general melchett Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 (edited) Hi chaps, hopefully this will pass muster as though it was started some time ago it never progressed beyond the early stages due to one thing or another, and this should motivate me to get it done...(I know how Rob loves his B1's ). It's going to be a B1A, overall white with pale national insignia and Waddington shield, using FP set, Two Mikes undercarriage bays and lots of elbow grease!!. I started it about the same time as Geoff's ('V') as we needed some B1's for the Bomber Command table but they both seem to have stalled!!. If it's OK I'll continue with this one for the GB. First off the old beastie in all its glory, taken at Biggen Hill in september 1963, a year later the Vulcans were repainted in the low level camo scheme, Taken from my earlier posts...... Starting with the wings as this was to be the most involved part of the build. Hacking off the Olympus 301 exhausts ready for fitting the B1's 100 series pipes....(either 101, 102 0r 103 depending on timeline of model).... Wings dry fitted to check symmetry...all seems well... Next job was to re scribe the elevon lines which went full span on the B1.....notice the different colour plastic. This was due to the fact that I had 4 kits to choose from and used the best wings from each. This picture shows the area that must be cleared of detail.....a heavy duty file and a lot of elbow grease is needed here!!!, Underneath the four large control fairings have to be removed as these weren't carried by the B1, 4mm Plasticard was used...no filler just a push fit, CA dripped onto back, then sanded smooth. While the wings are all but done, ( just awaiting a set of the wonderful Two Mikes wheel bays to finish off the much needed detail in the blank boxes that pass for gear bays), I've been cracking on with some of the smaller work, using a mix of the Flightpath PE set and lead wire for the main gears and detailing the cockpit, a bit of a waste I know as none of it'll be visible but I like to know it's in there. The ECM heat exchanger fairing has been reshaped from Plasticard and hollowed out, And fitted to the rear fuselage as fitted to all B1A's. All the lumps and bumps of the B2 have to be removed which makes the thing a lot more streamlined prior to sanding down and a very light rescribe, The windshield framing is nicely detailed and makes masking the windows accurately a doddle, here it is only placed over the plastic part , the final fit will be spot on. The canopy has been polished with Micro Mesh 1200 and given 2 coats of Klear....(windscreen wipers are included on the PE fret.)... The new undercarriage also benefits from detailing with brake lines and scissor jacks included. Just awaiting multiple shades of satin black to finish off... Also the cockpit, awaiting spraying NATO black and instrument background..plus odd boxes and interior detailing inside the top of the canopy. The intakes are now both reduced, here is a comparison between the B2's and the narrower B1's,...here they are just taped together prior to filling, sanding and gluing... The cockpit is nearly finished with main console in place and scratchbuilt centre panel added, I find the easiest way to quickly paint the Vulcan and Victor wheels is to airbrush them en mass, NATO black was used as it gives a nice contrast to the jet black of the main gear legs. The axles between each double wheel were painted aluminium as were the PE hubs, Once painted the hubs were added carefuly to the wheels using Gator glue, (as this dries clear if there is any overflow). Also painted the modified Olympus 103 engine facings duralumin adding an oil wash of burnt umber and white spirit. The doors look 100% better with the detailed PE facings added. Just need to add the locking points and add a subtle wash to bring out the detail, The gear assembled ready for final detailing , highlights, wash and satin varnish, I did wonder about this because the airfix main bays are way too shallow and therefore you only get a certain length of extention strut which means you should be able to set the maingear angle correctly too as they should be slightly more angled than Airfix allow them to be . This is the best pic I could find of the set, from Mikes earlier thread prior to release ......................looks mighty fine to me!, More soon, Cheers all, Andy.. Edited May 16, 2012 by general melchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabat Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Very impressive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigsty Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Good news and bad news on the undercarriage front ... The Flightpath maingear door cards are very nice, but you get full replacement doors with the Two Mikes set. Luckily you don't have to take anything apart, just pick whichever you prefer. The maingear bays in that set are very different in depth, so they include replacement tops for the retraction struts. It looks as though you'll have to remove part from the ones you've assembled and substitute the resin bits. You may want to take a close look at how long the replacements actually are - I had a bit of trouble making mine reach all the way to the roof of the bay. It might pay to cut off slightly less leg at first than is recommended, then removing more if you find you need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Ha! I'm not late for once.... !! K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted May 16, 2012 Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 Thanks chaps, pigsty, cheers old fruit, Mike sent me a pre production set for review when they first appeared so I've been able to sort the fitting out, (I'm just a bit behind with the photographs I'm afraid), the doors are nice and I'll probably use them. The only thing with Mikes set is that once fitted ,especially using the heavy FP gears the whole thing needs VERY careful handling as it's all quite fragile, but having said that it's a massive improvement over the kit parts, More photos soon, (Keef....well done that man, early for parade!!..........ten merits and a mention in dispatches !!....... ), Cheers, Melchie.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'V' Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 O.K general - late for the parade ? This time I'm determined to finish my 2, didn't realise you had also 'stalled' on your B.1A. Fighting this one on two fronts ......... 