Converting the Matchbox Victor to a B2 with Bluesteel

[SaintsPhil]

Good Morning BMers!

I've been asked to build a model of a Victor, from the matchbox kit, as a B2 with Bluesteel missile.

Before if I decide if I can handle this challenge could someone clued up in the V bombers point me in the direction of what needs doing please?

I know the kit will need rescribing but I'm not 100% sure a B2 can be made from the box, with out some work at least.

I've seen the flightpath set and read that it a must!

Thanks

Phil

[Catbird]

Longer wings for the bomber version I believe.

[SaintsPhil]

Thanks that one detail I'd missed

[Wez]

Or is it shorter wings?  Obviously, you'd need a spare Blue Steel from an Airfix Vulcan.

 

There's an article in an old issue of Scale Models where Ray Rimmell did just this, I've got it in the stash somewhere I could dig it out and scan it for you some time next week.

 

Wez

[SaintsPhil]

Wez that would be a great help if you could!

Phil

[Wez]

No worries, PM me with your e-mail addy, it does depend when I can get into work - roads permitting as my scanner has given up the ghost (it was crap anyway)!

 

Wez

[JohnT]

I've got another conversion article too and some other info if you want to pm me your email address ill scan and send to you

It's quite doable with some effort

There are Am products that help a lot too

David Parkins at Flightpath have a conversion set and if I recall so does another firm but the details escape me at the moment

John

Edited January 19, 2013 by JohnT

[Howard of Effingham]

before they went belly-up the aviation workshop did a B2 set in resin with the wingtips and a bomb bay door. hannants may have some of these left.

 

however, you will also need to add the heat exchanger [its the large box shape with intakes visible in most pictures of a B2 with blue steel near the nose of the missile].

 

also the tail cone will need the bumps adding on it depending on the serial of the particular victor you are modelling and when it was photographed. this ECM fit was changeable afaik.

 

wez's idea about that ray rimmell article is a good one as that article is still one of the better victor modelling articles ever.

[Welkin]

Or is it shorter wings?  Obviously, you'd need a spare Blue Steel from an Airfix Vulcan.

 

There's an article in an old issue of Scale Models where Ray Rimmell did just this, I've got it in the stash somewhere I could dig it out and scan it for you some time next week.

 

Wez

I've got a spare Blue Steel from the Airfix set somewhere - it's yours if you want it.

[Vlamgat9]

I think Bill Clark did this conversion at some stage?

[theplasticsurgeon]

I think Bill Clark did this conversion at some stage?

 

Yes it's in a copy of Scale Aviation Modeller International, complete with 1/144 scale drawings.

The change in wingspan is probably something that can be overlooked, by all but the most ardent rivet-counter.

I'll dig the mag out -  but you also need the recessed bomb-bay from the Vulcan kit.

Edited January 19, 2013 by theplasticsurgeon

[Wez]

I've found the article, it's a straight conversion to the B2 version, not the Blue Steel version, so as theplasticsurgeon says, you'll probably need the recessed bomb bay from a Vulcan too.

 

The bomber did have longer span wings, the difference in span is outboard of the ailerons which to my mind is quite noticeable (and I'm not a rivet counter).  I couldn't remember whether the bombers had longer span wings for higher altitude operations or the tanker versions had longer wings to help with the higher all up weight, turns out they had shorter wings to cope with the harsher ride at lower level and reduce fatigue - I don't think it helped much, one of my colleagues who was an ex-Victor man had a patch on his coveralls which said "Old Victors never die - they just crack up"!

 

Wez

[SaintsPhil]

Thanks for all the offers of help chaps! BM never fails to come through!!

PMs are on the way to guys that have offered articles, they'll deffinately help!!

As for the bluesteel I think there will be one included, if not I'll take you up on the offer!!

Phil

[AnonymousAA72]

I did indeed convert a K2 to a B2 (and a K2 into a K1) in SAMi a good few years ago.

