Airfix Vulcan FINISHED, Starlifter moving to KUTA X GB area

[snapper_city]

Thanks Paul.

This morning both of the wings top sides have been scribed. I need a break before I get on with the remaining underside. My eyes are going square.

IMAG1478 by Mark Inman, on Flickr

[Planebuilder62]

Gents

Just so you know they are 301 series jet pipes on our favourite auction site as the earlier post. They are very nice.

Regards Toby

[71chally]

Excellent work there Mark, if you haven't already brought the probe, I can donate one from an Airfix Nimrod kit?

That link certainly shows what can be done with these old but basically sound kits, I can see that this one will be up there as well!

[snapper_city]

Excellent work there Mark, if you haven't already brought the probe, I can donate one from an Airfix Nimrod kit?

That link certainly shows what can be done with these old but basically sound kits, I can see that this one will be up there as well!

Thanks for the offer. I will see how I get on with the kit part first. I will let you know if it is required.

I seem to build a lot of old kits as they are often the only game in town of that subject. They often require a bit of work and are generally not shake and bake Tamiya builds. These kits are something you can really personalise with your modelling and scratch building skills. I know a few modellers who really don't get on with the building side. They are all about the painting and weathering which is fair enough. Personally I really enjoy the building side of it so maybe that's why I don't mind tackling crappy kits.

Back to the Vulcan. The wings are now completely rescribed. Just the fuselage halves, vertical tail and tail cone to go.

IMAG1478 by Mark Inman, on Flickr

IMAG1480 by Mark Inman, on Flickr

[Levin]

Looks good

The vulcan is one of my favorite planes and especially of the V-Bombers (ok with the victor, I just don't like the Valiant)

Could you evaluate for a newbie how easy it is to rescripe the panellines on the airfix kit

I like to build it sometime but the rescribbing kinda scared me off

Thank you in advance

Levin

Edited August 3, 2016 by Levin

[snapper_city]

Could you evaluate for a newbie how easy it is to rescripe the panellines on the airfix kit

I like to build it sometime build the rescribbing kinda scared me off

Thank you in advance

Levin

It's not as bad as you think really. Yes it is a bit boring and takes a while but it isn't hard. The Alec scriber I'm using is a great bit of kit and a definite improvement on my old Trumpeter scribing tool. Firstly I sand down the raised details until they are just about visible. Then I take a pencil and draw dotted lines where the panel lines are to be. This just makes it easier to highlight them when lining up guide tape. I place some guide tape along a panel line to be srcibed. Currently I am using 3M 471 pinstripe tape which is a bit stretchy and can be moulded to curves and non flat areas. Previously I used thick Aluminium tape cut into strips along the edges. I drew arrows pointing to the true straight side and not the side I had cut along. This works well for flat areas but is too ridged to go around curves or cone shapes. Other people use Dymo tape. I have never used this so can't comment. You get a few sticks out of the tape then you bin it and replace with a fresh bit. So you have placed your tape along where you want to scribe. Take your scribe tool and gently pull it along the edge of the tape. Go slow on the first pass making sure the tool doesn't wander off away from the tape and do not press down. Let the tool make a shallow line like a pilot guide. Repeat the scribe with the tool. This time it will have the first pass to follow so less care can be taken and it should naturally follow the original line. Each pass of the tool will make the panel line deeper and more defined. Just make sure to not press the tool into the plastic. Let the blade do the work over multiple passes. When happy remove the tape and start the process again with another marked out line to be scribed. I find I can do around 5-10 lines before the tape is knackered and I cut a fresh strip. Practice on a scrap model or plasticard first before diving in. I always start on the underside of the model to warm me up. Any minor mistakes I make while getting back into it will not be in highly visible areas. Any mistakes can be easily filled with a small dab of styrene Tamiya Extra Thin soup mix or other filler. Lastly if the tool does wander away from the guide tape I find starting the line from the other end until it meets up with the other side is best. If you keep repeating down the original line it will always follow the mistake and is very difficult to get it to stay true.

I hope this helps.

[gazza l]

Coming on very well, excellent work on the re-scribing, it makes all the difference. Can I ask where you got the Alec Holly scribers from?... they look rather good.

Hmmm, Freightdog doesn't cater for them.. I wonder what external differences there were??

