neilh

Looking at the CK instructions on Scalemates, there does not seem to be much to the conversion? Main part seems to be the radar housing which someone could maybe 3D print for you if you can find a better image/photo. I recall an earlier thread discussing the radar equipment and there were few if any references for it, and its buried so deep in the cockpit almost any representation of it from blocks of spare resin and plastic card might suffice.

I no longer have the instructions but don't recall seeing scales marked on Airfix sheets. Can you measure a roundel and calculate the scale from that known dimension?

there is a full build article of this kit in this months Airfix magazine.

I am sure I saw something in my phone when on holiday in Turkey last week concerning 3D printed handles but I was not logged on my phone so I could not share at the time and cannot find it now! Maybe some more of these will be produced in time? Kits-World 3D printed - KW3D172005 | Hannants

I want!

A subject that has needed a new kit for a long time, like so much of the Dora wings catalogue, and lets not forget, these guys are in a country that is experiencing total war. Greatest respect.

I've built both of mine with the squared off wingtips. I found the wing tip lights to be too large so sanded them to shape , however elsewhere on this forum its suggested that I should have trimmed the wingtips along marks on the inner faces to make room for the lights. Another build tip - fit the gunsight before you fit the windscreen as per the instructions ( then protect it) , or you will need to trim the underside of the part to fit afterwards ( as I found out). The other part that was a real pig to fit was the nose U/C jack that fits in the side of the leg. I just could not see how to fit this after the nose gear was in, so added it in advance at the right angle, trimmed the plug off and butt glued it to the side of the well. You may get on better than I did.

I ordered a set of optivisors over the weekend as I definitely need the help for ship modelling. To be fair I probably need them for 1/48th aircraft now.

Even after fixing three squares of roofing lead behind the cockpit rear wall, mine were teetering or tipping back. I ended up adding lead shot from an old diving weight squashed flat with pliers dipped in white glue and dropped through the footwells into the nose until I could get no more in. I also drilled a hole down through the drop tank pylons and filled the fronts of them with the same lead shot. If I was fitting this resin engine I think I would add lead into the leading edges of the wings as well and try to get something under the floor too.

Thanks for those useful tips Gents. I am away this weekend but hope to make a start next week. I think I may have to invest in the Optivisor as all the others ones I have tried have been uncomfortable or incompatible with my varifocals. I tried using high magnification reading glasses for a while but they are OK for 1/48 aircraft but not for 1/350 naval gear!

I've built up my nerves to finally start my 1/350 Trumpeter USS England converted to my Grandfathers Captain Class DE, HMS Rupert. I'm reasonably accomplished in building 1/48th aircraft including short run, resin and etched brass extras, but this is a whole new experience for me. I have the White Ensign etched set from which I will certainly need the ladders, railing and some other parts, but I splashed out on a load of Black Cat resin accessories such as the guns, depth charge racks, searchlights etc as for example I a) don't fancy my chances of success folding the tiniest pieces of brass that make up the 3" guns and Oerlikons, even with my hold and fold tool, and b) they look too flat. I read the instructions on line which are a tad basic, and once I can get a better set of magnifying glasses so I can even see the support rods, I will cut them off, but is it best to leave one and paint them all in one go by airbrush, or better to cut them off completely, stick to card or similar with white glue, paint and then cut them off to fit? I bought and read several books about building ship models and have had a good read of in progress builds here but all advice is gratefully received as this a build for my 88 year old Dad and I don't want to stuff it up, and also want to get it built whilst he is still with us. If I get on OK with this one I may then stretch myself further and buy and build the resin kit of my Grandads previous destroyer, HMS Salisbury.

only thing to watch with the etch set is making sure the wing structure is square as the etched parts have no "give" so look wonky if the gap one side is less/more than the other. Hard to describe but I have built three of these now. The hardest was with the one where I built with the wings folded. The Tamiya design solution is great for that, but I rigged the outer wings with the etched set, and when I then slid them on the pre moulded spars, the weight of the wings pulling downwards seemed to flex the wing structure enough to force the etched rigging to bend a little. I think the problem was that I secured one end and floated the other, whereas it would have been better to attach without glue at both ends. Good luck, its a lovely kit.

How do you plan to rig it? If using the etched set designed by Tamiya, then these fit into pre prepared slots and " float" so you can build as you suggest and then add the pre finished top wing afterwards. The fit is good so you only need to be careful with the glue when attaching the top wing. Maybe a bit of flat varnish needed if any glue marks shine a bit. If rigging with other methods the build will depend on the type you choose to use. For example, if you use nylon thread, one technique is to drill holes in the lower wing part way, and all the way through the top ( or the other way around). You then attach the rigging wire at the hole and pull through the other wing, and glue. That will usually mean painting the sides of the wing facing the rigging and then painting the other sides once fixed, rigged an tidied up. That's OK to do as you can easily mask around the wings to avoid any overspray if airbrush painting and if brush painting just paint carefully!

