Bendy plywood jigs? I wonder how they (DH) got on with the Mosquito then? Maybe all the stock moved at the same rate.
PN - I wasn't having a go at you personally. An analogy of mine - isn't it a bit like say the Firth of Forth rail bridge? Built a lot longer than any aircraft ago, engineered to nth degree after the collapse of its predecessor, and still in use today. Gets painted and inspected constantly. If you were building the same bridge today, I am sure it would be a lot smaller and less materials-intensive. In those days though, it was more expedient to use more metal than work out how little you could get away with. I suspect the Nimrods (especially after the early Comet experiences) were similarly belt, braces AND a piece of string.