Tiddler Flys Over Forest of Sponge ;) Vulcan Duo Build XM597 XM595 Airfix & Dragon 1/72 1/200

[robvulcan]

Right update time. I had before I got sick got as far as milliputing the Little Vulcan XM595 and for my Mrs made a Milliput egg again. This way the milliput Is not waisted but also lets me know when its set.

The little gaps were filled then wet smoothed with a finger and left.

I also added the ECM cooler/intake thingy and then I can mask off the intakes with bluetak and start painting her.

On too this morning. This is what I had been waiting to arrive for the Big Vulcan XM597 some 9.5mm tubes for the Exhaust pipes.

Some sighting up

They will need to be fractionally taken down and the tunnels sanded to fit perfect

I decided on a certain length for them to allow a gap were the Olympus would reside between the intakes. should anyone decide to look up her pipes.

I scored the line with pencil then run a knife around and snapped at that point then tidied

up with a file.

Using a bit of sandpaper around the tube I am easily able to widen the walls to allow the pipes to fit and the paint I put on as a precaution earlier is helping me see when I have gone down enough.

Right then more sanding and then intakes... (scary ...)

[nimrod54]

They are both coming along nicely Rob, keep going matey. At least you are making more progress than I am with my MiG-21. I have stripped the acrylic paint off twice now, back to enamels methinks.

[robvulcan]

They are both coming along nicely Rob, keep going matey. At least you are making more progress than I am with my MiG-21. I have stripped the acrylic paint off twice now, back to enamels methinks.

I will have to check your build out and wish you more luck soon. I have only ever had success airbrushing with enamels. It just works, Acrylics I have never got to do anything but spatter on tissue paper.

Cheers Rob

Update time again. The smaller vulcan has has the intakes plugged with blue tak and I have started spraying the white on.

This is the 1st coat. I have been tidying up the nose a little then more paint tommoro

Meanwhile on the Big Vulcan I have sprayed the insides with some matt grey to key the black insides at the final stages. I am sticking bits of plasticard to them to blank them off. They make nice whistles too

I accidentally made Battersea Powerstation !

A test fit shows how they are looking

................This is the part that's got something biting away at me undies......MASKING THE AIR INTAKES!!! ARGHHHHHH

The only way I can think to tackle this is with Tape applied with "LUCK" and a cocktail stick... Getting the first bit on it hard enough.. Lining up the next piece as well is a hard task and this is were I shall start swearing as we all know this improves modeling greatly...

The second piece is eyeballed up to line up and then guided to place buy using the free floating end of the tape, As this lines up I fold the cocktail stick end of the tape over itself to allow me to press down the free floated side. Then I can move back and rotate the cocktail stick and then it will have half hanging in the air ready to be pushed down again with the cocktail stick. That is the narrowest part done.

I have trimmed and filed round the plastic ends on the Engine pipes and cleaned up the business ends.

The pipes should come in about line with the kink in the step of the mating surfaces seen here and the kit panel line highlighted in pencil.

Then they are all fitted and checked to be square and equal.

So its Intakes, Weight, bombardiers window, bombbay and support for this then I should finally be able to close its one up and start turning it into a Plane.

Cheers For now. Rob

[canberra kid]

This Vulcan lark is nearly as bad/mad as the Canberra business, more good work going on Rob!

John

.

[robvulcan]

This Vulcan lark is nearly as bad/mad as the Canberra business, more good work going on Rob!

John

.

Its certainly a physical workout all the sanding and the intakes are the nightmare if your doing a camo bird that's not wraparound. Having to mask of the white is HARD !. I am sure Canberra's are harder with all the minutiae of variants.

Cheers Rob

Right update time. I started at 9.00 this morning with an easy job dipping the clear parts in Klear. I believe you should start every day with and easy job.

This is the parts prior to the Klear. I will show you them later when they are dry.

However by 9.30am the easy job was followed by an absolute pig of a job... Masking off the white intakes... So I propped them on top of a paint can and sat by my monitor an advantage of the resin intakes being white and translucent meant it was easier to line things up.. But It was not easy....

I started this last night but now I had to keep the angles the same both sides and in both intakes making my way around placing pieces of tape on using 2 cocktail sticks like chop sticks....

I got there in the end but it took me from 9.30am till now 14.30pm to do them... Hope it works now I need to add the engine faces and then mask off the gap with blue tak then I can fit them...

I hope the masking works, I can touch up with a brush later if needed I guess.

I decided to give the engine faces a coat of matt varnish thinking this would add more depth to the finished piece. Hope so.