Martin Baker Seats (neomega-resin.com) - these any good? https://www.neomega-resin.com/martin-baker-seats-72-c.asp (sorry - proper link above)

Here is the first of my two finished. Not the warped one but pretty much similar issues as described above save for the warping. Pleased with the final result although the digital images show some blemishes I can't actually see with my own eyes ( so won't be trying to fix them) ....

I've now finished one of the two builds. The " twisted" one is waiting on decals, but the seams are sorted and it is all square. I'm trying to source the early style Egyptian roundels to fit the tail booms, so asking around the club for 1/72 examples. I agree with you Peter, although I had pre painted those parts in your picture, or like the structural members added them before painting, I built one kit with the flaps down and adding the tiny actuators was tricky indeed and made them hard to paint afterwards. Like you I found the nose wheel fitment a little odd but did manage to secure it firmly on my second attempt. My second kit is flaps up so won't be so tricky. Even though I added more than the recommended weight I still ended up squeezing lead pellets flat from an old dive weight, dipping them in white glue and carefully dropping them through the footwells to add more in the nose, and I even drilled a hole into the wing tank mounts and dropped more lead pellets into the front of them. It now sits on its 3 wheels ( just ).

Mine was quite similar Peter. Same sink marks and shrinkage around the jet pipe area. I was lucky enough to be forewarned from another review to fettle the intakes and booms such that I needed just a little Mr Surfacer rather than any deep filler there. I've used the shortered wing tips and they fitted quite well. The plastic is quite soft so I found that if I got the fit as best as I cold by filing, a good squeeze with liquid glue applied would fill some small gaps with molten plastic. Once dried I could then re scribe any joint line that should be there with my JLC razor saw.

I had a similar experience with the boom joints. In one case the two halves moved slightly when being glued which caused an unnecessary step to be rectified ( self inflicted- frustrating when clamped and taped parts still move when you walk away- I can't afford the time to sit and watch while glue dries!) . I think however the issue of the gaps in the booms was caused by the rear spar. It has clear locating lugs in the centre section but no obvious locating lugs on the wings, and since they are quite flexible in that area, if they move even a fraction of a mm within the wing, it pushes the alignment of the lugs on the boom out. I managed to reduce the effect by sanding the appropriate area on the front of the boom, which removed most of the gap but I still needed a little Milliput to clean up the joint. I agree with your view that the more experienced modeller can find ways to produce an excellent result, but I think some elements are designed to be overly " clever" in their engineering which in practice make for a more complicated build than necessary. I feel sure that separate sidewalls and a forward fuselage clamshell would have been an better route. I think if I was to build a 3rd example I would be pre warned and find it much easier with experience. For example I would add tabs to hold the rear spar exactly where it needed to sit to perfect the fit of the booms.

I did the same as you. I originally added some lead shot from an old dive weight under the floor but it interfered with the fit so I used epoxy to glue 3 flat pieces of roofing flashing to the rear of the bulkhead. A test suggests that's going to be enough, had I though in advance I would have added a few shot to the front of the underwing tanks as security.

One on eBay now for £40 with no bids and 1 and a bit hours to go ( not mine - just letting you know if you want one). Quite cheap as any re release will I suspect cost more than that if the Vampires were £35?

Sorry, I don't have dimensions Pete but comparing them to the metal legs in all my built Alley Cat models they look pretty similar.

one think I found with mine ( and I think discussed in anther thread here) is that the spare navigation lights on the sprue are much larger than the cut outs for them in the FB9 wing tips. It was suggested in the other thread that the builder should cut a small section from each wing to accommodate the lights, and that the wings are marked on the inside faces to assist with this. I had already sanded my clear parts to fit the wingtips so probably not accurate in my case.

I have a biscuit tin ( now empty) if anyone would like it? Postage paid by the buyer.

I have read several glowing build reviews including here on Britmodeller, and those having " fun" like me seem to all have had a part that has twisted ( probably removed from the mould before the plastic has cooled sufficiently). If I recall myself, the CA kit was hard work as the separate resin intakes did not fit well, the booms were challenging and the cockpit needed some grinding to fit. Overall the Airfix engineering is very good, especially the booms. I think key is getting a kit without a warped upper or lower clamshell, and then making sure the cockpit floor is seated perfectly on its 4 mounting points. My second example without the warp still has a faint seam I need to remove, but nowhere near as hard as the warped version. I suspect that if I had not been building them together, the " unwarped " one would be finished by now.

Well here I am some 15 days later and still those curved side seams keep reappearing under primer! I have seen a couple of builds on line where they are clearly visible so I am not alone. I've tried superglue, Mr Surfacer, Tamiya surface primer, and finally tonight Milliput as a filler and impervious barrier coat ( because I wonder if the lacquer based primer is softening the Airfix plastic). Hope fully onwards and upwards tomorrow as long as Storm Eunice doesn't intervene.