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VULCAN XL426 VDF 1983


robvulcan

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Well I have been away for a few months and the urge to file, glue, paint, etc can not be left Hungry any longer. So to satisfy my hunger I have decided to give myself a quick modeling snack in the form of yet another dragon vulcan.

I love these little vulcans small though it maybe they make into a gorgeous little platic triangle.

This one I started in may and stalled after my last 4 I built. One I still have not posted in RFI xm606.

This one will be XL426 as seen at the end of her flying days with the vdf very badly faded in what was dark sea grey and dark green but what at the time 1983-86 looked decidedly chocolate brown and med sea grey.

For this I will be using humbrol 155 olive drab and 165 med sea grey and should give a scale effect once weathered a bit.

So far I have done the intakes and engine faces and glued then in place and fitted the two fuselage halfs.

The biggest job will be blue taking the camo but I find this relaxing (good job that!)

Here's were I'm at

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Here are some pictures not mine but thanks to those who share them on the web there very useful for modeling things from before I was born and very inspirational.

This is the kind of look I want to replicate.

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Edited by robvulcan
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I notice on the 3rd photo there are some red patches on the wings top and bottom. It looks like something on the plane possibly or just a photo artifact anyone got any ideas ?

I have never seen a vulcan with red marks here.

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Hi Rob,

Good to see you back on with one of these. I don't think the marks are a photo artefact, if you check the link below to a photo on airliners.net they are also shown on there. Not sure what they are for though.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Avro-698-Vulcan/1243283/L/&sid=385064dce5ae38a262f3d4501adf96ed

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Thanks guys. I see it was on there when she was in 50sqn. I have never seen another vulcan like this never seen marks like that on any of them. Luckily for me I am doing it in the VDF markings same as XH558 and I think they were removed then.

It looks like they are day glow I wonder if it was for training or a bombing competetion perhaps. Like red flag which I think the wraparounds were all involved in.

I need to read more about red flag.

Cheers Rob

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Good morning. I started with the first job of the day a nice cup of coffee. Then checked the tail had set which I finished yesterday.

This morning I fitted the canopy which I had sprayed the insides of dark grey yesterday to make sure its opaque.

Then I have fitted some blobs of blue tak in the wheel wells to stop the under carriage doors falling in while the glue sets. I am now waiting for the rear doors to stiffen then I can fit the front doors.

Here she is as of now.

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I have run glue around some of the gaps around the tail and fuselarge halfs next job is to fit the ECM plate or plates depending on what 426 had. Then decide if to bother modelling the 200 series exhausts or just cheat and leave the 300s on.. Milliput small gaps and then spray her allover in Hu155 Olive Drab. then the blue tak madness can begin ready for med sea grey. Then the dark sea grey patching can be applied. etc...

Cheers Rob :)

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Can anyone provide me with a good view of xl426's undersides from period of 1983 to 1986 I just would like to check her camo pattern out.

I always try to replicate each vulcans unique pattern as best I can whilst there generally the same they all have a different look and give the airframe unique character.

You would think with the amount of shows she flew and how often those big wings were over head it would be easier to find.

Looks like she might have had 2 ecm plates and one painted partially white.

Cheers Rob ;)

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I have filed off with the trusty old sandvick the exhausts back to the first kit line. Then I pinched some 200 series exhausts from an old die cast avro models vulcan.

Filed them to shape and super glued them to the model. they now look more like 200 series pipes.

As this model is to be displayed with my VDF era XH558 model I could not overlook this as they both had the same exhausts and I had modded XH558 in the same manner.

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next job ECM plates and milliput time. But first to the gym for a much needed work out !

Cheers Rob ;)

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Well I have been busy working on the Precision Ice and Snow Diorama and also working on this little beastie. I have fitted the ECM plate It looks like XL426 even though it was a blue steel fitted Vulcan lost its secondary plate later in life as I could so far only find one photo of her as she is today fitted with only one. I can only assume this is how she was in the early to mid 80s.

So here she is milliputed in the small holes as I have with the others I have done I have been naughty and omitted the smaller details which are hugely over scale anyhow. I have also omitted the probe do to these often having to be moved around due to space. and built just for my enjoyement.

However for the next one I build I am going to make it wheels down with a diorama base something I don't do often.