Regarding the tailpipes, as Badger said, the Black Buck Vulcans had the 301 series pipes, shorter and straighter than the tapered 201 series. The kit provides you with the 301 series but they are very poor, which is why I turned a small batch of my own jet pipes out of brass. (see below photo) If you are interested in a set pm me.

gazza l

[snapper_city]

Coming on very well, excellent work on the re-scribing, it makes all the difference. Can I ask where you got the Alec Holly scribers from?... they look rather good.

Regarding the tailpipes, as Badger said, the Black Buck Vulcans had the 301 series pipes, shorter and straighter than the tapered 201 series. The kit provides you with the 301 series but they are very poor, which is why I turned a small batch of my own jet pipes out of brass. (see below photo) If you are interested in a set pm me.

gazza l

Hi gazza. Wow those cans look great. PM inbound.

As for the scriber's they are from Models R Go. Another excellent tool of theirs is the R-BOKO scraper which is great for cleaning up seem lines and steps along a curve like a fuselage spine or wing edges. Saves sanding and flat spotting the plastic. 2 or 3 passes and it's done.

http://www.modelsrgo.co.uk/modelling-tools/cutting-scribing.html

[gazza l]

Hi gazza. Wow those cans look great. PM inbound.

As for the scriber's they are from Models R Go. Another excellent tool of theirs is the R-BOKO scraper which is great for cleaning up seem lines and steps along a curve like a fuselage spine or wing edges. Saves sanding and flat spotting the plastic. 2 or 3 passes and it's done.

http://www.modelsrgo.co.uk/modelling-tools/cutting-scribing.html

Thanks for the link, they look pretty good, I think I might treat myself to one or two... which size scriber do you think is most useful?

gazza l

[snapper_city]

Thanks for the link, they look pretty good, I think I might treat myself to one or two... which size scriber do you think is most useful?

gazza l

I think the 0.10 is 1/72, the 0.15 is 1/48 and 0.20 is 1/32.

Personally I think the 0.10 is too small but I haven't properly used it yet. I started using it with this build but quickly moved up to the 0.15. They are a little expensive but are a quality tool and should last a good few years. The scraper is worth its weight in gold as I use it all the time.

[snapper_city]

Hi guys

Next update. I have acquired the turned brass exhausts from gazza l. They should be a great upgrade on the kit option which is a particularly poor area of the model.

IMAG1503 by Mark Inman, on Flickr

I have noticed these parts of the landing gear are damaged on the sprue. These will need work at a later date.

IMAG1504 by Mark Inman, on Flickr

The top side has been rescribed. I am getting very bored of scribing now and look forward to it being complete. Only the vertical stabiliser and lower fuselage to go. I think it will be a while until I build my Italeri AC-119 gunship which also requires a full rescibe.

IMAG1548 by Mark Inman, on Flickr

IMAG1549 by Mark Inman, on Flickr

Until next time.

[gazza l]

I feel your pain with the re-scribing, I'm going through a similar thing with my Victor... keep going I'm eager to see those jet pipes fitted!!!

gazza l

[71chally]

Superb scribing, and lovely looking jet pipes.

Don't forget to counterweight them, I seem to remember my Vulcan was a quite regular tail sitters with standard weighting!

[snapper_city]

Superb scribing, and lovely looking jet pipes.

Don't forget to counterweight them, I seem to remember my Vulcan was a quite regular tail sitters with standard weighting!

My last one was also a tail sitter all those years ago. I have been thinking about the nose weight issue. I am on the lookout for some old bolts etc that I can two part epoxy into the nose.

[The Spadgent]

Solidarity with the scribing sir. I feel your pain. Excellent work, keep it up.

John.

[snapper_city]

More scribing this morning which I am getting really sick of now. Just the underside of the fuselage to go now which in my eyes looks the worst part and why I have left it till last. I will crack on with that later or tomorrow. Looking forward to getting that finished so I can move on with the build.

IMAG1551 by Mark Inman, on Flickr

IMAG1552 by Mark Inman, on Flickr

I had this on in the background for inspiration to push on.

