*(125) DE HAVILAND DH-10 BOMBER
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AURORA KIT NO.125-DE HAVILAND DH-10 BOMBER
AURORA produced two WWI bombers in their series-the once much-coveted Gotha G.V and the lesser-known De Havilland DH10 of which only one, F1867, was ever used in action on the day before the Armistice was signed. Aurora's kit was a big beast spanning over 43 mm and with over 70 parts presented quite a challenge for even experienced modellers of the time. Wings featured untypical wing aerofoil sections with no rib detail on their undersides. Although marketed as a DH10, the kit actually represents the later DH10A with engine nacelles mounted directly to the lower wing panels. Outlines are reasonably accurate apart from an over-sized fin/rudder that can be filed into submission. Moulded in glossy olive and black, our kit is in good condition with most parts having long parted company with their runners and thus secured in separate polybags. The box has seen better days and sports more evocative Jo Kotula artwork : yellow skyscapes seemed to be a recurring theme with Aurora's artists whose brief was to make the kits eye-catching enough to attract younger modellers-in this they regularly succeeded!
WHY did Aurora produce this 1:48 scale kit of a relatively obscure type that saw hardly any action in 'The Great War'? It was a bold move and one largely driven by logistics.They needed to pair off the more glamorous German Gotha bomber and the 'Amiens' was the only British 'twin' they could find scale drawings for and small enough in 1:48 to fit within their standard larger box. Comprising over 70 parts in olive and black,this is a somewhat complex affair and a rather weighty one. Main-plane is in three parts joined with substantial tabs and slots and the 30 seconds' glue setting time specified in the instructions was extremely optimistic! Our kit was moulded in the UK by Playcraft circa 1958-1959 and whilst the plastic content is near mint,the box is a little care-worn and creased in a few places. Outlines are commendably accurate for wings,horizontal tail-plane and fuselage although the trademark DH fin/rudder profile has escaped the toolmakers. Being oversized anyway means it just requires reshaping accordingly-and that goes for the one-piece horizontal tail-plane.
Engine nacelles let the side down being more representative of the DH10A that featured them mounted directly to the lower wing panels rather than suspended between struts as per the DH10-you can't really blame Aurora for taking the easier path.Nacelles are under-length and their rear ends need extending with plastic sheet for optimum accuracy-note that production DH10A engines incorporated upthrust.
Some re-profiling of the nose may be necessary to accord with photos and DH handbook sketches. Two small transparencies are supplied-one for the forward bomb aimer's position and a flat windscreen for the pilot. Wheels match dimensions of the 910 x 200mm fitted to early aircraft. Undersides of all five wing panels and tail-plane lack detail so rib stations need to be applied: alternatively contrasted painted decal strips will suffice. There's the obligatory ground base of course and no less than five figures.
Decals are plain and simple-just six un-outlined roundels and full area fin rudder stripes. These bear serial F4869 which actually fell within the production range of Bristol Fighters F4271-F4970 produced post-Armistice! Decals have not fared well over the ages and the box is a little battle-scarred with some vestiges of clear tape residue in places. The large fold-out instruction leaflet is copyrighted 1956,the kit produced by Playcraft Toys of London but you had to contact Swansea's 'Dept A' for missing parts...
NB:In 1972 the DH10 was reissued under both Aurora and K&B labels as 1125-a DH1OA with new decals and genuine serial F1869.Moulded in tan and black, parts were unaltered other than to remove the bogus rudder number. Four years later it was reissued for the last time as 786 with markings for F1869 once again and F8421,a DH10A built by Mann, Egerton an Co. Ltd.
DH data:The bomber was faithfully chronicled by J M Bruce in DATAFILE 38 that covers both DH10 and DH10A in great depth with many rare archive photos spread over its 36 pages along with close-ups of interiors; cockpit layouts; armament: engines and nacelles plus 1:48 scale drawings and three colour profiles.*Also:there's Profile Publications No.145 by the same author, published in 1966 with photos and colour art on inner covers. Both titles are available in store-please see links below...
