Albatros Productions, Ltd.

Blackburn Kangaroo, Windsock Datafile No. 137

by  Colin A. Owers

Reviewed By  Brian R. Baker, IPMS #43146

MSRP: £10.85, $15.85. ISBN: 978-1-906798-04-8 Website: www.windsockdatafilespecials.co.uk This paperback history of the Blackburn Kangaroo, a large twin engine biplane heavy bomber, is the latest in a series of excellent historical accounts of aircraft produced and used during and after the World War I period. Although the Kangaroo was a rather obscure aircraft, a total of 20 was built, and these served in only one RAF unit, No. 246 Squadron, which used them primarily for anti-submarine coastal patrol during the war . Kangaroo crews sighted a number of enemy submarines, and were credited with helping to sink one U-boat, UC70, off Kettleness, in August, 1918. After the war, the survivors were all declared surplus, and they were sold to civilian operators who saw some value in the type in the passenger carrying role, as well as other specialized uses. Surplus Kangaroos were used by Graham-White Aviation and North Sea Aerial Navigation Co. Ltd. in their attempts to begin passenger and mail service to points in the UK, and others were used in various record breaking flight attempts, notably the England to Australia contest eventually won by the crew of a Vickers Vimy. A few were used for joy riding after airline service was ended. One aircraft was also listed as having been sold to the Peruvian Army Flying Service, but it is unknown whether the plane was actually shipped to Peru and operated by that organization. Several others, civilian owned but under RAF contract, were used by the RAF Reserve School at Brough as multi-engine trainers for officers and reservists. The last Kangaroo was broken up for scrap in 1929. This book is a very complete history of the Kangaroo, and includes the development, design, service use, and subsequent civil operations of the aircraft. In keeping with the Albatross traditions, the book contains excellent interior and exterior photos with extensive captions, factory-produced construction photos and drawings, a great set of 1/48 and 1/72 scale drawings, and complete specifications. In addition, a table in the back outlines the history of the 11 Kangaroos that were on the British Civil Register. Four color illustrations are also provided. Since I’ve never heard of a kit of this aircraft (Editor: Contrail did a 1/72 vac-form), your only resort would be scratchbuilding, and this book certainly contains enough information for that. I found it to be interesting reading, and often wonder how the crews of these aircraft managed to fly them before the days of assisted controls, wheel brakes, de-icing equipment, and cabin heating. If you are interested in these vintage airplanes, this book is about as good as you’re going to get. It is a well-done piece of historical research and scholarship. Highly recommended. Thanks to Albatros Productions and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review this book.