One of the world’s most charismatic military transport aircraft – the Handley Page Hastings – is explored in detail via Air-Britain’s superb new softback.
A sizeable, imposing beast, the Handley Page Hastings has been poorly served by kit manufacturers until recent times. In 1979 Formaplane produced a 1/72 vacform (re-released by Aircraft in Miniature) and that was the only option for many years, until Welsh Models crafted a 1/144 vacform and white metal offering (and later a 1/144 resin and metal replica). After that, it fell to the late Mel Bromley’s S&M Models to issue a 1/72 resin Hastings. However, the most recent kits are those by Ukraine’s MikroMir, which has issued a 1/144 C.1 and T.5 (see a review of the former, here).
Regardless of which kit you’re tackling, a wealth of reference lies in the splendid new 126-page book from Air-Britain. Penned by Chris Hobson, Handley Page Hastings – The RAF’s Transport Workhorse explores the type in vivid detail, via well-researched text, copious period and museum imagery, colour artwork and various data tables. It’s the ideal book for the modeller that loves plenty of background to their build subject, as well as useful visual cues.
Thirteen chapters and an appendices cover this…
