Airfix Victor

[Lord Riot]

Hi all

Having recently made the Revell Victor K2, I’ve finally splashed out on the Airfix B2. 

 

Just one question; for the white XL512 would it be accurate to leave off the trailing edge Kuchemann carrots to depict it at an even earlier date? Or would that mean it also needs other mods?

 

I’ve seen photos of various Victor B2s in white without the large fuel slipper tanks or the ‘carrots’, (including XL191 & XL230) - does anyone know when the carrots were added? I don’t have the skill to start modifying intakes or anything so no biggy if I add the carrots, just wondering about giving her cleaner lines.

 

Thanks!

[Darth Vader]

I thought the b1s were clean winged and the b2/k2s  had the carrots and tanks.

[pigsty]

The Kuchemann fairings were trialled from late 1963, which was after all the Mk.2 airframes had been built, so you have to conclude that they were fitted later.  So far as I can tell it was part of the programme for converting them to carry the Blue Steel missile and to the SR.Mk.2 standard.  The slipper tanks were trialled on a Mk.1 from at least 1958 and were designed to improve the Victor's range, so you might expect them to have been standard fit from the off; but I've a picture of XL164 in 1961 carrying neither.

 

So, you could probably do as you wanted, and no-one would be able to prove you couldn't be right.

 

However ... while you might think losing the fairings would give a Victor cleaner lines, it would actually make it less clean, at least in the transonic range.

[Lord Riot]

Thanks pigsty, good info!