Jump to content

Building and correcting the Airfix Valiant B1


Recommended Posts

Look in this thread . There's s couple good ones of an ugly green crew stations and a cockpit. Page through this old post you'll find them

Hi, Tarheellaw!
I apologize for dullness, my English is a machine translation.
You suggest to reconsider all topic once again? It is made already long ago, all pictures are safely kept.
Lately after my message I repeatedly looked for the required photos on various sites, but unsuccessfully.
So still I hope for favor of English colleagues.
PS I Hope, the anti-Russian sanctions won't affect my request
Edited by Dock_Ru
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, Tarheellaw!
I apologize for dullness, my English is a machine translation.
You suggest to reconsider all topic once again? It is made already long ago, all pictures are safely kept.
Lately after my message I repeatedly looked for the required photos on various sites, but unsuccessfully.
So still I hope for favor of English colleagues.
PS I Hope, the anti-Russian sanctions won't affect my request

Use Google to search for the site; Thunder & Lightnings. There you'll find the photos you are asking for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...

Thanks Flash just hope the info is of use to folks....I have another Valiant (camo B.1) to post in RFI in the near future with a few more modifications !...plus a nearly finished B.(PR)1 which will be finished in low viz anti flash 543 squadron markings.

I would love to see how you did the camera bay on your B.(PR)1, which is how I will be doing mine.

That is of course, if I ever get around to starting on it. :banghead:

Larry

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sean, i hate to say it but The Italeri B-58 kits are a disaster. I disagree with Jennings Heilig on 99% of things, but in this case, he's right on this one. There's a 72 inch error in the length, which is spread thru the length of the fuselage and affects the length of the engine pods, the sweepback of the vertical fin, as well as the chord, camber, and sweep of the delta wing.

Where this mistake came from is subject to argument. One school of thought says the measurements were taken from the B-58 at Wright Pat while it was undergoing restoration (with the pitot boom removed), but long before that Aviation News made a set of three view drawings with all of the shape errors of the Italeri kit. I know which smoking gun I prefer.

What happened is that Aviation News (and Italeri) apparently took the official Convair-quoted overall length to be from the tip of the pitot boom to the tip of the tail when in reality that dimension is from the tip of the radome to the tip of the tail, a difference of 61.5 inches.

(A late cousin of mine was a Convair aerospace engineer on the B-58.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

A long time ago I was a Vulcan pilot but it was as a Phantom pilot 'bolt holing' at Waddington that the opportunity arose to visit the Valiant that, at the time, was a static display. Having found the Chief Tech who looked after the aircraft we were able to enter the cabin area - Wow, it was enormous! Of course as an ex Vulcan pilot I was interested in the driving compartment; it was like something out of Jules Verne, with throttles that disappeared down into the front of the aircraft, control columns that slid forward and back on what appeared to be girders and switches that Frankenstein would have been proud to operate. All in all, a quite fascinating visit. Dis I take my camera - no, of course not :-(

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Great stuff TeeEll ! Vulcans and Phantoms...good lord I'd love a looksee at your log book !

Having foraged around all three 'V's as a nosy little air cadet whilst on camp at Marham way back when and more recently as a mere modeller I always thought the Valiant's cabin very friendly, the Vulcan 'cosy' and the Victor like that of a gentleman's carriage. I was always taken by the Valiant's control yoke that seemed to have hand wound raffia wrapped around it...very civil with an air of the Empire and Gord save the Queen about it, (but then I always thought the Victor should have had a highly polished walnut 'dash' complete with Linseed aroma to set the flavour)...and as for the Vulcan, well having sat in XM594 at Newark recently I can only admire what you chaps must have done on the long range excercises......I was getting cramp after a mere ten minutes :owww: ..and we hadn't gone anywhere !

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...

Great to see this thread rejuvenated, especially on the eve of a B.2 conversion kit release. Many of the excellent details that General Melchett show here will come extremely useful. Unfortunate that some of the photos no longer appear.

I notice that the good General and Sloegin mentioned more detail to follow, would that still happen?

My first thought on building the B.2 is that it shared features with the very early B.1s, ie the early style bomb aimer blister.

A few areas changed during the course of flight testing, most obvious the main wheels, but also little things like the fin and tailplane gaining vortex generators, the stb'd pitot tube changed, and minor probe and aerial rearrangements.

Edited by 71chally
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks Chally, I hadn't realised that some images had vanished, I'll see what can be done about that. As for more detail well Dennis (sloegin) did come up with a few small things but I'll have to dig deep to find out exactly what. Good point about the vg's regarding the B2. It started off life without them only being fitted later during trials as per the B1. For anyone interested I might well start a dedicated thread for the B2 when I get the time.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes please general Sah, but please don't let Darling near the thread again, Balldrick is still limping and wearing a surprised / shocked expression, where Darling left the needles laying around and he sat on them.

Jim

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

By thunder you can call me whatever you wish chally, providing it's not Susan...that's reserved for Darling at ceremonial events and school reunions only.

Jim, I've had cause to caution Darling about this habit of continually leaving his dirty needles lying about the place, I've instructed him to take up flower arranging instead though Heavens knows what he'll find to foul up there.....however I feel that Baldrick's surprised/shocked expression not to mention his limp was due to another dreadful incident involving a prize turnip, a particularly evil smelling Plum Duff and a fat hamster called Neville, a very nasty business, I believe he spent eight weeks in the field hospital !...

Meanwhile back on planet Earth....I may well tack the B2 onto the end of this one...cheers all.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
  • 5 months later...

Highly inspirational work General, actually it was your work that first led me to this forum, on my digging for information about the Fw200. I found exactly what I was looking for in your WIP for the C3 and C4 versions. I was doing them both as 3D models.

Strangely enough when I was working on my Myiashishev Bison model, guess where I landed once more for interior photos? :)  (it's in the aviation art section now)

The Valiant is yet another I did some yeasrs ago (along with the rest of the V-force.. So I once more follow your work with interest...

-Out

Edited by Nils
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Nils, good to know the info came in handy for you. I'll certainly look up your Bison, really must finish mine someday. You might be interested to know that I've just started a Valiant B2 for our group display at Telford this year, (combination Airfix kit, AIM conversion set, some scratch-building and a few additional after market bits and pieces)... I'll post the WIP here as a separate thread very soon.....

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...
  • Julien unpinned this topic
  • 1 month later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...