Before:

After:

I have been test fitting the resin intakes as I found they are gappy when fitted on the Kits mounting pins on the bottom half. I found that the lips of the intakes need to be taken down fractionally too. But the best fit with these is from the top half. This I shall be doing. It looks like the intakes are designed with this in mind as they have more mass up top which fits the kit. The kit ones lack this.

I will have to cut the top portion of the mounting pins off and pack it out somehow. But I hope this cuts down the milliput stage and blending of the intakes.

I will have to put a plasticard fillet behind there too to fill in with milliput.

Right some late lunch and back to the modelling.

Cheers Rob

[Gimme Shelter]

wow - that was a fun topic to scroll through - I am looking forward to seeing the finished Vulc. I built this kit years ago and remember all too well the engine intake horror problems but did not get any 3rd party extras with the exception of the exterior PE kit from Hannants that added a nice final touch to the aircraft. I have a tiny GWH 1/144 Black Buck Ops Vulc on the shelf in my mancave which must go into production soon - your posting here ahs inspired me to have a box rustle through the kit again tonight while wifey watches her soap rubbish - keep up the good work

[robvulcan]

wow - that was a fun topic to scroll through - I am looking forward to seeing the finished Vulc. I built this kit years ago and remember all too well the engine intake horror problems but did not get any 3rd party extras with the exception of the exterior PE kit from Hannants that added a nice final touch to the aircraft. I have a tiny GWH 1/144 Black Buck Ops Vulc on the shelf in my mancave which must go into production soon - your posting here ahs inspired me to have a box rustle through the kit again tonight while wifey watches her soap rubbish - keep up the good work

Thanks and yes the kit intakes are even more hellish... The resin is totally worth the investment these are the Wolfpack versions very nice robust resin too.

The G.W.H. Pit Road kit Is a peach built 3 now and have more on the stash. I see they have done a K2 version now also. Look forward to seeing your build (hate soaps.... ughhhh)

Cheers Rob

Right update time.

The intakes had the engine faces fitted and then I ran CA around the back (superglue gel) When this had gone off I started filling in the gap by running bluetak sausages around the Tamiya tape then filled in a central piece.

The lips of the intakes need flatting back fractionally to make them flush out, Its look that here on the kit line is were an actual line on the real ones resides sometimes its kinda noticeable too but I am going to do all I can to blend them in.

Here I am removing the top portion of the pins as discussed in the previous update. I had noted these putt the wolfpack intakes back by about 1mm hence me fitting of them to the top of the Fuselage.

Both intakes are super-glued to the top half.

I have made a quick bulkhead for the front cockpit to hide the two steel bolts I intend to shove in the nose along with lots of milliput which should see her keep her butt off the ground when shes done (I hope) they weighed 30g Which is what it says in the kit instructions. The resin intakes and milliput along with the steel probe should all help too. I just hope its not Too heavy...

Cheers Rob

[woody37]

Brilliant stuff Rob. I think when I do one, it will have intake covers installed!

[robvulcan]

Brilliant stuff Rob. I think when I do one, it will have intake covers installed!

Cheers Wood37. Putting the covers on would make things a little easier but if your still doing either 60s/70s or Falklands camo schemes you will need to do the white still as the the intake covers sit back square in the intake and the white is still visible on the inner side of the intake.

(unless there are 2 types of cover) sure it would pass in my book as creative license.

Cheers Rob

Right Update time again.

The little one has received the white undersides and tonight at work I can mask the lower edge. It will be good practice for the big one...

For the big one...

I have added the weight 2 steel bolts and a massive lump of milluput. The steel bolts weigh in at 30grams the milliput is heavy and putting the fuslarge together with the wings tail and tail cone resting in a position close to their weight distribution still has the nose going down when purched on my finger with the finger forward of the rear wheels position so I can hope this is enough weight. I am tempted to add more but worried about adding to much.

Can anyone give any pointers here ?

One thing for sure that IFR probe is going nowhere...

[nimrod54]

I have added the weight 2 steel bolts and a massive lump of milluput. The steel bolts weigh in at 30grams the milliput is heavy and putting the fuslarge together with the wings tail and tail cone resting in a position close to their weight distribution still has the nose going down when purched on my finger with the finger forward of the rear wheels position so I can hope this is enough weight. I am tempted to add more but worried about adding to much.

Can anyone give any pointers here ?

One thing for sure that IFR probe is going nowhere...

I think that you should have enough weight in there Rob. As a rough rule of thumb, what I generally do to check the sit of my models is place a finger in each of the main undercarriage bays. If the model tips forward from this point then there is generally enough weight for it to sit on its undercarriage, but I usually add a little bit more to be certain.

