No other options for an HP Victor 1:72...

[alpine_modeller]

....other than paying through the nose for a Matchbox or Revell rarity ? The prices on e-bay are horrendous.

Can anyone name an alternative ? I have a post Vulcan 607 book reading itch I cannot scratch...

[Spad]

The even more rare vac-form from RarePlanes? (sic!)

Unfortunately, until somebody like Airfix decide to apply themselves to the most beautiful of V Bombers, there's not many games in town - just those two really. You could always try the Welsh Models vac form in 1/144? Nice model that builds easily and takes less shelf space!

cheers

Rick

[alpine_modeller]

Well, thanks for the tip anyway. I think if I were to change scale I'd go for this odd 1/96 Revell kit that seems to pop up more often on e-bay than the 1/72.

I am having trouble understanding why Airifx have honoured two of the V-Force with a kit, including the "flop", and ignored arguably the most important of the 3. Just looking at Black Buck 1, I would argue that Tuxford was as much the hero as Withers.

[Jennings Heilig]

Because the Matchbox Victor came out in 1983 and the Airfix Vulcan in 1984. I suspect Airfix didn't see the point in dupulicating the effort in those days, even if they had been financially able to do so (which I doubt). Back then you didn't get multiple kits of a single subject. You were lucky to get one kit. People not old enough to remember that period don't understand how 'golden' the current era is. There was a very tiny fraction of the output from kit manufacturers that we see today.

[alpine_modeller]

Because the Matchbox Victor came out in 1983 and the Airfix Vulcan in 1984. I suspect Airfix didn't see the point in dupulicating the effort in those days, even if they had been financially able to do so (which I doubt). Back then you didn't get multiple kits of a single subject. You were lucky to get one kit. People not old enough to remember that period don't understand how 'golden' the current era is. There was a very tiny fraction of the output from kit manufacturers that we see today.

I can see the point in all you write, but if Revell dont much fancy doing a new run of them, why cant Airfix make them an offer for the tooling and market the three together ? I would love to do that display (with time and space). My understanding is that Revell's last production run was 6 years ago, and its hard seeing what event would inspire them to do another.

I dont feel that everything always has to be re-tooled.

Edited June 17, 2013 by alpine_modeller

[sloegin57]

....other than paying through the nose for a Matchbox or Revell rarity ? The prices on e-bay are horrendous.

Which is horribly horribly, nay even more horribly inaccurate, especially around the "Office"

Unfortunately, until somebody like Airfix decide to apply themselves to the most beautiful of V Bombers................

cheers

Rick

And the easiest to maintain, I assure you

I am having trouble understanding why Airifx have honoured two of the V-Force with a kit, including the "flop", and ignored arguably the most important of the 3. Just looking at Black Buck 1, I would argue that Tuxford was as much the hero as Withers.

Oh Yes, totally agree. Tuxford was also a damn fine pilot. It must also be remembered that the "Black Buck" missions were Victor missions carrying a "stand-off" Vulcan.

People not old enough to remember that period don't understand how 'golden' the current era is.

"Golden" indeed Jennings, "Golden" indeed. Bit fiddly some times mind you but definitely "Golden".

I can see the point in all you write, but if Revell dont much fancy doing a new run of them, why cant Airfix make them an offer for the tooling and market the three together ? I would love to do that display (with time and space). My understanding is that Revell's last production run was 6 years ago, and its hard seeing what event would inspire them to do another.

I dont feel that everything always has to be re-tooled.

The current kit of the Victor does not need re-tooling, it needs melting down to make a new tool. Having bought a few when they were first released, I realised quite early on the the only useful part of that kit is the bomb-bay - you need to scratch build the rest yourself.

It does surprise me that an accurate model of Sir Fred's finest (the Late Sir Frederick Handley-Page was a fellow Cotswold lad), has not been brought out by one of the major kit manufacturers. If they need any assistance, I'll happily give it - particularly around the cockpit, of which I have one in my garden.

Finally. A few things have been written about "Operation Blue Nylon", the Daily Mail Trans-Atlantic Air Race. May I remind all authors that the Victors of Number 543 Squadron won it. One of the rules of a race is that the competitors run it on their own without any assistance. Both the Phantoms of the RN and the "Jumped up little Jet" (to quote the "bosses" words) needed to be partly towed across the pond..............

........................................by Victors !!

