{"id":4150,"date":"2023-06-18T23:54:06","date_gmt":"2023-06-18T21:54:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.4pluspublications.com\/en\/?post_type=product&p=4150"},"modified":"2025-08-04T16:39:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T14:39:00","slug":"cmr72-200-short-s-23-c-class-empire-flying-boat","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.4pluspublications.com\/en\/produkt\/cmr72-200-short-s-23-c-class-empire-flying-boat\/","title":{"rendered":"[CMR72-200] Short S.23 \u2018C Class\u2019 Empire Flying Boat"},"content":{"rendered":"

Short Brothers built forty-two S.23, S.30 & S.33 Empire flying-boats. All the \u02bcboats were assembled in No.3 Erecting Shop of the Seaplane Works at Rochester in Kent UK, beside the River Medway. The Empire boats were designed in 1934 to implement the Empire Air Mail Scheme, carrying unsurcharged letter mail throughout the British Empire and Dominions between the terminals at Southampton, Durban and Sydney – later continuing to Auckland, New Zealand. Some of the payload was available for small numbers of passengers and freight.
\nThe boats were operated by Imperial Airways Limited (IAL), QANTAS Empire Airways (QEA) and Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) and later, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). The IAL and QEA Empire flying boats ran the Empire Air Mail Scheme & Programme for two years and ten months, ending with the outbreak of World War II in 1939. With Pan American Airways, the IAL \u02bcboats pioneered the Atlantic crossing and one was employed on the Bermuda-New York service. Two \u02bcboats were armed and impressed into the Royal Air Force to become casualties of the Norwegian campaign.
\nThe second chapter of their service history started in 1940 when the Horseshoe Route came into operation. The Horseshoe \u02bcboats pounded the route, an inverted horseshoe on the map, from Durban, through the Middle East and across India, to Sydney and return. Diversions took two of the \u02bcboats on a shuttle operation to Crete to evacuate British military personnel. The Horseshoe Route was broken by the capture of Singapore. The \u02bcboats on the Australian side of the break, some QEA & some BOAC, became involved in the hostilities. Most QEA \u02bcboats were armed as were the two TEAL \u02bcboats that maintained the link between Sydney and Auckland throughout the war, doubling as reconnaissance bombers as required. Two BOAC \u02bcboats were converted to military status for service with the Royal Air Force. The Horseshoe Route lasted for six years and nine months.
\nSixteen of the original forty-two survived the war, to be broken up. The very last Empire \u02bcboat remained as a landlocked exhibit in Auckland until it was hauled off for scrapping some time after 1954, so ending a significant era of aviation history. The first Empire \u02bcboat, S.23 Construction number S.795 G-ADHL CANOPUS, went down the slipway outside No.3 Shop in July 1936 and the last, an S.33, S.1026 G-AFRA CLEOPATRA, in May 1940.<\/p>\n

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Colour schemes included in the kit:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

1) Short S.23 \u2018C Class\u2019, G-ADHL (MSN S.795) \u02bcCanopus\u2018, Imperial Airways London (IAL), July \u2012 October 1936<\/p>\n

2) Short S.23 \u2018C Class\u2019, G-ADHL (MSN S.795) \u02bcCanopus\u2018, Imperial Airways London (IAL), 1937 \u2012 1939<\/p>\n

3) Short S.23 \u2018C Class\u2019, G-ADHL (MSN S.795) \u02bcCanopus\u2018, Imperial Airways London (IAL)\/British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), late 1939 \u2012 early 1940<\/p>\n

4) Short S.23 \u2018C Class\u2019, G-ADVB (MSN S.819) \u02bcCorsair\u2018, Imperial Airways London (IAL), 1937 \u2012 1939<\/p>\n

5) Short S.23 \u2018C Class\u2019, G-AFBL (MSN S.878) \u02bcCooee\u2018, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), August 1942 onwards<\/p>\n

6) Short S.23 \u2018C Class\u2019, VH-ABF (MSN S.878) \u02bcCooee\u2018, QANTAS Empire Airways (QEA), March 1938 \u2012 August 1942<\/p>\n

7) Short S.23 \u2018C Class\u2019, VH-ABD (MSN S.850) \u02bcCorio\u2018, QANTAS Empire Airways (QEA), February 1938 \u2012 September 1939<\/p>\n

8) Short S.23 \u2018C Class\u2019, VH-ABG (MSN S.838) \u02bcCoriolanus\u2018, QANTAS Empire Airways (QEA), August 1942 \u2012 1947<\/p>\n

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Assembly instructions:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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CMR72-200 Short S.23_instr web<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RELEASED 2\/2008<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This resin\/multi-media kit contains 149 parts, clear resin and clear vacformed parts (one cockpit canopy, a landing lamp and 37 passenger cabin windows) and a pre-coloured photo-etched fret. A pre-cut Kabuki tape paint mask for canopy\/window frame painting is provided. Two sets of comprehensive decal sheets are included.<\/p>\n

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Reference material:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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