Airfix Plastic Model Kit

Westland Lysander Mk.III Special Duties (1/48)

Airfix Westland Lysander Mk.III Special Duties depicts one of the most unusual and courageous aircraft roles of the Second World War. This 1/48 scale plastic model kit represents the modified Lysander aircraft used by the Royal Air Force for clandestine night operations in occupied Europe.

The kit captures the distinctive features of the Special Duties aircraft, including the modified rear canopy, extended range configuration and unique access ladder fitted to the port side of the fuselage. An instruction sheet, paint layout guide and decal sheet are included to support an accurate and rewarding build.

• 1/48 scale plastic model kit
• Westland Lysander Mk.III Special Duties variant
• Features unique modifications for covert operations
• Includes instruction sheet and paint layout guide
• Decal sheet included

History

In 1941, the Royal Air Force identified a requirement to adapt a number of Westland Lysander communications aircraft for a new clandestine role known as Special Duties. Around forty aircraft were modified, with all defensive armament removed and their operational range extended through the addition of a larger internal oil tank and an external 150 gallon fuel tank mounted beneath the fuselage.

The rear gunner’s position was redesigned with a sliding single piece canopy and additional space to carry up to three passengers. A sturdy ladder was fitted to the port side of the aircraft, allowing agents to board and disembark quickly during short landings in hostile territory.

Operating exclusively at night and often in poor weather, these unarmed aircraft flew across the English Channel in support of the French Resistance. Lysander crews delivered and extracted agents from improvised landing grounds, accepting extreme personal risk in missions that played a vital role in the intelligence and resistance networks that contributed to the Allied victory.