[general melchett]

Hi Rob, sorry mate I've been a bit busy and as usual let the old inbox fill up for some reason but it's sorted now. Looks like you're getting to grips with the old thing. I think you've got more than enough weight in there too..poor nose gear..lol

At this rate it should be ready for the show, (btw has Paul been in touch ? I'm OC ops this time so give me a buzz),

Melchie.

[robvulcan]

Hi Andy. Great to hear from you. Yep been working hard on this beast. I do hope I have enough weight and I do fear for the undercarriage.... Not sure if I should attach them with PVA so if I need to replace them I can..

Not heard anything from BC yet.

Cheers Rob

[robvulcan]

The Klear has dried on the Clear parts so I loosely fitted the Bombardiers window pane. Then carefully flowed some polly near the bottom curve first and let capillary action do the work for me. As it tacked up I did around the edges.

Bit of a gamble this but at least the window has no chance of becoming loose and rattling in there. I am glad I spend time painting here with the white to help with final finish once the mask is removed and no bare plastic showing.

Also adding the Black to again add depth to the build. I am trying to hide any unwanted light showing were it should not to hopefully give me a very solid looking beast at the end.

I am adding this piece of plasticard which is self colored black. I have gone over it with micro-mesh to Flatt it off some and hope this again should add some depth to the finished article.

I have been tidying up the tail cone again with micro-mesh and fitted the tail cone. I am not sure if I need to mod this or not to the 2nd type cone tip,will have too look at photos.

I am really getting excited about this build now. Its getting to that stage were you start to get a small smirk. I really need to check see if I have any of the right decals left for the 60s scheme and stencils. Hope so.

Cheers Rob

[robvulcan]

Does anyone know were I can urgently source the Air Decal Camouflage Vulcans set. It has the stencils I need to complete this. Cheers Rob

[stormfrontmodels]

Hiya! Just wondering: have you done a Vulcan with Skybolts yet?

[Gimme Shelter]

Just checked in to see how things are coming along - looking good - keep up the good work

[PlaStix]

Fascinating build! As gimme said - keep up the good work!

[RNoAF Aerobatic Team]

Great work, mate! !

[robvulcan]

Cheers guys I will update soon. I might have sourced some decals but if not and anyone has the air decal camo set or remainder I am interested it's the stencil data I need.

XM595 has been masked off and had the green applied will show you tommorow.

Just need to check off my list and check with the General before I shut the fuselage up. I think all I need to do before that is move and drill out the bulkhead windows. Then I think I can join the halfs.

From then on its wings tail and Cone on and I guess we're not far off painting.

With the Vulcans it seems the hardest part is prep sanding and masking the hardest part being the intakes.

I'm having fun just hope I finish in time and looking forward to the weekend painting being my fave part I think.

At school I always did prefer colouring in to maths. LOL

Cheers Rob ;

[nimrod54]

They're really progressing now mate, I like the way that you add those extras to create a perception of depth to your models, great idea.

I have also noted that you are sporting the latest fashion accessory for modellers, ie white thumb-nail paint , I have just cleaned mine off this morning after yesterday's repaint of my current project, I really must invest in some disposable gloves.

[robvulcan]

They're really progressing now mate, I like the way that you add those extras to create a perception of depth to your models, great idea.

I have also noted that you are sporting the latest fashion accessory for modellers, ie white thumb-nail paint , I have just cleaned mine off this morning after yesterday's repaint of my current project, I really must invest in some disposable gloves.

Hi Nimrod54 yes I seem to be wearing all sorts of colours latley, Mostly browny green, bluey grey and white. I hate those gloves prefer working with my bare hands.

the tiddler is winning at the mo but the big one is the most important. though the little one is kinda vital as I am using as a paint shade try out. (Avro Vulcan PSR MK2 , paint shade research variant lol)

here is the tiddler so far.

Needs another wash over with the green then its blue tak time YAY..

Cheers Rob

[Nigel Heath]

Rob, I just caught up with this - great work. I was particularly impressed with the tricky masking you pulled off with aplomb.

Nigel

[robvulcan]

Rob, I just caught up with this - great work. I was particularly impressed with the tricky masking you pulled off with aplomb.[/size]

Nigel

Cheers Nigel yes the masking of the intakes made the undersides of the tiddler seem a breeze.

I really like the way the tiddler is looking can't wait to finish her. The idea is when they are finished I will photo the big one on the ground with a real backdrop and in the same shot have the tiddler flying around in the distance should be cool.

Cheers Rob

[canberra kid]

Looking forward to seeing them at the show Rob!

John

[Col.]

Grand work on both Rob. Not sure if Scale Aircraft Conversions do a set of metal legs for the 72nd scale job but that would impart plenty strength.