As with the B-17s and B-25s, the wings do not have to be glued in position. They can be slid into position and remain solid, or be removed later if you are storing the model. This is also the case with the horizontal stabilizers, and is a nice touch.

What a great kit TC, another spring board to fall down a rabbit hole of history and understanding of World War II and the "Greatest Generation."

Read n' Reviewed: Sturmgeschütz-Abt.226 - On the Battlefield from PeKo

This time around, the kits include both paddle and needle blade propeller assemblies, and the two styles of clear nose dome. What a neat build and article. The Lancaster really was the brain child of people who could make lemon aide from a lemon. The Manchester had some good designs like the fuselage and the Brits realized that by adding those extra Merlin's and by manufacturing the fuselage in sections for ease of maintenance and rebuild they came up with a winner. The Manchester/Lancaster had a bigger bomb bay than the B-24 and B-17 and could carry more bombs. Had the Germans taken their Heinkel He 177 and add two more engines out board of the originals and dropped the complex transmissions used in the original design they too would have had their own Lancaster. But, that idea came too late in the war. Interior detail is adequate, but little will be seen though the canopy and turrets in any case. Even so, the kit’s interior elements will form a nice basis for a super detailing project using either scratch built parts or aftermarket accessories, notably Eduard’s comprehensive suite of photo-etched frets.

The flaps are fully detailed and can be assembled either up or down without problem - a nice touch since many kits with “positionable” flaps are really only “positionable” in the down position. I decided to do these down, just because I'd never had a Lancaster kit with that option. The five crew figures from the 1975 release are included in both new kits, and all the other original features are present too – bomb bay with separate doors and bombs, alternate turret armament and two basic Merlin engines. I decided to go with gluing the horizontal stabilizers in position for strength, while attaching the wings without gluing them.Hih quality moulding; lots of useful options; good level of detail; includes several newly tooled sprues; five crew figures included. Masking the canopy and gun turrets took several hours. I suggest when Eduard releases a mask for this that you splurge and buy it. For anyone wanting to learn more of the operational history of the Lancaster and its crews in the war they fought, I cannot recommend too highly Max Hastings' "Bomber Command," one of the best-written and most informative history books it has ever been my pleasure to read and re-read. It is now out of print, but available on-line. This is a big impressive model of an iconic aircraft that, with the inclusion of new sprues, stands up very well against the new releases of today.