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1/72 - Vickers Valiant B.2 conversion set (for Airfix) by Aircraft In Miniature (AIM) - released


Homebee

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Source: http://www.aim72.co.uk/page163.html

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In response to many requests, a set to convert the Airfix Valiant B.1 into a Valiant B.2 is well advanced

Vickers Valiant B2 - The Black Bomber

Conversion Set

A developed version of the Valiant B.1, the Valiant B.2, was intended as a Pathfinder to mark targets for the main bomber force and to reach its targets at low level and high speed.

The B.2 had a strengthened airframe. The wing was strengthened by removing the large landing gear bays in the wing structure - instead each main landing gear retracted backwards into large fairings to the rear of the wings. The B.2 also had a lengthened fuselage with the extra length giving room for more avionics.

The prototype B.2, serial number WJ954 first flew on 4 September 1953.

Finished in a gloss black night operations paint scheme, it became known as the "Black Bomber".

Its performance at low level was superior to that of the B.1

The conversion consists of a resin fuselage plug (between the cockpit and the wing leading edge)

and two resin landing gear fairings on the trailing edge of each wing.

The kit nose wheel and doors are used, but cast metal main landing gear units and doors,

together with silkscreen printed transfers for serials and roundels

complete the conversion set.

The conversion is very simple - a resin fairing replace the engine

on the front of each nacelle and the

towline socket is attached to the belly of the aircraft.

No decal sheet is provided because serials and national markings are readily available.

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V.P.

MattMemory2.jpg

Edited by Homebee
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A lot of AIM's recently releases appear to be mastered from 3D printed models (at least the the MD300 tow truck I built very evidently was) and have been release in multiple scales. If this is too then fingers crossed for 1/144 conv. for the MikroMir / WelshModel kits.

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At last!! Pity the Airfix Valiant is now becoming scarce though!! Definitely ordering two of these. One for the prototype (of course) and one for a "what if"! :wow:

Allan

Edited by Albeback52
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Same here Lee, mine will be in gloss DSG/DG and White and another in matt low level wraparound. I see it's mentioned now in Hannants future issues......hoorah !

What about MSG over Black ?

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One keeps a Valiant tucked away for such eventualities.

There's always Mach 2..... :whistle:

Aaaaaaarrghhhh! No! No! Please.......................................!!!!! :yikes:

Allan

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Same here Lee, mine will be in gloss DSG/DG and White and another in matt low level wraparound. I see it's mentioned now in Hannants future issues......hoorah !

Maybe I will order three now!! :lol: Just hope I can get enough Valiants to cope with demand!! Need two already to go with the Airfix conversion kits!!

Allan

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Same here Lee, mine will be in gloss DSG/DG and White and another in matt low level wraparound. I see it's mentioned now in Hannants future issues......hoorah !

I'm thinking more DSG/DG over PRU Blue RAF Germany. Possibly Mid Stone/Dark Earth wraparound for Red Flag?

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This is great news, I've been fascinated by the Valiant B.2 for a long time, partly fuelled by the lack of decent images of it I think!

I was surprised that a conversion set wasn't released soon after Airfix released its' Valiant, but I guess the demand for it would be quite low. Even if you take the people that have asked for it on forums, and double that for those that don't post, the figures wouldn't be great.

I emailed Neil at AIM a while back on it, and despite going through a bad time he promptly & kindly contacted me back to say a B.2 conversion was in the pipe line, so really glad that it has made it.

I notice there has been various thoughts on the main wheels, my understanding is that it originally used a 'wave' wheel design, which look spoked at a distance, though are actually solid.

These seemed to have been favoured by Vickers during the early 1950s, and were fitted to some early Viscount and Varisty aircraft. They don't seem to have been popular though and were replaced by other wheels, in the Valiant B.2s' case by the classic Canberra four 'spoke' unit.

This is the Goodyear Wave wheel I refer to, https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1954/1954%20-%200374.html?search=goodyear%20wheel

This might be just a personal perception thing, but to my eyes the serial looked to be applied in a light colour originally, but definitely white later on. It appeared to be a different tone to the roundel and fin flash white in earlier pics, maybe a light grey or cream?

I will do mine as WJ954, but my 'what if' would be in the early Canberra B(I).8 'interdictor' scheme of DG DSG over black.

Edited by 71chally
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  • 3 months later...

Are there any updates as to when the set will be released? Seen it listed for quite a while now, and can't wait to get started!

Perhaps AIM could be tempted to break radio silence and give us a hint. Mine is on pre order from Hannants but whether it gets released before the Co-op Undertakers come for me is being seriously pondered.

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  • 2 months later...

Source: http://www.aim72.co.uk/page6.html

Valiant B2 conversion set

Because there is a great deal of interest in this conversion set, I though some details of the project might be of interest. It was started in 2011/12 in the last 18 months of my wife’s life and she took great interest in its design - we had many discussions on details. When she died I put the project aside for various reasons, until persuaded to revive it late in 2015 by a friend (thanks John!).

In the dormant period much more information had appeared on the Internet in the form of contemporary photographs - as a result what had been intended to be a “finishing off” exercise earlier this year became a complete redesign and the graphic below shows the subtle changes - mainly to the main landing gear fairings, together with much more main landing gear detail.

Valiant_B2-revised.jpg

Please click on the graphic to see a larger version

The shape of the fairings is based on numerous photographs and some high resolution photographs have allowed much more details to be added to the main gear. The aircraft also had revised jet pipe fairings.

Now the details have been resolved, the design should be complete and the masters produced in the next few weeks - and then production….

Finally some details if the conversion:

- The fuselage must be cut just behind the cockpit and the fuselage plug attached.

- The kit is assembled with the main landing gear doors of the B1 in the closed position and any filling done

- Rectangular cutouts are made in the wing trailing edges and the resin fairings are attached.

- The landing gear and doors are attached to the wing fairings and the model is painted.

Neil Gaunt - 1st July 2016

V.P.

Edited by Homebee
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Superb news...Neil's certainly gone the extra mile in regard to updating the conversion too, the streamlined U/C pods look a lot better. After what must have been a terrible time for him it's great to hear that's he's now revived the project. Have one on back-order with Hannants and can't wait to get my grubby mitts on it, (a built up kit with full Alleycat set is just waiting to be hacked up !).

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  • 3 weeks later...

Source: http://www.aim72.co.uk/page6.html

27th July 2016

Because there has been so much interest in the two conversion sets it seems a good time to detail the current status of each with some details of what still has to be done to complete them.

Valiant B2 conversion set.

A set of parts were made using stereo lithography (SLA) to prove the design

before the production masters are produced, with three objectives:

1 - To confirm the design of the fuselage plug - the only changes necessary were to increase the outside diameter by 0.25mm/0.010”, and to revise the shape of the cutout for the nose gear bay.

2 - To confirm the fit of a landing gear pod to the wing - no corrections were necessary, and additionally the retraction jack was added inside the pod (which already has full structural detail).

3 - To confirm the correct length of the main gear leg, to give the correct ‘sit’ of the model

- no corrections were necessary.

We gave the test parts and a Valiant kit to a friend who fitted a pod to a wing and he said that it took less than 30 minutes to fit it to the wing. The following photographs show the results.

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Provided the cuts are accurate and square, alignment is automatic, and the planned pod alignment jig proved unnecessary. The production masters will be made this week, then production begins. The decals are already printed and the instructions are in work.

V.P.

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