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I have built resin kits, short run injection kits and I have scratchbuilt parts for kits to bash the kit into something else but I have never tried a vacform kit. I wanted to try a vacform to expand my model skills and build up to maybe one day scratchbuild an entire aircraft. What have I let myself in for will I die of Styrene and Milliput dust inhalation or will social services cart me away sobbing and clutching a selection of emery boards and files. I really dont have any idea what to look forward to maybe I should have done a bit more research before splashing my paypal cash on ebay. Its a 1/72 Rareplanes Blackburn Firebrand kit. Its not particulary a model I wanted to build but at least its not the 1/72 Vickers Windsor I was looking at the other week that would be a beast to build.

Hi all, As threatened previously, this'll be my contribution to the GB. Picked up off an auction site a couple of years back and my vacform cherry being popped by building a Rareplane Seafire 47 before I got to this point. The canopy hasn't yellowed on this one! Initial cutting out of parts done in the garden, with what I would like to think is the most appropriate tipple for the task in hand... Now for some trimming and filing. IanJ

Well this really is a rarity for me, my first ever Vacform build and finishing a Group Build, something I fail to do on too many occasions ! I have had this kit in the stash for many years and like many of us was completely terrified of building a Vacform kit, but thanks to the encouragement of everyone on here, WE have done it. Until I built this kit I didn't know much about Gordon Stevens, the man behind Rareplanes, but having read about him he was a remarkable man who by his undoubted skills and determination brought us the opportunity to build kits that none of the mainstream manufacturers would have looked at. I would therefore like to dedicate my rather modest build of this, one of his earliest kits to him. The poor old Supermarine 224, wasn't a success ending its life on a firing range as a target, but hopefully RJ Mitchell learnt something that he later used to make the more recognisable Spitfire the success it was. As for this kit I learnt a great deal, cutting out the parts from the sheet is nerve racking, the sanding seems to take forever as you are frightened of taking off too much and you constantly worry that the parts aren't going to fit. However the sense of achievement is amazing, so please dig out that Vacform kit you have had in the stash for years and give it a go, everyone on BM, especially me is right behind you. cheers Pat

This is my first Vacform, so with a promise to build a Contrail Blackburn Perth in the flying boat GB to come, I had better start learning. This Rareplanes kit was still sealed from New with little copper staples, so it's a real blast from the past. The moulding looks very good especially compared to an ID Models kit I was looking at in the stash today that is completely smooth and devoid of any detail ! The first obvious challenge apart from it being Vacform is the lack of decals, if anyone can give me a clue on these it would be greatly appreciated. My instructions below, nice and basic, so let's hope this kit wants to be built after all these year. Painting and decal guidance, so that's Silver and find some then.... Whats all the little "pip" marks ? Looks like they need need to be sanded off ? I did say it was my first Vacform cheers Pat

My first vac-form kit is finally finished! a tribute to the late Gordon Stevens as part of a group build on HyperScale: Britmodeller build log can be found here: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234997838-172-rareplanes-pbm-mariner-gr1/

I've joined in a Gordon Stevens Memorial Group Build over on HyeprScale with what will be my first attempt at a vac-build. Just to complicate matters I plan to use a Red Roo Mariner GR.1 conversion set intended for the Minicraft kit, plus the gun turrets from the Minicraft kit (Ed Russell of Red Roo gave me the turrets when I found out he was converting his Minicraft kit to an RAAF PBM-3 transport without turrets). For details of the Red Roo Mariner GR.1 set see my in-box review: http://www.hyperscale.com/2014/reviews/accessories/redroorrr7251reviewmd_1.htm Being new to this vac-form lark I'm off to a slow start. I must admit Rareplanes' plastic seems nice enough to work with so far. There are some shape and dimensional differences compared with the Minicraft PBM, so I anticipate a some dramas when I come to use the Minicraft turrets (especially with the nose one). I only noticed that the cockpit canopy was quite misshapen and malformed after cutting it from its backing sheet in preparation for trimming: I tried using the vac canopy as a mold for an Amazing Sculpt (like Milliput) master, but was none too happy. Besides, the kit canopy is not that good to begin with, if you're used to canopies by Falcon like me. So I decided to scratch-build a canopy master in order to better achieve the faceted effect of the lower clear panels, and would match Rareplanes' slightly inaccurate (IMO) overly curved shape using Amazing Sculpt for the top panels. I hope to plunge mold a new canopy over the weekend when I've sanded the Amazing Sculpt to shape and polished the master up. After basic filing and sanding down to plastic-card forms: I have a usable canopy after my third molding attempt. I would like to do one in thicker material, but I need to source something suitable as the scrap packaging I was using is a bit thin. But I have proof of concept, so work on the Mariner can resume now I know I have a workable canopy solution. Not a lot of progress. I made a representative flight-deck based on photos,cutaway drawings and the Minicraft kit. It's enough to convey the "flavour" of a PBM's flight-crew stations given the little that will be visible. I also cut out the portholes and windows which will be glazed with clear styrene sheet punched out and cut to fit respectively:

This is my completed vacform Rareplanes 1/72 DH Devon, I will post more photos later when I get the lighting sorted the photos will be cropped a bit better as well I hope you like ?