[Victor K2]

It was stated that the Vulcan dropped 21 1000lb bombs on Port Stanley Airport on the first raid. Has any one questioned why there are only 5 craters in the official photograph's (2 duds or delayed fuzed bomb's?) if it takes 10.5 seconds to release the 21 bombs and the first one hit the runway, what happened to the other 14 bombs which would have been in a relatively straight line and landing up to a mile (approx) from the first bomb? I have often brought up this fact on different occasions and have never been given a straight answer. (all of this is seen in the documentary just posted).

I still think that the raid was a tremendous achievement none the less and even more so if, as I suspect, the Vulcan was only carrying 7 bombs and ferry tanks fitted in place of the other 14 bombs (as were the other aircraft in further raids).

Keep up the good work on your model, I look forward to seeing more progress and a stunning result.

[sailorboy61]

Great work. It's alot of rescribing (just finished doing mine!) but not as depressing as I had imagined as the surfaces are mostly flat except around the nose. I've dropped / chopped the flaps too as per the inspiration you linked earlier http://nabe3saviation.web.fc2.com/modelVul.html .

Have the etch bomb bay and resin wheel wells en route too.

[gazza l]

Nearly there, keep going! Very neat scribing on the tail fin.

Have you tried dry fitting it to the fuselage, I seem to remember on mine it had a large gap under the rudder, which I had to fill with some thick (0.040") plasticard.

gazza l

[snapper_city]

Nearly there, keep going! Very neat scribing on the tail fin.

Have you tried dry fitting it to the fuselage, I seem to remember on mine it had a large gap under the rudder, which I had to fill with some thick (0.040") plasticard.

gazza l

Hi Gary. Yes the tail fit isn't the best. Im definitely going to have to perform some sort of surgery there. Hoping to get the lower fuselage completed today and start moving on to other areas like painting intake tubes and cockpit. I still need to find some nose weight and blank off the exhausts somehow. Correct size tubing would be best if I can source some.

[Mark4700]

Coming along nicely. I've also got a Vulcan build ongoing at the moment, I'm doing mine as XH558 as she was in her final year of flight last year. A tip I was given was to fit the upper surfaces of the wings to the upper fuselage and the lower to the lower, then stick the whole thing together. So far I've got the wings stuck to the fuselage, but haven't got yo the milestone go the gluing the upper and lower together as yet.

Have a look at how my build is going. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234996769-172-airfix-vulcan/#entry2252907

Watching yours with great interest.

[snapper_city]

Coming along nicely. I've also got a Vulcan build ongoing at the moment, I'm doing mine as XH558 as she was in her final year of flight last year. A tip I was given was to fit the upper surfaces of the wings to the upper fuselage and the lower to the lower, then stick the whole thing together. So far I've got the wings stuck to the fuselage, but haven't got yo the milestone go the gluing the upper and lower together as yet.

Have a look at how my build is going. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234996769-172-airfix-vulcan/#entry2252907

Watching yours with great interest.

Hi Mark. Very nice progress on your build. Unfortunately I have already glued the wings together.

Today I sanded back, marked up and scribed the underside. Here is where I am up to before running out of time. Just the port engine underside to scribe really.

IMAG1555 by Mark Inman, on Flickr

Thanks for looking.

[gazza l]

Hi Gary. Yes the tail fit isn't the best. Im definitely going to have to perform some sort of surgery there. Hoping to get the lower fuselage completed today and start moving on to other areas like painting intake tubes and cockpit. I still need to find some nose weight and blank off the exhausts somehow. Correct size tubing would be best if I can source some.

Hi Mark,

You're making good progress.

Regarding blanking off the jet exhausts, on my Nimrod build, I made my own set of pipes and I blanked them off with a pieces of thick plastic card. I used Araldite to fix them in place and once cured sanded the plastic-card flush with the metal pipes. I then painted them NATO black inside so when you look down them they look quite convincing as you can't really tell how deep they are.

PS. I treated myself to the Alex Holly scraper (0.15mm), as recommended by you, and I was pleasantly surprised with the results this evening... nice fine lines and easy to control, even around radiuses.

Cheers, gazza l

[snapper_city]

I find once I have scribed the line I tilt the scriber a few degrees off the upright to either side. It helps to clean up the edges of the scribed panel line.

[Mark4700]

Coming along very nicely. You seen to be making rapid progress on this. Don't know about you, but I'm thoroughly enjoying my build. I quite like the fact they need so much work, expecting a real sense of achievement when it's finished.