general melchett Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 (edited) Hi all, thought I'd post a model that I've only just finished, (it needed the correct serial font). It's been to a few shows now and managed to grab a fair bit of attention, due, in part, to the exotic colour scheme. This is the beautiful Handley-Page HP80, which, of course, went on to become the Victor, in operational service. This is the second prototype, WB775, as she appeared at the 1955 SBAC Farnborough show, resplendent in its natty cerulean blue colour scheme, specially applied for the event. Things were highly competitive at the time and your product had to stand out, hence the plethora of colourful schemes seen at the shows. The model started life as a Lindberg Victor B.1 that I picked up for £5 in a bargain bin at a show. Anyone who has had a go at building one will know just what an 'orrible little thing it is with its gimmicky 'moving' control surfaces, thick wings and overscale undercarriage. It's also something of a hybrid, having the prototype's shorter forward fuselage, short tailcone and revised cockpit glazing, along with the B.1's tail fin and HP.80 tailplane. The wings are overly thick with incorrectly shaped outer sections, the intakes are too deep, (a feature of most early V-Bomber kits to be fair) and the fin too deep in chord. Being a devout fan of the Victor, it became a labour of love to get the thing looking anything close to the actual aircraft, but persistence payed off. Folks tend to know about the earlier black and silver scheme but not so much the blue.... What needed to be done...... well, the wings and tail planes were thinned down considerably, strengthening strips being added to the upper surfaces of the wings, the fin height needed to be extended and reshaped, in the end I just removed the fin from the fuselage and scratch built the whole thing from plastic card, adding the distinctive cooling duct at the same time. I decided that the tail planes also needed replacing and so were scratch built from card and counter balances added to the tips, using fine Milliput. The intakes were rebuilt using more Milliput, water and a mix of micro files before being smoothed off with Micro-Mesh, the exhausts were removed and replaced with Albion Alloys ali tubing, cockpit glazing altered to match the prototype's style, bomb aimers glazing cut out and treated to Clearfix, metal nose pitot added, the NACA ducts were enlarged and reshaped and the large cooling duct added to the base of the fin, a characteristic feature of the HP80. Finally the wing tip pitots were replaced with Master metal items. Decals came from the V-Bomber spares box and serials printed by a friend. Finding the right shade of blue was interesting, in the end I went with Halfords Pastel Blue acrylic auto paint which closely matched the images and video footage I have. This was decanted and degassed before being fired through my Iwata CM-SB 2, at around 15psi, in several light mists to build up the gloss, finally the finish was polished with 13,000 grade Micro-Mesh cloth and remove any blemishes, plus of course copious amounts of elbow grease ! The stand comes courtesy of a 1/24th Airfix Harrier kit. (I modified it so that It can be fitted the other way around as well to add more visual interest). The model was finished for our Bomber Command SIG, as part of the V-Force section, (Bomber Command Development Unit) and grabs quite a bit of interest at shows...you don't see many blue Victors around! Now for a 1/72nd scale version ! Hope you like it, Melchie... How the blue appears in old black and white photos.... Edited January 6, 2020 by general melchett 50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Belbin Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 That is a thing of absolute beauty! As you are such a devouted fan of the Victor, can I ask who produces the most accurate plans for the bomber version? Nick 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VG 33 Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 This is fantastic and I love this blue scheme. Patrick 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Heath Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Its a thing of beauty. Lovely work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Womby Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Lovely result. Big improvement on the OOB kit. I built one a few years ago as a B1 (kind of) by extending the nose. I see now I should have done a lot more but it looks OK next to my Lindberg Vulcan (also converted to a B1). Well done, as always. David 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh65 Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 That is some great work. I can see why the scheme gets attention, it looks lovely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Thanks chaps, can I ask who produces the most accurate plans for the bomber version? Nick, as far as I'm aware the best plans are produced by Arthur Bentley. I've used them several times for converting the Matchbox kit. They are very detailed and cover most variants including the very early B.2. and cutaway drawings for noses, intakes and rear ends, well worth getting hold of... Big improvement on the OOB kit. Thanks David...it is a bit of a horror story especially when compared to the equally ancient Frog Victor B.1. Something I forgot to mention was those awful 'removable' engine bay covers ......they probably took more time to fill and contour than everything else put together ! I'm in the midst of renovating a Frog Vulcan B.1 which thanks to young Rob Hayes I managed to blag off a certain auction site for a song and will go nicely with the Victor and two Valiants I have. I was going to modify the old Lindberg Vulcan into VX770 some time ago but abandoned the idea after looking closely at the thing...