ICM Handley-Page Hampden B Mk.I

History can sometimes feel distant until you follow an aircraft like the Hampden through its early years. Designed under Specification B.9/32, it first flew in 1936 and surprised everyone with its speed for a machine of its shape. By 1938 it was entering service, and by the summer of 1940 more than 500 were in the air, with English Electric adding hundreds more. It worked hard in the opening phase of the war, flying ground attacks, raids into Germany, mine-laying, and later switching into torpedo operations. By 1942 it was stepping out of the bomber role and into Coastal Command, closing a chapter that helped shape Britain’s early wartime strategy in a way that is easy to overlook now but mattered a great deal then.

The kit comes with a solid selection of bomb loads, both internal and under-wing, which adds a bit of freedom in how you want the finished build to feel. Four marking options cover early service machines, including the first production aircraft and several operational bombers from Waddington. The parts count sits around 350, so there is enough to get your teeth into without it turning into one of those builds that drags on forever. The sprue layout is tidy and the moulding quality is consistent, which helps more than it probably should.

plastic gluing kit, does not contain paint or glue