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Hello Britmodeller, It's been a while since my last post; since we are in an untypical British Summer there didn't seem much point in taking any further photos owing to the lack of weather.... Having said that, March was the last visit so I thought it time to take a little trip... First, I must point out that on this visit I didn't take the images with my usual lens, in fact these were taken with a much better lens so the images are clearer, but this lens doesn't allow me to get as close as the usual. So the usual overall view is below - the darker areas are where there is a little varnish remaining but as you can see, it is continuing to exit the plane... The only thing to report this time around is cosmetic, all plastics were as we last saw them. As you can see the paint is fading nicely, but what I find interesting here is the leading edge of the tail has lost nearly all of its varnish while it mostly holds on the rest of the tail. And while we're on the subject of the tail, take a look at this.... This time around I took the flash with me to light up the normally shadowed area of the tail. As you can see the Varnish is almost completely intact along with most of the tail decals. Since this side of the tail escapes the strongest levels on the sun it seems the sun plays a part in destroying the decals. It's a little harder to judge the paint fade here at this stage, since we are dealing with two light sources (the sun and the flash). Those of you who are familiar with photography will know the differences in the colour balance that can cause (and have in this photo). Looking at the wider angle, there does seem to be (at least) some differences in colour tone. Here we are in pure sunlight and while it is clear where the varnish is and it isn't, it's interesting if you look closely slightly right of centre - There are areas of varnish and areas of none but also areas of slightly darker paint. I believe this is where there is the old vanish left from the 1st round of coatings is still just clinging on before I re-applied another layer before sending the Vulcan out to be weathered. Clearly the first round had bonded/cured better - A lesson to perhaps leave for weeks and weeks before sending out into the weather, should this experiment be repeated. The many shades of green around the intakes. Not much to report from the nose area, much of the same as previous posts.... I wonder what that Bird ate, whatever it is they should consider using it to make Varnish because as you can see, it ain't shifting.... One conclusion we can draw now is that this is no longer DSG or Dark green scheme, it's defiantly moved a few hues to be sure.... I continue to be impressed with the experiment; it's been sat outside since November 2015 and I'm seeing no sign of paint peel which means the experiment can continue. I've been asked when I might end the experiment; the target is November 2017 but I would like all of the Varnish to let go before I bring her back in so I may let it go through another winter yet... The main question in terms of endurance is not so much on the Vulcan, but in fact the table/runway. After over three years in the elements it is looking a lot worst for wear and I'm not talking about the paintwork on the surface. Below that the table is nothing more than chip-board and the water has got in, its bowing, bending and slowly breaking.... Although you can't really see it here, the weight of the Vulcan is actually bowing the table in the centre... As always, thanks for looking and stay tuned. Adam

Thanks. Yeah it's not as bad as some out there, I popped by Newark air museum the other week, the one there is developing some new holes..

Hello Britmodeller, Well it's that time again, change of season is upon us, the days are longer and the weather.... a little less British? (OK, so I've stretched the last one a bit). But what isn't a stretch is the last three months since my last visit seems to have been tough on old XM600. What you see on the Vulcan here is a little exaggerated (but not by much) thanks to a little play in the editing suite. But what you see on the table/runway is not exaggerated, it is literally pealing away.... Let's look closer.... As you can see, the varnish is quickly disappearing from the Vulcan's surface. I also note the (remains) of the air-brake decals are well on the way to fading to white, which is exactly what I hoped for but most of the others are retaining their yellowness. But on the varnish front, you can see in the below picture, using the sun's light bouncing off the surface to really see the extent of the loss. It appears that varnish on the right wing seems to be letting go more than that on the left, not sure why, but it probably comes back down to the application... What I particularly like in these images is that we are now seeing proper fading of the paint, as you can see the DSG is now several shades lighter than when it begun. And in the green as well, its definitely loosing the warm tone it had in the beginning. As you can see in the below image, the extent of the table peeling. I would imagine the constant puddle of water normally present here is responsible for the damage as its only sporadically happening in other places. But the main reason for this photo, keen spotters of detail will have noticed, we have lost all of the rear wheels on this bogey now.... I'm told it has been recovered, along with the forward U/C. If this is repeated, I will definitely have to secure it as well as XM655 as this never happened with the other model. I am pleased to see that despite the varnish letting go, there is as yet, no sign of paint peeling. I think now the target for a successful weathering experiment will be when the varnish has let go altogether, by then the paint should be faded nicely and hopefully, it will still cling to the Vulcan's surface. Here's to hoping for a sunny summer... As always, thanks for looking and check back soon. Adam

No worries. Actually no, as far as I can see there is no structural cracking at all, that includes this model and XM655. I'm sure if the model wasn't painted at all then cracks might form after sun damage over time. Even the exposed areas on XM655 where the paint has gone altogether is still glossy, which is possibly the reason the paint cracked in the first place. This model on the other hand, had all its surfaces sanded prior to painting, where the last experiment XM655, only had very basic sanding in limited areas. This is why I'm keen to find out how long the paint will last this time, this build, while far from perfect, is a far more sophisticated build than XM655, that was just a little more than glue and paint. Adam

(I assumed you were asking me) There is no sign of paint cracking yet on this model. XM655 on the other hand started cracking around the wing roundels first, then on one air-brake, followed by cracks near the tail and jetpipes. Thanks again.

