Sea Vixen FAW.1 load out

[Meatbox8]

1 hour ago, XV107 said:

 

From the IWM (copyright permissions allow embedding); Sea Vixen, June 1961 [the sub is HMS Turpin, according to the caption]

 

 

If you go to the IWM page itself (Search for Sea Vixen and narrow the search down to collections) you can - of course - get larger images than this. Which may not be helpful when you see the design of the rocket pods, but it at least gives an idea of some of the 

Ah, yes. a real mix.  I came across the pic of it on the deck of Forrestal and was wondering about those pods.  Are they awaiting a nose cap being fitted or is that how they came?  I was also musing to myself whether it brought the Palooste (sp?) starter with it.  Couldn't it be slung under the wing?  Mind you, I don't suppose it brought the observers ladder with it. 

Edited October 24, 2017 by Meatbox8

[Meatbox8]

7 hours ago, 71chally said:

There were 32 2" rockets to the RN pod, and yes they were used by FAW.1s as well as 2s up to 4 x pods, I think they were manufactured by GKN 

 

I would really look for photos of FAW.1s to get a good idea of how they were regularly configured in service, light and odd (an 1 x RP & 1 x missile for example) loading seemed the norm.

 

if you're feeling adventurous, you could even add (and make!) a recon pod or buddy AAR pod.

Sorry, when I first looked the photo hadn't downloaded so thanks for posting it.  Suffice to say I don't have any pods with 32 holes so scratch that idea.  I do, however, have a buddy pack left over from a Magna Scimitar which has been lurking in the spares box for around 15 years.  Never throw anything away, as they say.  Now all I need to figure out is which pylon it usually went on. 

[XV107]

3 minutes ago, Meatbox8 said:

Now all I need to figure out is which pylon it usually went on. 

Right outer.

 

 

[Meatbox8]

5 minutes ago, XV107 said:

Right outer.

 

 

Nice one.  Thanks.  And one Firestreak as well.  Maybe I'll give mine two.  A Lightning would look funny with just one. 

[Thud4444]

5 hours ago, Meatbox8 said:

Well, they're not really that bad.  It's just not a fall-together type kit so there's quite a lot of filling and sanding at most of the major joints.  The two booms and outer wings are just butt jointed so need something to strengthen the links. The booms are of a slightly wider circumference at the joint  so a degree of blending is required.  Much filling and sanding at the quite difficult to access intakes.  Also, the ejection seats are way under scale, looking more like 1/96th or something.  Quite odd really.  Anyway, I ordered a Pavla replacement for the pilot's seat but it's not so much of a an issue for the navigator/radar operator as, unless you pose his access trap-door open you can't see it anyway.  As I mentioned above the kit comes with no ordnance at all other than drop tanks.  On the upside it has some nice interior detail, some good resin and a great decal sheet and, for my money, it does look like a Sea Vixen - certainly better than pics I've seen of the Cyberhobby kit, which looks sort of cartoonish.    So, all in all I would recommend it.  I am an especially lazy and impatient modeller and really like getting to the bit when you put 'stickers' on it. 

 

I think it was my wishful thinking talking as I'd love a state-of-the-art model of the type. Others might be able to throw some light on accuracy but for me it definitely does look like a Sea Vixen

 

Well crud. I just ordered an Sea Vampire and was gonna get a Venom and Vixen to complete the set. I've just about given up on Airfix ever down scaling their's.

[Meatbox8]

5 hours ago, Thud4444 said:

 

Well crud. I just ordered an Sea Vampire and was gonna get a Venom and Vixen to complete the set. I've just about given up on Airfix ever down scaling their's.

I know what you mean but although it's not an easy model I still think a half-decent rendition can be made from the Xtrakit/MPM version, and that's coming from someone who is quite happy to admit his modelling deficiencies!  Others with a more exacting eye may disagree and consider the kit a basket case but I certainly wouldn't go that far.  Still, we can live in hope that Airfix will do the decent thing, together with their Javelin.  Two types that really deserve a decent 1/72 treatment in my view.  The trouble is that their recent form indicates a propensity to up-scale rather than down-scale with their P-51D, Tomahawk and recently announced Blenheim for example. 