'V' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted May 16, 2012 Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 Ha....there you are!....yep we must get these blighters sorted, glad to see you're back in the saddle Geoff......just don't fall off.. Are you going to either Brum or Hendon this Sunday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F111Fan Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Oh boy, this should be good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calum Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Another great build coming up it seems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted May 18, 2012 Author Share Posted May 18, 2012 ] This shows the difference in size of the Olympus 100 series tail pipes when compared to the far more powerful 200 series ones....(courtesy of Colin Strachan).... Todays work ...the pilot bods are now suitably attired and in place. I chopped the kit ones around a bit so that they had different poses, trying to make them look as if they were going through pre flight checks. A lot of the time the V-Force pilots just wore the G-helmets but for take off and landing they wore the mark 1 bone domes.Apparently talking to several ex crew members they were simply too uncomfortable to be worn for a full sortie plus there was a premium on headroom, particularly in the Vulcan.... Ejection handles fitted, just got to paint the black sections now!!!...(none of this will be seen of course, but hey-ho).. Intakes have been narrowed, filled, sanded and primed ready for fitting and then the 'fun' bit.......blending, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radleigh Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 Lovely work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike N Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 Fantastic work, and very nice and clear photos too by the way! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisrope Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 This is really fantastic. I have to ask, where did the PE wheel hubs come from, they look like a real time saver Cheers Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted May 21, 2012 Author Share Posted May 21, 2012 Thanks chaps, Chris they come with the Flight path set and are really worth the cost of the set on their own!. Only problem is that they aren't quite right for a B1 !!, the wheel pattern was quite different but can be adapted, B1 gear, notice solid main leg casting, this is included in the FP set...(btw it looks odd coz it's upside down to show detail better, sadly this aircraft was scrapped at Cranwell in 1970), And B2 style, beefier braced casting to deal with big weight increase, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisrope Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Ta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcanicity Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Ah-ha! Another Melchett Special. OK, I'm watching this one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Ha! See - all those people who say you shouldn't have overly bulged tyres on your models are all wrong! What a great example of 'excessive bulging' & too much of a flat sanded onto the underneath of the tyre....prototype for everything!!! Keef PS - can't see those chocks are of much use... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnT Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Request permission to enlist General? I have all the B1 bits and a Vulcan in the wings as it were so may I watch and learn and ask sundry stooopid questions along the way please? Who knows it might even help me turn out a vaguely passable B1 ! Cadet John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plimsol Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 you're going to open the ECM bay of course and all that lays therein? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christof Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Hello General. This going to be compulsive viewing. Looks the DB's so far. Christof Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeR Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Coming along nicely! Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 Thanks chaps, appreciated, plimsol old fruit, you're going to open the ECM bay of course and all that lays therein? In a word ...NO, I've got enough on my plate without that lot... John, you are hereby enlisted into the small but perfectly formed General 'insanity' Melchett squadron of awkward kit builders............and also given full permission to complete a more than passable B1 with honors, (gold nut clusters, first class naturally) !!..............Hmmmm, I'm beginning to think that there may be more Vulcan B1's finished than any other type here at this rate... Anyhoo more on the build Firstly the IFR probe..strange lumpy, shroudy thing at the base had to be sorted out as it's way too large, After.. Exhausts had to be modified as previously noted. After a LOT of drilling and reaming brass tubes were fitted to the pipes and exhaust turbine faces added to the front end. These just slide in for now, the insides of the exhausts have now been coated with thinned Mr hobby dissolved putty and sanded smooth.. The ECM fairing has also been blended in now as have the underside parts... Whole thing from above..wings not yet fitted..need a fair bit of fettling,..apols for different colours of the plastic. The new kit I bought, (Falklands issue) had a huge piece missing from the starboard wing and tail fin rendering it useless so as I had a couple of others in various states of undress I mixed and matched the parts. Amazing how different the quality is between the 'new' and old!!, The wingtips of the B1A were different to the B1's as equipment and nav lights were added to a bulged area outboard of the pitot tubes, these need to be reduced slightly and blended, Cockpit area, with crew and FP etch framing which makes a huge difference , Most work has predictably been on the intakes, but if you take your time and fit everything to start with there's no need to wack loads of filler in..and spend half your life with a bucket of water and an endless supply of wet &dry!hope!. The underside of the intakes will be built up with Milliput which is so easy to use wet.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'V' Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 This is going to be finished before I've painted all the wheels !! (Blame Monday & Tuesdays being railway club nights) So what happened to me on Wed & Thur ? Forgotten already !! 'V' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulT 876 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 GT Its Your Birthday thats what you have forgot Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 Blimey..80 !!!...good on yer Geoff, don't worry about your memory failing !!...it's........er.......er!!...............damn I forgot, but I'm sure it's something or other !!! Don't slack on this one, don't want the (36) wheels coming off of the thing ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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