The Vickers VC.1 Viking was a British twin-engine short-range airliner derived from the Vickers Wellington bomber and built by Vickers-Armstrongs Limited at Brooklands near Weybridge in Surrey. After the Second World War, the Viking was an important airliner with British airlines, pending the development of turboprop aircraft like the Viscount. The Valetta was a military derivative of the Viking developed in transport and training variants for the Royal Air Force, while the Varsity was a versatile twin piston-engined aircraft developed from the Viking and Valetta but with a tricycle undercarriage and ventral pannier for bomb-aimer training, among other changes. It was brought into RAF service in 1951 for crew training as a replacement for the Wellington T.10.
This Warpaint relates the history of all three types, focussing on the military operators, as per the series title. It is profusely illustrated by 125 top quality photographs, nearly all in colour, from the author's extensive photograph archive and supported by excellent colour profiles and plans by Sam Pearson.
Designed with both the aircraft enthusiast and the model maker in mind, the Warpaint titles try to establish as near as possible a comprehensive and accurate account of a single aircraft type within one set of covers.
Warpaint No. 141 Vickers Viking, Valetta and Varsity features:
- Author: Adrian M. Balch
- Complete and detailed history
- 56 pages
- 1:72nd scale plan
- In detail pictures
- Kit, decal and accessory list
- Pages of superb colour camouflage drawings and photography
- Complete production list
- Squadrons, units and individual aircraft serials and codes
- Stock code: WPT128
- Price: £19.00
Available from Guideline Publications
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