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Australia - Store Pick up available in Rockingham, WA
From failure to success. The four-engine Avro type 683 Lancaster was developed
From the disappointing twin-engine Manchester, which suffered from engine fires caused by its unreliable Rolls Royce Vulture engine-installation.
However, the basic Manchester airframe was of sound design. A logical solution was to increase the wingspan and replace the two Vultures with four Merlin engines. The engine-installation originally developed by Rolls-Royce for the Beaufighter II, was quickly adapted and fitted in graceful underslung nacelles. The prototype BT308 made its first flight on January 9th, 1941 and it soon proved to be an excellent aircraft with good handling and high load capability. Initially designated Manchester III, it was soon renamed Lancaster. The general outline of the Lancaster remained the same throughout production, apart from the MK II which used Bristol Hercules radial engines, in case a shortage of the Merlin should arise. The Mk I and III were similar, differing only in the type of Merlin engine fitted. In the case of the Mk III, the Packard built Merlin 28 was utilised. The Lancaster began to equip bomber squadrons in early 1942, where it quickly became the backbone of RAF Bomber Command.
The type was used in many famous raids, such as on the M.A.N. factory in Augsburg, the spectacular Dambusters Raid on the Ruhr Valley dams, and sinking the “Tirpitz” to name but a few. It became famous for its use in high accuracy bombing operations by 617 squadron. Its 33-foot-long bomb bay enabled it to carry high loads as well as the spinning “Upkeep” mine used to break the Ruhr dams. Specially adapted aircraft could carry the massive 12.000 lb “Tallboy” and 22.000 lb “Grand Slam” earthquake bombs. At the end of the war it was also used for food dropping sorties for the starving Dutch population and transporting the many prisoners of war back home from Germany. Postwar Lancasters were used for testing jet engines and in-flight refueling system. As a bomber it was gradually replaced, but it found a useful role in Coastal Command until the last one was withdrawn in October 1956. The RCAF and French l’Aéronavale, however, continued to use the Lancaster until the mid-sixties. A total of 7,377 Lancasters were built in the UK and Canada.
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Returns
If you are having problems with your purchase, please contact us as soon as you notice an issue. You can email or call us, photos and details of your order are necessary.
Please do not return the item before you contact us and get a return confirmation from us. Please do not send your purchase back to the manufacturer.
We will try to resolve issues of warranty/faulty items with you.
Our products are covered by the manufacturer's warranty, so you do not have to worry.
If the item we shipped is not the item you ordered we will take action accordingly.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.
Gift cards are exempt from being returned.
Refunds
Once your return is received and inspected, we will send you an email to notify you that we have received your returned item. We will also let you know of the approval or rejection of your refund.
If you are approved, then your refund will be processed, and a credit will automatically be applied to your credit card or original method of payment, within a certain amount of days.
Late or missing refunds
If you haven’t received a refund yet, first check your bank account again.
Then contact your credit card company, it may take some time before your refund is officially posted.
Next contact your bank. There is often some processing time before a refund is posted.
If you’ve done all of this and you still have not received your refund yet, please contact us at sales@sikhobbies.com.au.
Sale items
Only regular priced items may be refunded, unfortunately sale items cannot be refunded.
Exchanges
We only replace items if they are defective or damaged. If you need to exchange it for the same item, send us an email at sales@sikhobbies.com.au and send your item to: SIK Hobbies Rockingham, 10-12 Goddard Street, Rockingham WA 6168, Australia.
Gifts
If the item was marked as a gift when purchased and shipped directly to you, you’ll receive a gift credit for the value of your return. Once the returned item is received, a gift certificate will be mailed to you.
If the item wasn’t marked as a gift when purchased, or the gift giver had the order shipped to themselves to give to you later, we will send a refund to the gift giver and he will find out about your return.
Shipping
To return your product, you should mail your product to: SIK Hobbies Rockingham, 10-12 Goddard Street, Rockingham WA 6168, Australia
You will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item for any reason. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund.
Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.
If you are shipping an item over $75, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.