Nik W Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Morning all! It's only taken approximately three years to get to this stage, but my Dynavector Wyvern is finally finished. This was my first venture into the world of Vacform kits, and Dynavector did not disappoint. I chose this as by all accounts it is one of the best kits to use as an introduction to vac kits. The fit of the parts is absolutely superb, and once the necessary surface prep was done in order to get parts to match up, this went together with far less hassle than a lot of the injection moulded kits I've built. My build is by no means perfect, in terms of improvements I could've removed the aircraft lights and replaced them with appropriately coloured clear plastic. I deliberately chose not to overly detail the undercarriage bays as this build was more about testing my ability to build a vacform not my ability to superdetail. I've also missed off the windscreen wiper as my attempt to scratchbuild one looked a bit too 'agricultural' for my liking, so some room for improvement there certainly. Lastly the decals from Berna were a bit of a nightmare, many of them are grossly oversized and they refused to conform to the model without masses of Mr Hobby Setter and Softer. In terms of lessons learned from the build, first and foremost is that Vacform kits are not hard! Picking a good brand such as Dynavector or Aeroclub helps no end, but they are no more difficult than many injection kits (stand fast Tamiya shake and bake kits...) so really ought to hold no fear for anyone! After all if I can manage it, I'm certain anyone can! As always, constructive criticism is more than welcome, without it I'll never improve. So without too much further ado... Kit: Dynavector 1/48 Westland Wyvern Decals: Berna Decals - Wyverns Extras: Compass Rose Resin - Cockpit Tub + Airscale Instrument Decals, CMK Wyvern wheels & Pavla Martin Baker Mk.2 Seat Paints: Xtracolor EDSG & Sky, Humbrol Roundel Red and various shades of Alclad (undercarriage and undercarriage bays) To all those that looked in on the build (as glacial as it was in terms of progress) thank you for all the words of encouragement! Now it's just a case of deciding what to tackle next... Scimitar? Swift? Thanks for looking in folks, Regards, Nik 34 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 That would be an outstanding build under any circumstance but being a Vac-form makes it very special 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildeSau75 Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Cool - really well done. Subtle weathering - looks convincing. But to be honest - I still not like the look of the plane as such ;-). Cheers, Michael 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ c Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Great job on that, really nice work 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev67 Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Very nicely done, and welcome to the world of vacform models. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carius Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Excellent build and finish. well done 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batcode Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Great looking build, nice job on the finish 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatboydim Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Superb Wyvern. Great shading. EDSG and Sky always looks good. Really nice base too. Well done Nik, regards, Joe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Nice build! Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roof Rat Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Very nice, congratulations RR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAG058 Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Wow, very very nice! And a vac form? Unbelievable! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Cornes Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Well your patience and perseverence have certainly paid off. No fear with vacs for you then! I have the view that all you need is a decent, accurate canopy and you can then build the aeroplane below it! Thankfully a vac form gives you somewhat more than that and you have shown that you have mastered the art and pulled of a great build! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire31 Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Amazing display of modelling skills (and patience)! Kind regards, Joachim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Beautiful Wyvern. I'd say you've got this vacform lark beaten! Cheers John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Superb job, especially for a first vacform. Love the Wyvern, wish we still had one flying. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David H Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Nice looking Wyvern, Nik! Goes to show the Dynavector kit has not lost relevance in the age of Trumpeter and is STILL worth building. Also i'm impressed by your choice of markings and eschewing the now-cliched Wyvern paint scheme with the Suez stripes. Also nice to see you did not weigh her down, Skyraider-style, with everything but the kitchen sink. Thanks for posting! david 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FIGHTS ON Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Great build and your 1st vac form as well. Not sure I'd agree with your definition of WAFU in your signature block......speaking as a fish head! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansReggelsen Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 I used to have that kit, but was too scared of vacforms to build it. Sold it off. After seeing yours, I regret! Very nice! Cheers Hans J 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik W Posted October 25, 2015 Author Share Posted October 25, 2015 Thanks for all the kind comments guys, genuinely flattered at some of the feedback you've given, always quite encouraging to get positive feedback. Great build and your 1st vac form as well. Not sure I'd agree with your definition of WAFU in your signature block......speaking as a fish head! Haha! There's another definition??? You mean what they taught me on day one of Observer 101 wasn't really true? Nice looking Wyvern, Nik! Goes to show the Dynavector kit has not lost relevance in the age of Trumpeter and is STILL worth building. Also i'm impressed by your choice of markings and eschewing the now-cliched Wyvern paint scheme with the Suez stripes. Also nice to see you did not weigh her down, Skyraider-style, with everything but the kitchen sink. Thanks for posting! david Cheers David, the Dynavector kit more than holds its own against modern offerings! For those inclined to do so, I reckon the extra bits available for the Trumpeter kit (brass etch, wheel bays etc.) could be used to turn this into an absolute show-stopper, which I'm more than tempted to do with one of the other Dynavector Wyverns I've got tucked away. Its for those exact reasons you mentioned that I chose to go away from the norm in terms of markings. Nearly every Wyvern I've seen built up has the Suez stripes on it, so something a bit different and a touch less bright makes a nice change I'd say. Well your patience and perseverence have certainly paid off. No fear with vacs for you then! I have the view that all you need is a decent, accurate canopy and you can then build the aeroplane below it! Thankfully a vac form gives you somewhat more than that and you have shown that you have mastered the art and pulled of a great build! Thanks Simon, you really are far too kind! I wouldn't say I'd mastered the art by any means - I'm nowhere near the leagues that the top vac builders like Tom Probert on here are, but with enough attempts I might get there one day! Cheers again folks! Nik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTW Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Looks terrific and a smashing effort and we now know how to pronounce Wyvern! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Techno Notice Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Nice build! Vac Forms are like reversing an HGV round a corner - most look at it and say "Nah! can't be done" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Wonderful example! The only Dynavector that I bought was their Scimitar but sold that on. So if you have a Scimitar in the stash DO IT! If only to prompt Airfix to release it a week later! Very nice work indeed Great build and your 1st vac form as well. Not sure I'd agree with your definition of WAFU in your signature block......speaking as a fish head! OI! Don't forget who fetches your spuds and mailies on board! Cheers now Bob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik W Posted October 26, 2015 Author Share Posted October 26, 2015 Wonderful example! The only Dynavector that I bought was their Scimitar but sold that on. So if you have a Scimitar in the stash DO IT! If only to prompt Airfix to release it a week later! Very nice work indeed OI! Don't forget who fetches your spuds and mailies on board! Cheers now Bob I do happen to have a couple of Scimitars tucked away... Must admit they're looking awfully tempting right now! Nik 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSTON Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Nik.. worth the wait after 3 years... it is a SPLENDID build and AWESOME looking model 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadgaddad Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Have to admit the idea of building a vac form is niggling away in the back of my mind and this looks like a good one. You've done a great job with it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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