Dennis W Robinson

(ex 10, XV and 543 Squadrons)

Edited June 17, 2013 by sloegin57

[David Womby]

Well, thanks for the tip anyway. I think if I were to change scale I'd go for this odd 1/96 Revell kit that seems to pop up more often on e-bay than the 1/72.

That 1/96 is a repop of the Lindberg kit which is neither fish nor fowl. It's part prototype and part B1. I built one as a B1 (or at least acceptably close for my purposes a few years back. I can't imagine trying to make a B2 out of it.

David

[Spad]

..... I would argue that Tuxford was as much the hero as Withers.

Tuxford AND his crew 'cos, as you will recall, it was a crew decision with not one dissenter or hesitation.

As a "scale-e brat" of some 16 years up at Marham I had the opportunity to meet Bob Tuxford when he occasionally visited Dad - interesting gent indeed.

@Sloegin - love the "stand-off Vulcan" comment

If you do spend the money and get the Matchbox/revell kit then, with work, it can be turned into a reasonable likeness of the Victor (I've built three including one when it first turned up in '83) - but a re-tool would be so much better!

Good luck with your search

cheers

Rick

[alpine_modeller]

Which is horribly horribly, nay even more horribly inaccurate, especially around the "Office"

And the easiest to maintain, I assure you

Oh Yes, totally agree. Tuxford was also a damn fine pilot. It must also be remembered that the "Black Buck" missions were Victor missions carrying a "stand-off" Vulcan.

"Golden" indeed Jennings, "Golden" indeed. Bit fiddly some times mind you but definitely "Golden".

The current kit of the Victor does not need re-tooling, it needs melting down to make a new tool. Having bought a few when they were first released, I realised quite early on the the only useful part of that kit is the bomb-bay - you need to scratch build the rest yourself.

It does surprise me that an accurate model of Sir Fred's finest (the Late Sir Frederick Handley-Page was a fellow Cotswold lad), has not been brought out by one of the major kit manufacturers. If they need any assistance, I'll happily give it - particularly around the cockpit, of which I have one in my garden.

Finally. A few things have been written about "Operation Blue Nylon", the Daily Mail Trans-Atlantic Air Race. May I remind all authors that the Victors of Number 543 Squadron won it. One of the rules of a race is that the competitors run it on their own without any assistance. Both the Phantoms of the RN and the "Jumped up little Jet" (to quote the "bosses" words) needed to be partly towed across the pond..............

........................................by Victors !!

Dennis W Robinson

(ex 10, XV and 543 Squadrons)

You've got your own Victor cockpit ??

Edited June 17, 2013 by alpine_modeller

[RNoAF Aerobatic Team]

....other than paying through the nose for a Matchbox or Revell rarity ? The prices on e-bay are horrendous.

Can anyone name an alternative ? I have a post Vulcan 607 book reading itch I cannot scratch...

I might have one.... Not asking horrific prices....

Have to check later tonight when I get home.

Send me a PM.

Cheers

[Navy Bird]

Are they that rare? I traded a Revell 1:72 MiG-21 for one over on Scalemates. Even trade - yeah, I know the MiG is a much better kit, but come one, it's a Victor! Named after the Lone Ranger's Nephew's horse!

Cheers,

Bill

PS. Sorry for the bad cinematic reference.

[Jennings Heilig]

I would suppose Airfix don't offer to buy the Matchbox molds from Revell for the same reason that Mercedes doesn't offer to by the Toyota Land Cruiser assembly line: they're business competitors and there's nothing to be gained for Revell by selling off something that's long amortized, long paid for, and that they can reissue any time they like (and they will at some point).

[Robert]

I have seen one in a London model shop for £14.99 last week and it was a Matchbox one.

Robert

[alpine_modeller]

I have seen one in a London model shop for £14.99 last week and it was a Matchbox one.

Robert

Blimey.

This is my problem; I dont have the opportunity to trawl around model shops over here - there arent any...

[Giorgio N]

It does surprise me that an accurate model of Sir Fred's finest (the Late Sir Frederick Handley-Page was a fellow Cotswold lad), has not been brought out by one of the major kit manufacturers. If they need any assistance, I'll happily give it - particularly around the cockpit, of which I have one in my garden.

Dennis,

if you consider that until very recently there had not been accurate kits around of very important versions of the Spitfire and the Bf.109 (like the Spit IX and the 109F), the fact that an accurate Victor was not available is not such a surprise.

[John R]

I've got a Matchbox one in the loft - started but if you are interested drop me a PM and I can let you have the details

John

[andyf117]

Content withdrawn - I will NOT be threatened by a moderator, simply because I queried the actions of another...

