Vintage Classic series: HMS Victorious

HMS Victorious was commissioned in May 1941 and just nine days later her pilots encountered and attacked the German battleship Bismarck.
On 26 May 1941, despite their inexperience, the crew of the new aircraft carrier HMS Victorious managed to fire a torpedo into the battleship's midship section, opening one of Bismarck's fuel tanks. After Bismarck's sinking, HMS Victorious continued to operate with the Home Fleet.
Victorious's Fairey Albacore aircraft were subsequently involved in an attack on the German battleship Tirpitz in March 1942.
She provided cover for Russian convoys PQ-15 and PQ-17 in May and June 1942.
She then took part in Operation Pedestal and was involved in the landings in North Africa in late 1942.
HMS Victorious sailed to Pearl Harbor to join USS Saratoga's battle group, Task Force 14.
She arrived there on 17 May 1943 and began duty with Task Force 14 in the Southwest Pacific.
She took on board US aircraft and crew and scoured the Solomon Islands with Saratoga.
That year, this busy ship supported the US Pacific Fleet in many operations, usually carrying both British and US Wildcat fighters.
HMS Victorious covered Russian convoys from January to March 1944 and then took part in Operation "Tungsten", an air raid on the German battleship Tirpitz on 3 April 1944.
After another refit, she joined the British Eastern Fleet en route to the Far East.
In July 1944 she led an attack on Palembang with HMS Illustrious and on 25 July she led an attack on the Andamans with HMS Indomitable.
In October 1944 she was assigned to the British Pacific Fleet and took part in some of the last hard-fought operations at the end of the war.
After the war she was in reserve and between 1950 and 1958 she underwent a refit.
This included the construction of new structures above the hangar deck, a new angled flight deck, new boilers and the installation of onboard radar computers.
She was scrapped in 1969.

Plastic model kit

Scale 1:600

unbuilt / unpainted

Paint and glue not included