 

Here are a couple of pic's. First of all the wings. Lower wing is of course that of the B2. You can just about make out the extension (plastic card and milliput) The wing is twisted so that the 'Kuchemann Carrots' face downwards. They shouldn't! Some gentle wing twisting was required

 

 

The amended 'bomb bay'. Blue Steel and bay from Airfix's Vulcan of course...

 

 

 

and the finished B2

 

[SaintsPhil]

A fine job! Thanks Bill

[Fatcawthorne]

Hello all, I have been talking to Wurger190 (real name Terry Grey!) about doing a B2 from the Revell kit using his conversion resin parts and this is part of his last response (I'm sure he won't mind it being made public):

This year, I have worked on a better tailcone for the B2 and a tailcone and cooler intake/exhaust
for the Blue Steel equipped Victors. However, apart from a few test shots, I have not produced any for sale.
This is something I will get around to doing after Christmas.
If you are still interested, then please let me know.

I am obviously in the queue for when Terry's ready to let this loose on unsuspecting modellers.

I picked up Terry's detail from the past BM threads below:

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/67123-new-victor-b2sr2-resin-set/?hl=%2Bvictor+%2Bb.2.wurger+%2Bterry

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234917865-converted-revell-victor-kit/page-2?hl=%2Bvictor+%2Bb.2.wurger+%2Bterry#entry1034962

Chris

[Toe]

Crikey this is a blast from the past for me, did PM him I think but nothing further happened, not that I was vexed, understood he was doing it as a bit on the side and was in no hurry, was just nice to have the possibility this could happen and I could have a crack at it with my Victor, which is still patiently waiting!

[general melchett]

Phil, I did the XL163 Victor B2R a while back, though I left the missile off as it's a separate display item, there's a fair bit of work involved in making a decent Blue Steel Victor as I'm sure you're now aware. As already mentioned longer outer wings are needed, the Vulcan Blue Steel insert and missile, (the missile needs to be recessed further into the bay to sit properly), the tail cone needs replacing with Terry's parts which include the ECM warts, outer wings need to be twisted slightly so that the 'carrots' lie horizontal to the fuselage datum line, a new tailplane bullet as the kits one is pants, in fact Terry also does the whole tail plane with the missing fairing and new bullet, a new nose pitot, APU intake/exhaust, Blue Steel cooler fairing,engine intakes, thinned down refueling probe etc, etc, etc..perhaps the hardest thing to fix though is the canopy, the kit's glazing doesn't come down far enough at the sides. I used Terry's vac ones, (it's clear and so you can put the windows in the correct place later in the build). I'm also sorting out new ECM cooling intakes with Terry as the kit's ones are way too small). The Flightpath set is a pretty good route to go down as it includes the resin intakes. I've also got the Ray Rimmel article, a very good guide to go by.

Hope this helps and hopefully doesn't put you off, if you want any advice at all, just drop me a PM, only to glad to help,....................now come on Airfix, you know it makes sense !!

Melchie...

Here's my first one, XL162 of 139 squadron, B2R trials aircraft,

Flightpath tailplane bullet and scratch built ECM cooling intakes fitted, ( also moved the main gear back 5mm so that they are central to the doors where they should be),

I'm also in the process of building a 543 squadron SR2. with the help of Dennis Robinson, (sloegin1958). These photos show most of the new resin parts in place, (the canopy is the Flightpath one which I've now ditched in favour of the vac one),

We at the Bomber Command sig have now built a few Blue Steel Victors with more to follow, here's Terry's Wittering wing XL231 ,

And Richard Farrar's B2R XL513 in experimental initial camo scheme,

Edited January 25, 2013 by general melchett

[Jennings Heilig]

Blue Steel (two words). Just like "Sea King" and "door gunner".

[SaintsPhil]

Blue Steel (two words). Just like "Sea King" and "door gunner".

Thanks!

By the way

http://www.informatics.sussex.ac.uk/department/docs/punctuation/node30.html