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Looking for aftermarket help on Lancaster upper turret


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Isn't this the same as an upper turret for the B-24?

Maybe that's another way if there ain't any aftermarket?

I only thought that Mk.X's difference was that it was actually a B.I made in Canada. And only the B.VII had the Martin turret. I could be wrong though ;)

Greetings!

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Isn't this the same as an upper turret for the B-24?

Maybe that's another way if there ain't any aftermarket?

I only thought that Mk.X's difference was that it was actually a B.I made in Canada. And only the B.VII had the Martin turret. I could be wrong though ;)

Greetibgs

There were a few differences. First was the martin turret that was installed closer to the rear due to weight, they had packard merlins instead of RR and they never had any of the fuselage windows. Many of the I/III had the window frames present just filled with aluminium. Those are the onez off the top of my head but there were probably others. I want to say they had .50 instead of .303 but i could be wrong on that one.

Sean

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Anybody know if there is a Martin upper turret for the tamyia 1:48 scale Lancaster available aftermarket? Trying to convert to MK.X. Thanks

What's your mailing address? I can send you everything from my Revell Ventura.

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Take a look at a late B-25 Mitchell kit or a Ventura kit too. Some of them also had the Martin 250 electric turret. Cheers.

Just FYI, the B-25 turret will not work. B-25s used a Bendix upper turret..very different animal from the Martin. Many restored B-25s have been equipped with Martin turrets, simply because they're far more common than the Beindixes, which are almost impossible to find these days.

The Ventura does have the correct turret for a Lancaster X..but as mentioned above you'll have to move the location. I believe the Canadian-built Lancs also had a reinforcment strip of sheet metal added to the fuselage below the turret.

SN

Edited by Steve N
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There were a few differences. First was the martin turret that was installed closer to the rear due to weight, they had packard merlins instead of RR and they never had any of the fuselage windows. Many of the I/III had the window frames present just filled with aluminium. Those are the onez off the top of my head but there were probably others. I want to say they had .50 instead of .303 but i could be wrong on that one.

Sean

And they came with made in Canada stickers

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Isn't this the same as an upper turret for the B-24?

Maybe that's another way if there ain't any aftermarket?

I only thought that Mk.X's difference was that it was actually a B.I made in Canada. And only the B.VII had the Martin turret. I could be wrong though ;)

Greetings!

One could say the B.VII (I believe introduced to RAF service, post-war) was in effect, a B.X (late-war) - in appearence, anyway.

Canadian B.X's started out patterned on a B.I/III, but later we discarderd the FN64 turret for a Martin turret, ala a B-24. Specifically, the change came with KB855. I quote from "Canadian Aircraft since 1909" (K.M.Molson & H.A. Taylor) - P.67:

"The biggest change in Lancaster X's came about at KB855 with the introduction of the following modifications - installation of Martin 250/CE Type 23A mid-upper turret with two 0.50 Browning guns, 4,000 lb (1,816kg)bomb-bay doors in place of 8,000 lb (3,636kg) doors, deletion of mid-under turret, and the introduction of H2S radar." It goes on to say that almost 65% of all Lancaster X's were made to this standard.

With regard to the B.VII, the same publication states "The Martin turret was installed in the Lancaster X in time to be used in the war while the similar British modification did not. The reason for this was that A.V. Roe was preparing a modification (British no. 824) to introduce the Martin turret. The drawings were sent as they were prepared to VAL, and VAL incoorporated them into the Mk.X drawing system and released them for tooling. This had gone on for some time when A.V. Roe announced it was cancelling the modification. VAL asked what was wrong with it and was told that nothing was wrong but that A.V. Roe now did not like the external longeron and wanted to re-engineer it. However, it was agreed that VAL could complete the existing modification which was done as Canadian Modification 182."

Note, besides the different turret, the Martin turret was located about 6' ahead of the location of the standard FN64 ventral turret, with a tappered external re-inforcing strip along the fuselage on each side of the turret. This placed the turret over the rear of the bomb-bays.

Scott

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