Thanks geedubelyer. I had thought about painting the markings, though I'm not sure how I would do it so they look as rounded as the decals. But that aside, it's likely they wouldn't fade exactly as was on the aircraft; the paint used here doesn't seem to fade a great deal, or not at least to the extent as I've seen on the real thing. Even the XM655 experiment after seven months had only suffered small changes in paint tone, and this one is much the same. I suspect if left out long enough it would but I suspect (based on the previous experiment) the paint would be cracking badly before any significant results are seen. If the Decals would only survive, they would certainly fade. This model has Decals from the kit as well as a 3rd party set. While the supplied decals are basically the same colour they were at the start the 3rd party decals have faded, this can be seen on the nose of the model where some of the "Heath and Safety" messages are displayed. Hi Peter, Glue-wise the structure is sound, every part is still where it should be, except the U/C. The Vulcan suffered impact damage in high winds which knocked off the nose U/C completely and damaged the rear U/C (See previous posts). Other than that, a lot of the structure around the join lines are filled with filler, this is also holding and hasn't expanded or bubbled or whatever the correct term is there... Hi Pappy, Good points there, partly the reason I tried this experiment. A possible explanation: The real Vulcan's were sprayed or in some cases done with rollers. This model is all brush painted and the likely reason for the uneven fade/discolourations might be the differences in paint/varnish thickness, I will confess I'm not much of a painter. Having said that, it's just a theory, perhaps might be worth doing a similar experiment with a sprayed model. Hi woody37 I'll admit there is the temptation to bring it back in. However, XM655 in the previous experiment reached seven months before the paint began to crack badly (the reason for ending that experiment). I'm now using this one as not only another experiment but also to gauge my ability with model making, if you will. You see, I suspect the reason XM655 deteriorated so quickly was partly down to the Matt finish but mainly down to my lack of knowledge when it came to finishing the model. XM600 on the other hand was finished far better than XM655, so it's likely this experiment will end when the paint begins to crack, but how long will that be? is what I want to know. Does that make sense? Thank you all for your comments, Thanks for looking and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas Britmodeller, It's now been just over one year since XM600 was sent to her runway in the garden, now outlasting the previous experiment of XM655 by almost six months. And the news is, she'll be out there for a while longer... Today's question is what's with all the red? According to what I hear, it just appeared and I have no idea what it actually is... But that aside there are some interesting patterns appearing in the model. Rain is often the theme around here and it seems its also inside the Vulcan... Just in front of the console has filled with a little rain. Lots of dirt building in the deepened channels around the elevons and once again a difference in the paint colour where the wing roundel decal used to be. But after nearly two years of Vulcan experiments, finally a bird managed to hit with their deification missiles. A top view shows what other angles doesn't seem to, there are areas clearly on the wings where the varnish has let go, but the paint is holding. That's all for this edition, so once again Merry Christmas and thanks for looking... Adam

Hello Britmodeller, It's been a while since I visited XM600 last; with the slow degradation there's been little point. However since it was May when I last visited I figured it was about time, especially since this week will likely be the last hurrah of summer for 2016. We are now about ten months into this experiment; by this stage with the previous experiment on XM655 in the Matt finish, had been retired to the warm and dry shelter of my house having lasted seven months before terminal degradation. XM600 on the other hand is now ten months in the British weather and going strong...er than the other. While the Decals are letting go all over the place the varnish and paint is holding. Lets have a look... Over a year out in the weather the runway/table is in worst condition than the Vulcan. And as before, the rear UC still damaged and soaked, but holding... While we're on the subject of UC, I mentioned earlier that the nose UC may decide to depart before the rest of the plane.... Well as it turns out I was right... I can't find it anywhere and in keeping with tradition, the roundels have left the plane. What I do find interesting however is the pattern that's formed on the upper surfaces... Looking at that you might think XM600 was wet but it isn't, the surfaces were bone dry and being baked by the sun when I arrived... The left side of the tail is the only part of the Vulcan that isn't really showing much signs of weathering, it was the same on XM655 as well... And finally, beware killer bugs on the cockpit.... As we approach the end of what was really an OK summer for the UK, I await what the winter will deliver, baring in mind this Vulcan was placed in November last year it has already been through half a winter. While the paint is weathering much better on this model, XM655 from the previous experiment never lost any components and so far with XM600 we're looking at two missing wheels and the entire nose UC assembly. But in fairness all of that is my fault, if I had secured XM600 as firmly as I did XM655, these losses would not have occurred. The experiment continues... As always, thanks for looking and stay tuned... Adam

Thank you kindly sir.

