Bristol Blenheim 1F Night Fighter (RAF Digby 29 Sqn) (1:72 scale)
- Although only entering RAF service in 1937 by the outbreak of WW2 very few Blenheim 1s remained in service with UK-based bomber squadrons, most having been superseded in the bomber role by the much enhanced Mk IV. However the Mk 1 continued in service as conversion & crew trainers with OTUs. However of far more significance were around 200 Mk 1s that were converted to night fighters carrying the brand new AI (airborne Interception) radar. Similar in overall outline to the standard Mk 1 bomber, the night fighter carried an additional under-fuselage pack housing four forward firing 0.303 machine guns. It was such equipped Mk 1 Fs that scored the first successful AI interception of enemy aircraft on the night of 2-3 July 1940. Blenheim Mk 1F, L1327, based at RAF Digby in June 1940, looks remarkably similar to a standard Blenheim bomber apart from the ventral gun pack. It wasn’t until December 1940 that the night fighters began to receive an overall black paint finish.