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Next I need to fit the ECM cone Intake and then spray her with the olive drab and then I can blue tak her for the grey,

Cheers Rob

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I hope I will get the green on before I go to my night shift 5pm to 8 am. Then I might be able to gradually start the Blue tak of doom session. It takes ages even in this scale. as this vulcan is about the same size as a 1/72 spitfire but still has more wing area.

Its also a much more complex pattern that needs care as its a very curvey snakey pattern on a vulcan.

more soon Rob ;)

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1:200???? Am I reading that right? Strange scale....very nice work sir but a scale I've not even seen!

Hi yes 1;200 If you would like to see my other build on these which is much more in depth you can see me do major scratch conversions to make them into a b1 and b1a which were very different to B2s

I have made many of these and endeavour to build more. I am crazy about planes in general but have always had a love of the Vulcans.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234936632-1st-one-finished-dragon-vulcan-b1a-2-b1-big-surgery-for-3-small-kits/

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:analintruder:The Mighty Vulcan...!!! Me likes!

I finally arranged for a bookstore to get me a copy of Rowland White's Vulcan 607. I must surely be the only bloke in Argentina to buy that book, methinks. It's awesome, very interesting. I'm reading it on a teardrop basis, meaning I will hate it when I'm finally done with reading it.

There's sumthin' of a term I wasn't able to catch, tho;

On 8 January 1971, book reads Flight Lt. Robert Alcock told the aircrew they were scrubbin' it. :shrug: Whut does scrubbin' it mean? Were they takin' off or sumthin'?

Am I to take that the scrub is slang for runway?

The anecdote 'bout Neil McDougall and Chris Lackman flying a low-level trainin' sortie at night over the Scottish Western Isles... :D McDougall forgot turnin' the TFR on and they were barely flyin' at 20 feet; Lackman was wearin' NVGs and told McDougall he was able to see the sheep in their eyes! :rofl::rofl:

Incidentally, any news on Airfix's 1/48th scale Vulcan B2 yet? :fool:

Cheers, Rob!

Unc²

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Vulcan 607 is a great book I still need to finish it off. I love the bit about him taking a Vulcan through the canyon what a site that would be.

I would have thought scrubbin it meant to be flying so low as to be nearly touching the floor.

Cheers Rob

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"they were scrubbin' it" To "scrub it" means to cancel it, very good book.

Oh...??? :fraidnot: I really don't get it then... Accordin' to the book, Alcock told his crew that they were cancellin' flight ('cause of loomin' cloud ahead), next he smoothly increased power to 85% then raised the nose to begin the climb above the weather...? :hmmm:

Me doesn't get it.

I would have thought scrubbin it meant to be flying so low as to be nearly touching the floor.

Uh-huh... Me too; I mean, the more I try to figure it out, the less I get it, apparently. Doesn't it make more sense that Alcock were to fly low as to avoid havin' to go thru' the loomin' clouds ahead? :blink2:

Cheers, my mates.

Unc²

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There was a tale of a Vulcan going low over desert and cutting a big ark in the sand with a wing tip. A bit like drawing with a stick in the sand.

Apparently the line was a good mile too. I find it hard to believe yet at the same time believable due to the ways vulcans used to fly when they were in service with the extra weight they bottom end used to hang down a little and if just at the right angle with all the power those 300 series engines generated I imagine it could be done.

I guess there would have been bits of bush and sand caught in the wing tip. If it was true I dare say the crew would need a good few whiskeys afterwards to contemplate their close encounter with the other side !

Rob ;)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well good morning this must be the slowest Vulcan build I have ever done. She keeps getting put down and left due to other things since the start if the year. That's no reflection on the kit she's a peach.

Current state of play the ECM plate was fitted. The intake on the tail cone fitted.
Small gaps and holes were aerials should be filled in with milliput.
Then I wet sanded with 1200 wet n dry. Then I sprayed her with humbrol rattle can 155 olive drab.

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I think she looks pretty nifty in one colour she reminds me of all over green drakens.

Now to bluetak the pattern has any kind sole got clear pictures of xl426 undersides when she was in wraparound and a good top surface shot ?

Rob ;)

Edited by robvulcan
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Good to see you back in the saddle Rob, I'm looking forward to seeing this one come together.

John

Cheers John. I have the blue tak ready to go next to me with the little beast next to me also. But I really need to find some photos of her undersides. I know the generic pattern will be the same but each is different and adds character to the Vulcans and other Aircraft.

It should be easier as she was the display bird from the early 80s till 1986 when xh558 took over.

Have you got any ?

cheers Rob

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