[71chally]

11 hours ago, Meatbox8 said:

I think it was my wishful thinking talking as I'd love a state-of-the-art model of the type. Others might be able to throw some light on accuracy but for me it definitely does look like a Sea Vixen

It definitely has shape issues, especially around the underside area, for me once seen I can't un-see it! 

 

That is a Mk2 diagram above, but also correct for Mk.1

 

[Meatbox8]

2 minutes ago, 71chally said:

It definitely has shape issues, especially around the underside area, for me once seen I can't un-see it! 

 

That is a Mk2 diagram above, but also correct for Mk.1

 

Yes, since your previous message I have been sort of fixated on that issue.  I'm hoping that drop tanks et al will help hide the underside shape a bit!

[Seahawk]

6 hours ago, Thud4444 said:

 

Well crud. I just ordered an Sea Vampire and was gonna get a Venom and Vixen to complete the set. I've just about given up on Airfix ever down scaling their's.

I don't know why but, whenever the subject has "Sea" in the title, Cyber Hobby kits only seem to bear the vaguest similarity to the real thing: think Vixen, Venom and King.  Perhaps their brains fry at the admittedly awesome responsibility of producing decent modern kits of FAA subjects in the One True Scale.

 

In the interests of balance, I think their Meteors (yes, wrong service) are very good. 

[canberra kid]

some more stuff that may be of interest? 

John

[Duncan B]

On 10/24/2017 at 1:18 PM, Meatbox8 said:

Yes, the load outs are really quite varied in their combinations.  I'll probably want to go for something symmetrical coz I'm a bit funny that way.  Interesting that Franks says the Mk1 later carried Redtops.  Never seen a picture of one doing so.  Somewhat academic for me as it happens as my only spare Redtops that aren't going to a Lightning are for my Xtrakit Mk2 (that's assuming I don't lose the will to live while building the mk1).  

I'm pretty sure the FAW1 was not Redtop capable, that came in with the FAW2. 

 

Duncan B

[71chally]

Duncan is correct, some of the Red Top equipment was actually in one of the boom extensions.

 

The Franks book is good for references etc but is a little 'light' with detail, the Air Britain book is much better, but even that has mistakes in it.

 

This is a good site for showing in service FAW.1 pictures and their typical loads, scroll through

http://www.radfanhunters.co.uk/faa.htm

Edited October 26, 2017 by 71chally

[Meatbox8]

15 hours ago, canberra kid said:

some more stuff that may be of interest? 

John

Thanks.  An interesting diagram of the fuselage rocket pods.  I've always thought it an odd arrangement.  Apparently at an early stage of development the DH.110 was to have two 30mm Adens but this was dropped in favour of the rocket packs.  I'd have thought guns would be much more practical - and accurate come to think of it..

[Meatbox8]

1 hour ago, 71chally said:

Duncan is correct, some of the Red Top equipment was actually in one of the boom extensions.

 

The Franks book is good for references etc but is a little 'light' with detail, the Air Britain book is much better, but even that has mistakes in it.

 

This is a good site for showing in service FAW.1 pictures and their typical loads, scroll through

http://www.radfanhunters.co.uk/faa.htm

Thanks.  That's a really interesting site which I have bookmarked.  There are some good photos of Centaur operated aircraft which seem quite rare.

[71chally]

1 hour ago, Meatbox8 said:

Thanks.  An interesting diagram of the fuselage rocket pods.  I've always thought it an odd arrangement.  Apparently at an early stage of development the DH.110 was to have two 30mm Adens but this was dropped in favour of the rocket packs.  I'd have thought guns would be much more practical - and accurate come to think of it..

Various armament proposals were looked at initially, but the DH110 was designed to have four 20mm cannon, the gun beams and bays of which survived through to the very last Sea Vixen built. 

On production aircraft the retractable rocket packs filled the two outer bays, they became oxy bays on the Mk.2. 

XF828 was the only example to ever have the gun ports and troughs fitted.

Edited October 26, 2017 by 71chally