[CMR72-139] Westland Wapiti Mk.IIA ‘RAF Service’

Description

The Westland Wapiti was a British-built two-seat general purpose military biplane of the 1920s. It was used in the Army Co-operation role, as a bomber or reconnaissance aircraft. The prototype flew in March 1927 and the type entered service with the RAF one year later. It was in production until 1932, with a total of 565 aircraft being built. The initial production comprised the wooden fuselage, tail and wings which were replaced by metal structures in the Wapiti Mk.II and IIA. It was a conventional two-bay biplane with tandem open cockpits and a fixed main undercarriage. The forward fuselage was of metal covering, while the rear fuselage was fabric covered. The Wapiti was powered by a Bristol Jupiter radial engine turning two-blade wooden propeller. It was armed with a forward-firing Vickers machine gun and a Lewis gun for the observer, and it could carry up to 580 lb of bombs of various types under the fuselage and wings. It was also fitted with a radio and photographic instruments. The Wapiti equipped twenty squadrons of the RAF, serving both at home and overseas – in India and Iraq. It remained in RAF service until 1940.

Colour schemes included in the kit:

1)   Westland Wapiti Mk.IIA, K1291, No.27 Sq., Kohat airfield, India, 1936

2)   Westland Wapiti Mk.IIA, J9403, No.30 Sq., Mosul airfield, Iraq, 1929

3)   Westland Wapiti Mk.IIA, K1336, No.607 (County of Durham) Sq. (RAuxAF), Usworth airfield, Durham, U.K., 1935

4)   Westland Wapiti Mk.IIA, J9388, No.31 Sq., Quetta airfield, India, 1931-32

5)   Westland Wapiti Mk.IIA, K1342, No.601 (County of London) Sq. (RAuxAF), Hendon airfield, London, U.K., 1932

Assembly instructions:

CMR72-139 Westland Wapiti Mk.IIA RAF Service_instr web

Reference material:

CMR72-139 Westland Wapiti Mk.IIA RAF Service_In Detail Supplement_web