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Airfix Nimrod MR.1


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5 hours ago, stever219 said:

It's a shame that there are no MR. 1s left for us to investigate😥

 

As as the archetypal 15-stone weakling throwing rocks isn't really an option which only really leaves hiding under.😐

 

No: there were sets advertised in Aviation News and Scale Models a very long time ago but I never got round to getting copies of them.  I strongly suspect that those in my Formaplane/Airways Vac Form kit "somewhere in the loft" are going to prove disappointing if ever I can find them.  I wonder if the Nimrod drawings at Woodford (assuming they ever existed: apparently the lack of same was one reason for the "fun" that Airfix had with the engine intakes) were microfilmed comme TSR 2 or if they all just fetched up in a skip.

The Aviation News plans by Peter Cooksley are generally erroneous with regards to shape and detail.  Panel lines at wrong stations, and some fictional altogether.  And unfortunately Airfix used a lot of this reference as the basis for their kit.  Fortunately, the overall dimensions are accurate and the kit offers a great starting point.  The major item of issue that the aftermarket (even the Alley Cat engine panel tops) doesn't address is the shape of the intakes, being closer to the MR.4 than the standard production Nimrods.

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Thanks for the photos chaps, they're excellent! 

 

I think I may just have to live with the engine intake shape, but I may see what I can do with the tailplane shape.

 

 

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Portholes added, stuck with liquid glue but then I added masking tape as insurance against them popping out and rattling around inside when I stick blu-tack over them ready for spray painting.

 

I don't think much of the inside will be visible, so should be ok.

 

2uetnbb.jpg

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13 hours ago, hendie said:

I'd certainly be interested in learning of all the shortcomings in the airfix kit (of which there seem to be plenty) as I recently acquired one and it will become a future build

It is a product of its time, and I'm sure the current Airfix team would have done wonders if their Victor is anything to go by.

However it was one of the better kits of that era, and far better than say the Valiant or the Canberras, as Regulus says it is pretty good shape and scale wise and really looks the part when completed.  The great thing about it is just how easily it builds, and the fit is good in all the big areas.  At the very least it is a blank canvass to do what you want with.

 

The tailplane tips shape is the weird one, because I just don't know where they got it from, as if they made it up at the end of the design process. 

They are easy to rectify, but I still need to check dimensions of the span etc when corrected.

The Nimrod intakes are a bit of a difficult area anyway, really when viewed head on they should be more squarish but with rounded edges - if that makes sense!  The kit ones are too round, a bit of fileing and filling may help, but you can only go so far with the available plastic.

 

Nimrods can be a bit of an involved subject anyway, they were pretty constant in appearance during the good old maritime days of MR.1s and say the first ten years of MR.2s but then as they were used in various other roles they started sprouting various sensors and fits that can be quite difficult to keep on top of.

 

You will love correcting the reverse thrust grilles though Hendie, really requires PE work that will be right up your street!

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Your work is coming on there nicely Lordriot, once the fuselage is buttoned up you don't see anything inside the cabin, and very little in the cockpit.

 

 

Edit, a quick tip to avoid the noseleg issue that Oggy mentions earlier, fit parts 16D & 20D (nose leg and strut) into 15B & 1B (nose gear bay) as per the instructions, but do not glue them.  This leaves them free to 'retract' while you are making the kit, at a late stage you can then glue the joint between 16d & 20D

Edited by 71chally
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I'm kinda tempted to build mine, references are plentiful, I know an ex Nimrod user and Cosford's just up the road

 

But I made up my mind about this at the Coventry show last summer, the Spitty pilot gets it

 

Phew

 

Decision made and ratified

😂

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It's certainly a good build so far, though the fuselage needed a little persuasion to squeeze tightly together around the cockpit area. A bit of strapping while the glue sets and that should do it.

 

2607i9k.jpg

 

Have to mention one slight issue though; it was quite 'blocky' where attached to the sprue so needed quite a lot of rubbing down where I cut the attachment points (as above). I didn't want to risk cutting too close in case I chopped out a bit of the fuselage. Leaving the liquid glue to set now. Overall, I'm happy with the fit.

 

11t27ir.jpg

 

Got the intakes about as join-free inside as I can too:

 

2m6vajn.jpg

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One way to avoid that issue Lordriot is to thin down the bulkhead and floor assembly.  Coming together nicely though!

 

 

I've started this with my tailplanes, the black pen line is what I believe to be about correct - this is just my interpretation.

It's really worth looking through references to get is right, and you can work things of the relation to the elevator ends and horn balances.