(Robvulcan and myself have a cunning plan involving resin and a big hammer regarding this )... Cheers all, Melchie.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 That is a glorious looking build of a wonderful machine. Karl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 What a beautiful plane, who would of thought blue could look so good, Sean 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhutchi Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Well, that's different! Great build on interesting subject. Nice colour scheme too. Never seen that before 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselweasel Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 A thing of beauty General, fantastic colour did it wear this colour for very long showing my ignorance now, where can you get Arthur Bentleys plans from General Cheers Jim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessica Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Now all you need is a nice white triangular Vulcan and a silver Valiant with letter slot intakes to complete the trio of prototypes 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Thanks again folks, very much appreciated, fantastic colour did it wear this colour for very long showing my ignorance now, where can you get Arthur Bentleys plans Jim, not ignorance this part of the Victors history is a bit obscure really.... it did carry the scheme for quite some time in fact as far as I'm aware it wore the scheme well into the late 50's and was apparently seen in open storage wearing it at Radlett before being struck off charge in 1959. As for Arthurs plans...here you go, http://www.albentley-drawings.com/drawings/handley-page-hp80-victor-mk-ii/handley-page-hp80-victor-mk-ii/ Jessica, you read my mind I intend to do all of them as well as a silver and black WB771 HP.80 but will have to search out some more part built Frog kits to do so........I have my best people on the case 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody37 Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 You can see where the Thunderbird inspiration came from when you look at those lines. I know I've seen it before Andy, but I forgot how much of a stunner it is and it's a true rarity. She looks stunning in that blue livery and the 'in-flight' pose just adds to the look. Can't wait to see it again 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John R Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Sounds as if it might have been easier to scratchbuild the whole thing. Made my Phantom look a doddle. Isn't it fun(?) building prototypes. I never knew it was blue, assuming from the B&W photos that it was silver. When I saw the word 'prototype' I assumed that it was the black & silver one so now you know how to do get get cracking and build us one! John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Belbin Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Thanks, General, I am familiar with Mr Bentley's drawings having the Hurricane and Tempest drawings in my library - didn't think to look there but a set duly ordered! Nick 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spad Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Big fan of the Victor myself and that is truly gorgeous. Immense amount of work concealed behind that simple colour scheme!With that finish, the in-flight pose is most definitely the way to go; the combo really shows off the purity and elegance of line which was lost with the Mk.2. Phew that's me all poetried-out - great job! ATBRick 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 (edited) Cheers Neil, totally agree, Meddings admitted to being influenced by these fifties designs, I always thought there was something a bit Dan Dare about the early Victors. I think it helps add a splash of colour to the table. Sounds as if it might have been easier to scratchbuild the whole thing. John, you're not far wrong there, as it ended up most of the kit went south but it did serve its purpose as a fairly good basis for a prototype...unlike their Vulcan which is more problematic. I think when most aviation folk think of the HP80 they think of the better known black and silver/grey scheme or even the original high speed silver finish but not so much the blue. These were great days when aircraft were painted in their wonderful show schemes to grab the eye of the public and press such as the Sperrin in grey and black, the gloss Black Valiant B.2, mauve or blue Fairey Delta II, blue Shorts SB5, blue BAC 221, red Hunter, yellow Hunting 126, etc not to mention of course the Avro 707's. so now you know how to do get cracking and build us one! Thank you John but quite frankly I'd rather have my tongue beaten wafer thin with a steak tenderizer and then stapled to the floor with a croquet hoop.... Here's WB775 sporting the blue scheme, No problem Nick...glad to help, they really are extremely useful.. Melchie