Edited June 27, 2020 by andyf117

[WARDOG]

Well, since its the only game in town in 72nd scale," It is what it is!"

I have a Matchbox kit that I bought in '83' from a shop near NAS Miramar and I've also gotten the Flightpath intakes et.al. and now just want to find a set of Euro Decals ( Or, a set of the Revell ones! ) to replace the thick kit decals. I'll be usingTed Taylor's excellent build article as my guide. Now I just have to build my $600 glass display case for it and the rest of my models! It could happen!!! : )

Cheers,

WARDOG

[Radleigh]

I've got the Matchbox one, looks ok apart from the raised detail? Whats wrong with the shape?

[Navy Bird]

I've got the Matchbox one, looks ok apart from the raised detail? Whats wrong with the shape?

I hope nothing too drastic. I have the Matchbox kit myself, and I've always thought the Victor was one of the coolest looking aircraft ever. Just because it is so different! It's close to the front of my to-build list, so I don't want to hear anything that will take it out of position!

Cheers,

Bill

[The wooksta V2.0]

I've got the Matchbox one, looks ok apart from the raised detail? Whats wrong with the shape?

From comments elsewhere on Britmodeller, the wing is suspect and the sit is wrong if the u/c is down.

[Spad]

@navy bird - sorry Bill, The Wooksta's right. The wing is simplified by Matchbox. The real wing features a kind of twist that reduces the incidence from memory, from something approaching 15 degs at the root out to I think 1.1/2 at the tip. There are 3 sets of anhedral along the span with breaks at the regular transport joints just outboard of the main u/c and again at the start of the outer mainplane outside the underwing tanks. If you take a look at my photo-thread attached to the Victor K2 walkaround on this site, towards the bottom of the thread there are a couple of tail-on shots which display that quite well. A cut along the inner joint of the inboard wing panel (outboard of the engines) a sliver of plastic away there to create a bit of space and a twist upwards of the outer trailing edge while the glue dries will create the effect we're looking for.

One side effect of the kit wing is that the Flight Refuelliing pods do not sit parallel to the fuselage (which they should. The Fuselage at rest sits more or less horizontal (measurements taken of a couple at rest showed the nose pitot and the tail-cone dump pipe to be within a couple of inches of each other. The pods are also more or less horizontal on the ground. Matchbox seem to have added height to the main gear so that the model sits very tail high (maybe to get the pods horizontal, maybe because they saw shots of an aeroplane braking on the runway? Who knows. Either way. approx 2mm needs to come off the main legs at the joint with the bogies.An easy task as there's a convenient piece of material almost exactly that size there. The plinth(?) that the underwing tanks sit onto are too deep and need reducing so that the top line of the tank runs into the centre of the leading edge, not under the wing. The trailing adge carrots could do with the lower line being trimmed into a curving up-swing into a point. See the pics, you'll see what I mean.

All of this sounds a lot but seeing your work on the Trumpy Lightning I have no doubt this is well within you and besides, that's what modelling is about eh!?!

The photo thread will show lots of other smaller details that can be improved and added - it's entirely up to you how far you want to go and how much they bug you.

Sorry if this has put you off, it's actually quite easy to correct and I really hope the Victor has stayed at the top of the list because you're right, it is one of the coolest looking aeroplanes out there! Can't wait to see the results!

cheers

Rick

[Navy Bird]

Thanks, Rick! No, that doesn't put me off at all. And besides, once I do all that stuff, Airfix will announce a new tool 1:72 Victor! Just like they did with the Lightning. Which is what we all want!

Cheers,

Bill

[Harry Lime]

Thanks, Rick! No, that doesn't put me off at all. And besides, once I do all that stuff, Airfix will announce a new tool 1:72 Victor! Just like they did with the Lightning. Which is what we all want!

Cheers,

Bill

And remember, there's a new tartan in it for you!

Mark.

[Learstang]

Thanks, Rick! No, that doesn't put me off at all. And besides, once I do all that stuff, Airfix will announce a new tool 1:72 Victor! Just like they did with the Lightning. Which is what we all want!

Cheers,

Bill

If that's the case, Bill, when you finish up your XF10F-1, get cracking on a Lincoln or Shackleton! However, a new-tool Victor to complete the V-Series for Airfix would be awfully nice too. Then they can get on with their predecessor, the Lincoln. I really want a Lincoln, can you tell?

Regards,

Jason