Hello Britmodeller, It's been a while since my last post and the reason is, well, the Vulcan has been doing really well compared to the last one. So I thought I would leave it until the six month mark for which we are practically at. I went for a visit today expecting it to be in worse condition than I left it and lets say I am surprised... So, how does it look? Let's start at the bottom... As you can see that left side UC is still hanging on, I don't think there is really much more damage than there was before but we have had less wind. Moving up, and yes in traditional style the roundels have let go on the fuselage.. Most of the other decals are holding on though.. Wing decal on it's way out, it's interesting how the edges seem to last the longest.. and the airbrake decals letting go.. Interesting how the right side one is letting go quicker than the left, the exact same thing happened in the previous experiment. You can also see where I covered one decal with another.. Oops.. Quite a bit of dirt building up in the elevon's.. There is evidence all over it that the varnish is in the early stages of letting go, overall though, she is holding up much better than the previous, I think by this stage on the last experiment we were looking at the early stages of paint peel, certainly no evidence of that this time round.... So far... Now we are virtually at six months and comparatively so little deterioration - I may visit again next month but I think that very little will have happened so expect the next post to be around mid-end summer... As always, thanks for looking and stay tuned... Adam.

Hello Britmodeller, Another month and another visit. This month this will be brief, only because there isn't really anything much to report on.. As you can see it looks pretty much the same as before, but you might notice the small piece of decal in the usual scale lake... And while we're on the subject... It seems that no amount of Gloss Cote will protect the roundels... As before, varnish deterioration is proceeding but still much slower than the Matt Cote did on XM655 and that's pretty cool considering this Vulcan is enduring much more wet weather. There is an interesting deformation of the varnish just inside the intake where the DSG ends and on the lip of the tunnel also, a similar effect was present on the upper fuselage on XM655. Finally, we saw last month that the U/C had taken a pounding.. Well, it's not got any better, obviously. But it hasn't got much worse either... As you can see the left side is still suffering but it's still holding. The right side is exactly as it was last month. Now though, the damage caused when mounting this Vulcan is beginning to show itself more. The front U/C is showing signs of letting go.. That's about all for this month. As always, thanks for looking and stay tuned!

Hello Britmodeller, Another month, another post. Unlike last month there has been some action - and by action I mean deterioration. From the first picture all would appear normal but for the first time in a long time XM600 is dry! She has suffered a few cold days... Taken by my good old Nana on a cold and frosty morning... Sadly the net is on it, but I share this picture for one reason... Notice the bird dirt on the runway? That's close... Anyway, to the deterioration.. Notice the spotted effect starting to show itself. So it appears that the Gloss Cote is susceptible to water as was the Matt Cote. Having said that, this Vulcan has probably experienced far more rain in the last two months than XM655 endured throughout the whole experiment - as I mentioned earlier, it's very rare for it to be dry. And following the beginning of the varnish deterioration, a decal is letting go... Now this could just be a coincidence but the right air brake decal was one of the first decals to let go on XM655 too... Odd.. It wasn't just the varnish that has suffered... As many of you will know, wind has very much been a theme of this winter and it has taken it's toll on the Vulcan. Notice that the UC looks like it has suffered a bad landing, in fact this has happened when the wind has caught the nose and lifted it rapidly, and since the Vulcan essentially pivots on its rear mounting it has smashed the rear UC into the table. It's a sad sight to see but the effect was worse on the other side... It has completely lost two wheels, I've no idea where they are, damaged the ones on the opposite side and the UC door is now out of place.. As anyone who has built an Airfix Vulcan will know, the UC isn't exactly strong to begin with and was never designed to take the kind of impact it has suffered. So I suppose this is where the XM655 experiment takes a point as that one never suffered any kind of physical damage. But it is my fault that XM600 has suffered this injury - XM655 was much better mounted than XM600 is. I may have to make XM600's mount stronger but in any event the damage is done so some repair work will have to be done at experiments end... Despite the damage to the UC and the varnish I am still pleased with the way things are going, when I approached it today to take the pictures the way it caught the sun was very striking. That's about all for this month, thanks for looking... Stay Tuned!

I like that.. Cheers

Merry Christmas Britmodeller, It's been a month since XM655 experiment ended and XM600 took its place - out in the cold. Actually there is very little to report so far other than the XM600 is fairing much better than XM655 did. The theme at the moment is very much water - as you'll see.... Even more soaked than the day I set it up in the usual scale size lake... At this point with XM655 there was the beginning of varnish deterioration but this time none is present on the gloss areas though there is a little on the satin finished tail cap. As far as I can see, all the decals are in place - XM655 had lost a few by this stage. Another weird difference though is that the water seems to be clinging to this varnish. It's really hanging onto the underside, see the rather large blobs on the belly. Since it is early days I haven't taken very many pictures as there really is nothing to see. As before the dirt is starting to cover the top and the bottom but since it is completely soaked it's hard to see anything further if indeed there is anything to see. For now she can sit in the wet and we will wait to see what happens next, but I would like to think that this one is going to make it to the one year point at least. It's looking good so far.. As always, thanks for looking and I will post another update soon. Stay Tuned!

Thanks very much.