and that IJN green is a nice scale match. But the "interior green" for mechanical areas is often zinc chromate primer/preservative on Allied aircraft, which is actually a tinted yellow in colour. Just a note from previous builds. This is a workhorse aircraft in WWII and, I would have thought, a complicated build. But you took us through it a step at a time and made it all work. Bravo!

[@garys_stuff]

Thanks Randy! Yes, I have encountered green zinc chromate on other kits - like the Hellcat in FAA service. I followed the Airfix advice on colours and they may well use interior green instead of chromate in some bits - I'm sadly not that familiar with the Wellington to know what goes where beyond the instruction leaflet! BTW more recently I have been using Vallejo IAF/IDF Green for RAF interiors as that seems just a bit closet to the BS colour. Cheers, Gary

[@rimizoem]

Really nice work !

[@garys_stuff]

Thanks Richard!

[@taumoose6654]

Very nice build and video. I am glad other modelers still use brushes to paint models. Also that you had an Out of the Box build. Looking forward to seeing more videos.

[@rogueriderhood1862]

A great kit, but Airfix did slip up a little by making the bomb bay roof open latticework. In fact it had a solid floor to the fuselage, easily sorted with thin plastic card. As moulded there would have been a hell of a draught in the fuselage when the bomb doors were opened! Excellent video.

[@mirrorblue100]

Cracking great stuff.

[@TJFNixon]

Thanks for the video. I’m building the mk1 so this is very helpful. 👍🏻

[@garys_stuff]

Glad to be of help. It is a very fine kit, good luck with it!

[@TJFNixon]

@@garys_stuff I’ve now built it! It’s a great kit. Do you have any recommendations for weathering a plane like this? I’ve only done panel washes before. 🧐

[@garys_stuff]

@@TJFNixon I did panel washes on the Stirling I've just finished, using a grey wash for the black areas and that worked well. Otherwise using a weathering pencil is a good way to get chipping effects on finished paint - use one of the water-soluble pencils from an art shop like Faber Aqua - or an AK Interactive pencil of course! They do a variety of aluminium shades but are not the cheapest things. Little bits of dry brushing of aluminium can look good too but practice on a bit of sprue first, this kind of thing is useful for propellers. Also add some brownish grey wash to the gear legs perhaps.

[@TJFNixon]

@@garys_stuff ace. Thanks. I’ll give it a go. 👍🏻

[@Ramiiam]

Nice job. Better secure that slop bucket.

[@garys_stuff]

Chemical warfare, emptying the Elsan over enemy territory...

[@deanburn3400]

Nice build Gary must get one of those Wellingtons never built one before. I also did fancy building the RAF coastal command one which I believe my grandad flew in although I think it was the Short Sterling flying boat coastal U-boat command bomber. Thanks again a lovely build.

[@garys_stuff]

Cheers Dean. Doing a kit from the heart is the best way - connections with the past and members of our families. It's a tribute to them and what they all went through. Good for you, mate!

[@deanburn3400]

@@garys_stuff Thanks Gary yes he finished up as Warrant Officer the one parading with the big stick. From what I can remember he flew I think in Wellingtons the Short Sterling I think Whitleys and of course Halifaxs and of course tail end Charlie in Avro Lancasters which he thought most beautiful but as I can remember him saying his favourite as I found to believe was the Short Sterling. Again another build Gary might be worth doing at some point. He got shot down I thought over Berlin but I traced his records and it was the Netherlands. As he said to me when I was a young lad I was lucky very lucky to survive. My dad had his flying gear but that in the bin years ago I'm afraid. So your absolutely right like many modellers I do have a real closeness the RAF Bombers and crews and making one of them models will get to me I guess.

[@andykopgod]

This kit would look good as a cutaway interior display, what you think?

[@garys_stuff]

Very much so. Many current kits would look great like that. I just don't have the skills!!!

[@andykopgod]

@@garys_stuff yes when the interiors are so detailed its a shame we cant often see them.

[@seangrimes2770]

great video Gary! love your work and model choices. Could you please give me some advice on buying an airbrush? i still use brushes so am pretty clueless as to what i need to look at thanks

[@garys_stuff]

Hi Sean, I found that the cheaper airbrushes all seem to be pretty much the same. What has made a difference to me is getting an airbrush with a half decent compressor. I use a Timbertech one that costs about £74 at the moment online. What I have also found invaluable are the many tutorial videos around on KZbin, so spend a bit of time with them as well. Thanks for the kind feedback too!

[@randytaylor1258]

Also, while it might not seem obvious, you need to master the airflow to the brush. Less air gives you more control over the paint when working on a model. Aaron Skinner at FineScale put out a magazine-sized book on airbrushing a few years ago and it's terrific.

[@michaelcampin1464]

I always had my models in flying mode and ended up with loads of spare wheel pieces and sometimes spare bombs if i kept the bombbay doors closed.

[@darkknight1340]

It's a bit of an improvement over the original series 4 B mk.iii !.

