1/72 FRROM/Special Hobby Vickers Vildebeest/Vincent

[Patrik]

Can you please, I mean MPM guys, give us your comments on the issues arised in this thread?

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234941573-vickers-vincent-mki-172-azur-frrom/

Thanks

Patrik

Bought my Vincent at Modellbrno today. While the kit is really very nice and I can only recommend it, the two engines are a bit of a conundrum.

The smaller one is the very same as supplied with the Vildebeest Mk.III kit and it looks quite like a Pegasus to me. The bigger one is for sure not the sleeve valve Perseus. There was a notice earlier on the FRROM web site that the Vincent kit would be supplied with a correct (bigger) size Pegasus. Unfortunately the notice is not there anymore (or I cannot find it).

So this can be the case, however I am quite sure the plastic exhaust manifolds will not fit with the bigger engine.

I bought also the brand new Special Hobby Vildebeest Mk.IV in Brno today. Once more the same basic Vildebeest kit with addition of the Perseus engine, its cowling and the three-bladed propeller. For some reason you get here the “smaller” Pegasus too.

Once again highly recommended but there is one criticism that goes to the manufacturer. The original Vildebeest Mk.III kit was supplied without the interior parts for the third cockpit (behind the pilot). This was nicely corrected for the Vincent which allows you to leave the third cockpit open. Unfortunately the same option was neglected in the Mk.IV Vildebeest packing. In my opinion really disappointing.

Edited June 23, 2013 by Patrik

[petr@SpecialHobby]

Patrik, there is the corrected Pegasus in the Vildebeest III and Vincent models, and yes, we have test-fitted the manifolds to this bigger engine and it fits ok.

I would also say that there is no need to have also the sleeve valve Perseus in either of these two models.

The sleeve valve engine was installed only in the Vildebeest IV craft.

As for the wrong-sized Pegasus, we corrected our mistake, supplied the new resin engine in the appropriate boxes and the reason that we also left the old engine in the box is simply that it was already packed with the rest of the resin parts.

Let me know if I am wrong, but the Vildebeest IV was a two seat version of the earlier Vildebeests.

So that is why the third cockpit parts are missing from this model.

In the Mk.III model we simply opted for closed third cockpit layout. And as we prepared the Vincent for our French customer, we complied with his wish have the navigators compartement open.

I hope I gave answers to all your questions.

Edited June 25, 2013 by petr@MPM

[Patrik]

Hello Petr, first of all congratulation for the bravery in producing such an excellent kit of so esoteric subjects as Vildebeest/Vincent. I only hope one day someone will be even more courageous and produces the Fairey IIIF/Gordon/Seal family in similar quality.

The third cockpit issue in Vildebeest kits is rather minor one. You are right, the majority of the Mk. IV photos known to me shows the third cockpit in closed position, except of the K4164 prototype, where the cockpit is clearly occupied by a crew member. However the third cockpit was most probably rarely (if ever) used in service. This is not the case for Mk. III, but I really do not want to enter a dispute here. So it is in my opinion a pity that you did not provide the third cockpit option for the whole family, but those, who want the cockpit open, can use their own modelling skills to do so anyway.

Concerning the double engines in Vincent – I think the confusion arises from the fact that the kit instructions do not say clearly which of the engines is to be used – please correct me if I am wrong. And as both the engines look “Pegasish”, it’s not so easy to choose.

By the way, do you supply correction engine for the earlier Vlidebeest Mk. III kits that contain(ed) just the smaller one?

Patrik

[D1fuN0]

uuuuuurm, sorry, but why is called a Vildebeest?, isnt it supposed to called a Wildebeest?

Steve

[Test Graham]

Because Vickers chose names beginning with V for their aircraft. The ones with W were designed by Barnes Wallis, but Vickers reverted to V-names postwar.

[Patrik]

Dear Special Hobby team, I would like you to take notice of the thread here http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234997638-vildebeest-mk-iv-special-hobby-172/page-2.

Please do not take it as malicious nit-picking criticism, but rather as an opportunity to learn something new. It took me some while to convince myself and the issue is not well documented at all. However I believe you should be informed.