Edited May 20, 2015 by general melchett 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 Thanks Rick...you're quite right, at one point it looked like a patchwork of filler, Milliput, primer and plastic card..all concealed under a coat of high build Isopon auto primer, takes some smoothing back but gives a glass like surface. Not a panel line in sight..like the real thing. Interestingly after the catastrophic failure of WB771's tail-plane at Cranfield WB775 took over the flutter tests and as a consequence and by way of strengthening the area, four bolts instead of three were used to attach the tail to the fin and a single piece skin was used to cover the entire fin, the largest of its kind produced up to that time. In the end the fin height was reduced to eliminate the inherent flutter problems generated by the original design, (a by product of this being the loss of the aircraft's unique auto-land characteristic). The test pilots Johnny Allam, 'Spud' Murphy, 'Taffy' Ecclestone, (sadly died in WB771), and Hedley Hazelden were amazing chaps throwing '775 around sometimes way past its design limit in an effort to get the best from the design. WB775 had an intense test career paving the way for the later B.1's and B.2's only to end up as a target for the guns of the Foulness range... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spad Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Founess,,,,,,Never has a place had a more appropriate name! Thanks for the back-story - I was aware of the 3 bolt/4 bolt thing as Dad was aircrew on Victors and used to tell me that one! But I didn't know about the single skin panel - ground breaking as ever! I also hadn't realized the auto-land feature went away with the fin change, I thought it was still present even in the K.2s. Yes, it's fair to say the non-tanker versions were displayed vigorously - it was only the pods that stopped the tankers pulling G and going fast! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnT Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Beautiful model of the most beautiful aircraft ever oh how I wish I could have seen that one flying Lovely work General 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 (edited) Thanks Rick and John, great to see more fans of the magnificent Victor !... Rick you're dad was aircrew eh , what was his job ? As well as the Bomber Command sig I'm also a member of the Victor Association and Handley-Page Association and have met quite a few aircrew now and learned a lot of interesting things about HP's finest..........they all have nothing but high praise for the aircraft. Yes, it's fair to say the non-tanker versions were displayed vigorously Very true, as you probably know XA917 was pushed through the sound barrier by Johnny Allam back in 1956, the largest aircraft to do so up to then, the sonic boom being heard from Watford to Banbury ! A thoroughly affable guy I met him back in the ninties and asked him whether or not it was indeed accidental as officially quoted, he just smiled wryly and said 'ahem..no comment' !. Apparently much like the Vulcan several were rolled and looped in service too. The Low Altitude Bombing System (LABS), maneuver required that the aircraft pull up steeply, release the weapon then half loop out followed by a half roll, (similar to an Immelmann), and fly back the way you'd come at higher altitude hopefully not getting caught up in the ensuing holocaust . Sadly sometimes the flying was a little too vigorous as with SR.2 XM716 which was over-stressed during a press day demonstration at Wyton and broke up killing the crew. The B.2's had a useful reserve of power with the Conways but the B.1's Sapphires struggled a bit in hot and humid conditions when loaded up. Talking to a few of the Blue Steel guys they said that a very audible crack was heard from the main spars when the missile was released at low level and the aircraft put into a steep, full power climb out, not surprisingly they ceased using Blue Steel at low level after a short time, the Vulcan's structure being far better equipped to deal with the stress of this kind of work. Edited May 20, 2015 by general melchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spad Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Ha! Dad was an AEO and had praise for it as a machine but to operate? Well he loved the job but he was 6' 6" and was just a tad cramped in the AEO seat! Obviously they had't discovered DVT in those days! Take a look where your feet go next time you get inside one...... That bit about the Blue Steel release is a bit scary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnT Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 As a kid I had the Hippo book of bombers and I will never forget my first look at a Victor flying towards the camera in the photo. My first love! Is it true that the tail span was greater than that of the Folland Gnat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 (edited) Hey John....you don't mean this one by any chance, These and the Observers books were my bibles as a nipper too.........and I've still got them ! The Victors tail-plane span was 32' 8" and the Gnats wingspan 22' 1" ..............it was only 6" shorter than the span of a Hunter ! Edited May 20, 2015 by general melchett 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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