Search the Community

I started learning CAD and bought a 3D printer last year so I could design parts I needed to scratch build for my modelling projects and really got into it. @Mike has kindly allowed me access to the 3D Makerspace so I can offer parts I've designed for my own projects to fellow Britmodellers who may find them of interest. The first item I'm offering for sale is a set of Olympus engine fronts for those of you who want to build your model without the FOD covers and would like to see something more detailed down the air intakes. I started this because the Airfix Vulcan includes optional parts for the Olympus 201 and 301 exhausts but only include the fronts for the 301. After designing the 201 parts and being really pleased with them, I designed some optional more detailed 301 parts a well. Here are the CAD Drawings. 201 Olympus 201 Engines Airfix Vulcan by Mark Maclean, on Flickr 301 Vulcan 301 by Mark Maclean, on Flickr The parts contain the engine fronts, stators, turbine blades and a neat little holder that slides over the intake and holds the parts in place. I've designed the parts with minimal supports and they will just require the back to be sanded off on some of the parts a bit like a traditional resin part. Here are the parts as they will be supplied Vulcan Engine Parts by Mark Maclean, on Flickr The 201 Engine Parts Cleaned up and dry fitted 201 Engines Assembled by Mark Maclean, on Flickr The 301 Engine Parts Cleaned up and dry fitted with the kit part for comparison 301 Engines Assembled by Mark Maclean, on Flickr A view of how the holder slides over the intake. Some sanding of either this part or the kit plastic will be required where it touches the bomb bay. Vulcan Intakes by Mark Maclean, on Flickr How they look when fitted to the intakes 201 Vulcan 201 in intakes by Mark Maclean, on Flickr 301 Vulcan 301 in intakes by Mark Maclean, on Flickr If anyone is interested in purchasing a set, I'm selling them for £12 posted in the UK if you want 201 or 301 engines or £15 if you've not decided what engines you'd like to build and would like the choice of engine fronts. Overseas postage will be at cost. Please PM me for details. Regards, Mark

This is my latest completed model, an unusual Vulcan B1. This is based on an Airfix kit that I got second hand, and intended to restore and convert to the earlier variant. This project failed, so- much like the a number of the real things- this is what I salvaged from it. I misplaced the stand I had for it... I'll add more photos when I find it or get another The model represents a fictional survivor, not a real one. Amongst other things I wanted free reign on the weathering and colour scheme. I'm rather pleased with how the wood came out. It is actual wood, but it's painted Credit to @robvulcan as it was his similar build of a much better kept cockpit that inspired this one. The WIP thread can be viewed here ^^ And Rob's build here ^^

So I've finally gotten around to buying a Vulcan, the Airfix 1/72 XH558 boxing. Any advice on the notoriously difficult kit? Are there any in depth reviews that tell how to build a good model out of it? I've heard that the engines are inaccurate for XH558, which I don't plan on building it as anyway, which Vulcans are they accurate for? Finally, what aftermarket upgrades are useful (I know there are seamless intakes available), and where can I get them from? I'm not too bothered about the cockpit as it will be hardly visible The less chopping up and resin surgery I have to do the better.... I have never used resin upgrades for a scale model before

This is my latest finished kit but is actually the first kit I did in my return to the hobby. It was bought about 6 Christmases ago by my Mum as a bit of a joke because I liked XH558 and was cheap on eBay! I got going on it using my limited modelling skills and threw the parts together, looking back I didn't do too badly considering it was my first model! Anyway I sprayed Citadel (Games Workshop) black undercoat and then hand painted (very badly!) the grey camo on the top side. This was the brick wall that I hit. The finish was crap and the colour was nothing like correct! It was put on the top of the kitchen cabinets and languished there ever since. When I got it down, the undercarriage had been broken at the bogies but luckily as it had been sat in the box they were still with the model, as were the undercarriage doors and the access ladder. The only thing missing is the IFR probe from the front. I decided to finish this as XH558 so removed the thimble TFR probe from the nose. I realised that the ECM cooling vent was added to the rear fairing of the tail but no amount of persuasion would remove it without surgery and I didn't want to risk ruining it so left it in place. I know it is not correct but its not a massive part so I can live with it. I started this yesterday morning around 10am, removed the rest of the undercarriage to make masking easier then free-hand sprayed the Medium Sea Grey on. Next came the masking, I chose the blu-tack and tape method and after nearly 2 hours had the top masked off ready for a spray of Green. Once this was on I moved to the underside but I decided to swap to a more 'mask as you go' method that was quicker and easier as you just mask off each bit of green as you are spraying it and mask the general area around it. The green finished I moved to the undercarriage bays, these were masked off and sprayed white. The undercarriage itself was fixed, with the bogies being drilled to accept wire axles and the wheels put onto these for extra strength. The legs were then sprayed NATO black and had the hubs and oleos painted silver, then glued into the now dry wells. The gear doors were sprayed as a seperate part and then glued into place. The ladder was painted in Yellow and added to the front access door, I had toyed with making this myself out of brass but it looked good as it was so kept it. Finally the canopy was masked and sprayed and then added with CrystalClear. Decalling did not start well with the Port wing roundel breaking up as it was slid from the backing, the transfers having dried up and not been the best in the first place (far from the Cartograf quality we are now used to!) but I managed to get everything else on without too much of a hassle. The finishing touch was a spray of varnish to seal everything in and I am now calling it done. The only fly in the ointment is that it wants to constantly pretend it is a WW2 fighter with its tail firmly planted on the dirt! In my haste to build it I missed the weight addition. To remedy this I am going to build a base for this to sit on with a hard standing and maybe some scenery. Here is the finished model, it was 0130 this morning when I took the image so there is only the one but I will hopefully put up more when it goes onto the base. **UPDATE** I have now finished the base and mounted the aircraft on it. It is a 'representation' of the apron at Doncaster Robin Hood Airport which is XH558's current base and was taken from a photo of it when it arrived there. I may add a few little detailing bits later on but this is it for now.