Like I say, the span might need to be made up again (I haven't measured), the tailplane span is 47' 7" and each elevator is 20' 8" long, so should be around 20.1 cm model span, and elevators just under 8 1/2 cm - recheck the maths though!

 

I also think that the elevators are too broad in chord, but that is a whole world of pain correcting that!

27855435699_5071cf62aa_c.jpgAirfix Nimrod tailplanes by James Thomas, on Flickr

 

This is a good image, there is a better one looking directly up at it but can't find it right now.

4421718704_8d07e50d97_b.jpg

 

Apart from the forums' own walkarounds there are some excellent ones on Primeportal, including this operational jet, http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/howard_mason2/nimrod_mr2_fairford/index.php?Page=1

 

This is how well the thing slings together, the only thing holding the whole assembly in this pic together is the elastic band at the rear of the fuselage

27855628739_7c9dbc2a7e_c.jpgAirfix Nimrod by James Thomas, on Flickr

Edited by 71chally
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At least there's meat to cut away

Sure beats adding to the length by a country mile

 

Going well Riot I hope you manage to remove the joint lines along the fuselage, it's a long way to the back from the front  :)

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1 hour ago, perdu said:

At least there's meat to cut away

Sure beats adding to the length by a country mile

I think the length will need to be added back on though!

I've just measured my loosely assembled kit and the span is just over 20cm with the elevators at 8.5cm each, so Airfix appears to have got that spot on!

So, in theory, and if you're stickler for dimensional accuracy you will have to add on the same amount as what is removed - never easy, never easy!

Edited by 71chally
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Would it be better/easier then to replace the whole area outboard of the elevator with a suitable rectangle of plastikard and then cut sand that to shape, essentially so the middle part of the revised curve in @71chally's illustration is on the outboard edge?

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4 hours ago, perdu said:

At least there's meat to cut away

Sure beats adding to the length by a country mile

 

Going well Riot I hope you manage to remove the joint lines along the fuselage, it's a long way to the back from the front  :)

Me too, it's always the most challenging aspect of a model. I guess I'll just file it a bit, as there doesn't seem to be a gap.

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Nice to see you making another British classic Lord Riot, looking forward to seeing it completed... it makes an impressive model when it's all together. 

I made one of these a few years back and plan to make another in the grey/white early scheme like you.

Regarding errors in the kit, I seem to remember moving both the position of the wing lights and the light on the nose which are all in the wrong place.

I would also recommend the Allycat replacement windscreen set, it make all the difference to the final look of the Nimrod. If you want to take it a step further I have a set

of replacement turned metal jetpipes and a searchlight reflector available. 

 

gazza l

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An interesting build which I will follow with enthusiasm. I flew in one when I was a Cadet back in the, ooooh, '80s and have always wanted to replicate that aircraft. I bought my kit straight away and its been sat on the shelf since! I keep blowing the dust off every few months but haven't built up the courage to hit it yet (plus I have many others part assembled gathering dust!). I cant see a lot of your pictures yet but I think that is down to me viewing at work and might be a subliminal message from my boss to actually go and do some work! I will catch up later!

 

Bob

 

Edit:

Restarted my computer so can see everything now! Great work so far!

Edited by moaning dolphin
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The basic kit seems to assume you're building an MR.2, so for an MR.1 there's a bit of filling needed: tailplanes upper and lower surfaces and that funny chute thing down the back end ...

 

34qqxdw.jpg

 

Hope it'll clean up and smooth out ok once the Plasto is dry.

 

Needed doing where the hole for the probe is too ...

 

2e0l1jp.jpg

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Thanks for the heads up about the changes for an MR1, I probably would have gone blundering ahead and built the kit as is.

 

Martian

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So, as suggested previously by @71chally, I've squared off the tailplanes a bit as best as I can without losing too much length. I'm certain they're not 100% accurate to professional standards, but I do think they look a bit more realistic now. I filed the top and bottom of each tip after too so it isn't just a blunt end.

 

2rcs6mc.jpg

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2 minutes ago, Martian Hale said:

Thanks for the heads up about the changes for an MR1, I probably would have gone blundering ahead and built the kit as is.

 

Martian

 

No problem, it's always good to share experiences - although the kit instructions are broken down quite nicely depending which version you're building. However, the kit does need a bit of filling work to do the MR.1 instead of 2. I'm surprised Airfix didn't create it with an option to cut a hole for the probe, rather than with it already gaping behind the cockpit.

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They certainly look more like the proper tips!

 

Just in case the instructions aren't clear, there is a prominent ventral long bulge thingy that fits aft of the bomb bay pannier on the port underside, this isn't fitted to MR.1s.

I think there was s second strake under the port wing root on some 2s, again not fitted to 1s.

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