[@darrenhillman8396]

Nice job, Gary! I note you have had to use an amount of filler on the fuselage and engine casing joints - were these areas problematic? As an armour modeller returning to a hobby I left a very long time ago, I am pondering whether to dip my toe into a small but relatively simple aircraft build, just to show willing! Can you recommend anything? Gnat / Hawk / Jet Provost? Also, can you tell us what airbrush you use? I have an old Badger starter airbrush kit in the loft - is it worth me recommissioning it or do look for a good starter airbrush? Have seen the battery-powered ones advertised - are they any good or are they a gimmick? Apologies for so many questions, Mr Evans, but I have an enquiring mind. Well, most of the time! Best wishes from Wirral!

[@garys_stuff]

I suspect the filler was more of a 'me' problem than a kit problem, but I'd have to watch it back to be sure. Sometimes there looks to be loads of filler and I've either filmed it before final sanding or the lip is very small but I have a wide streak to similarly thin filler to even out the surface as much as possible. But I can't remember any bad fit in the kit at all. As for simple kits - the new starter set Hawk is very straightforward indeed but you might find it too basic for you - the JP is a nice little kit and I've not made the Gnat. I'd wait a few weeks to see what Aldi and Lidl do this year because both of them have deals coming up with Airfix and around a fiver a kit might be a good time to buy some of these to try out! Not definite what kits will be included yet. My airbrush is a Timbertech one off Amazon, comes with a proper compressor (but not an air reservoir tank). I tried one of those ones with the desk-top little compressors and they were really not any good for me. Really wouldn't go with a battery powered one. With a proper compressor you get a fairly steady flow that you can dial up or down with some accuracy depending on what you're spraying. They also come with different size nozzles and matched needles again depending on what you're trying to do. There are many, many videos on YT about airbrushes! My one was about £75 or so and has been going for a couple of years without any major issues. One thing, especially with acrylics, is keeping it clean and maybe even using acrylic retarder to stop the paint drying in the nozzle. Very happy to answer questions when I can - just allow that the reply might be a day or two later than the question! BTW, have you made the Tamiya 1/35 Chieftain? Seems cheap for the size?

[@MHMajid-yi8iu]

👍

[@andywhite6713]

Can you recommend an airbrush and compressor at a reasonable cost please? I've been looking for some time and I'm getting a little lost. Many Thanks Andy

[@garys_stuff]

Hi Andy, the one I got was from Amazon - link is: amzn.to/3vleIHM I find it works well. Keeping it clean is the best tip I can offer! Whenever it has misbehaved it has been because I haven't kept it properly. Tools for cleaning are included, I also like to use an ultrasonic bath now and again like this one: amzn.to/3OEA8Y6 Hope that helps!

[@karanboland1204]

this may seem trivial, but why no pilot figures?

[@garys_stuff]

It seems a bit random to be honest. The new Mosquito only has the pilot, even though the navigator was sat right next to the driver. I don't think the Lancaster or the B-17 have pilots. Some 1/48th stuff comes with a pilot and others don't. Must be the plastic budget for each kit. I will ask...

[@karanboland1204]

@@garys_stuff thanks for that, my husband is thinking of doing some model kits again, he's 60 now, only this time he won't be having them covered in glue, and wants to paint them properly, he's been used to the crew being included.

[@garys_stuff]

@@karanboland1204 if it helps him I'm 60 myself!!!

[@jonbell3020]

Sorry, that should’ve been “above medium “ ........

[@richardsteel2193]

Have to say I'm not crazy about this kit like 😒

[@garys_stuff]

In what way?

[@fasold2164]

The kit is good and a variant with Rolls-Royce "Merlin" engines instead of the usual Bristol "Pegasus" engines is certainly interesting. Unfortunately you built the model a bit in a "sloppy" way: abrasive dust and other small particles on the surface, silvering of decals (19:38), overflowing cement (20:07), uneven panel lines (19:57) ... therefore it's just "medium" quality in my opinion.

[@garys_stuff]

Sorry you think my work is "sloppy". I'm doing my best in a tiny corner of a multi-use room I have to share. If I ever get a studio I'm sure I can do better, maybe achieve better than just "medium" quality. My videos are only there to share my experience of making these kits, not to lecture or pretend I can do well enough to win competitions. I never will be that good. But thanks for your remarks.

[@weebolddavy]

@@garys_stuff I've not built an Airfix kit for 50 years! I can't believe the detail that Airfix now incorporate in their models. Don't worry too much about your work being 'sloppy', I think that your model is stunning, be proud of it. Everyone has different standards and if the way you do it gives you pleasure and satisfaction, what the hell does it matter what anyone else thinks. You've just inspired me to go out and buy an Airfix model, just the same as my older brother did all those years ago by being in the RAF. Keep up the good work.

[@randytaylor1258]

@@garys_stuff You get 100 marks for finishing the kit. You lose a couple of marks for minor mistakes, but remember that the goal was to show us how it went together. I know lots of "experts" who really have nothing more than a collection of half-finished cockpits. It takes guts to do this in front of us and I learn something every video, my friend.

[@seanpalmer6801]

Annoys me people using a brush lik a pen ...the bristles supposed to be straight to the ferrel all times arrrgghhh...use your bloody wrist actions