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Revell HP Victor


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Hi everyone,

I have decided to get this dinosaur of a kit underway before the new Airfix Victor kit is release because I know once it has been released this kit will end up buried in the loft or on Ebay.

I plan to remove all the panel lines and rescribe plus a bit of scratch build where needed. As you can see I have the Flightpath upgrade set and the CMR resin wheels set which includes the RAT intakes. Not sure which scheme to go for as yet but I am thinking the Camo scheme would be a little more intresting.

 

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Thanks for looking, gazza l

Edited by gazza l
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Thanks for your encouragement chaps, hoping to get started tomorrow evening.

There is still good model lurking in this kit and I am looking forward to seeing what you make of it.

Martin

Thanks Martin, after doing the Airfix Vulcan last year I feel confident about doing this kit justice... I remember building this kit in the very early 80's when it was in that multi coloured plastic that Matchbox were so fond of!

gazza l

Edited by gazza l
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I'm one of the many that have built the original Matchbox version, so I'll follow with interest. What does the Flightpath upgrade contain?

Cheers,

Tom

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As an ex Victor techie, I too look forward to this build. There are numerous anomalies with this kit, but it still can be built into a fairly good model. Be prepared for lots of milliput (other fillers are available) and sanding, especially with the intakes if you are not using after market replacements. I was with 55 Squadron when Matchbox came and took photo's and measurements. Be careful with rescribing the panel lines as the real aircraft had very close tolerance panels and apart from access panels would hardly be visible in this scale.

I wholeheartedly recommend a visit to Elvington near York (Airfix used this aircraft for their references), to see close up the finest preserved K2 Victor in working condition any where. Well worth the visit, especially when the owner taxi's her under the mighty Conway's power, An awesome sight indeed.

Bob

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Thanks chaps,

I managed a little work on her this evening. Started with the cockpit as you would expect, definitely needs a little scratch building here. Although you will see very little

through the windows I am planning on having the crew entrance door open so I think I will add some different flooring levels and add an extra jump seat between the front and rear seats.

 

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The resin wheels and kit compressor blades ready for priming.

 

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On 6/20/2016 at 6:18 AM, Tomjw said:
 
 

I'm one of the many that have built the original Matchbox version, so I'll follow with interest. What does the Flightpath upgrade contain?

Cheers,

Tom

Hi Tom, this is what is included in the Flightpath set.

Resin seamless intakes

 

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Big sheet of photo-etch

 

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And a few bits of white metal: RWR, pitot, and RAT intakes... the CMR resin RAT's can also be seen in this shot (top right).

 

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Cheers, gazza l

Edited by gazza l
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As an ex Victor techie, I too look forward to this build. There are numerous anomalies with this kit, but it still can be built into a fairly good model. Be prepared for lots of milliput (other fillers are available) and sanding, especially with the intakes if you are not using after market replacements. I was with 55 Squadron when Matchbox came and took photo's and measurements. Be careful with rescribing the panel lines as the real aircraft had very close tolerance panels and apart from access panels would hardly be visible in this scale.

I wholeheartedly recommend a visit to Elvington near York (Airfix used this aircraft for their references), to see close up the finest preserved K2 Victor in working condition any where. Well worth the visit, especially when the owner taxi's her under the mighty Conway's power, An awesome sight indeed.

Bob

Thanks for the info Bob, I may well be asking you a few question over the next few months. You're right about the panel lines, I went to Bruntingthorpe a few weeks ago and took loads of reference photos of XM715 and I did notice how little you could see of the panel lines... I think restraint is the order of the day!

gazza l

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Hi Gazza,

I will be happy to help you with any/most questions regarding the Victor. I only wish that we had digital camera's back then.

I worked on 55 Squadron from 1975 till January 1983 and I saw a few changes in colour schemes and one or two modifications during that spell. In 1975 I started with 232 O.C.U. then doubled up with 55 until the Squadron became operational later that year. I wish I had the serial numbers of the different camouflage schemes back then. Some aircraft had light grey under surfaces whilst a few had white. The grey and green camouflage on some were lighter than others. As we aquired more K2's and 57 Squadron was formed they were mostly white under surfaces across the Squadrons, 232, 55 and 57. The dayglo markings became quite faded on the upper surfaces and fairly fresh on the lower extremities. Fortunately, there are a host of references in colour as the first of the K2's first flew in the early 70's (I happen to be in one of the reference books holding a drogue with friend and some how it is in black and white).

I have about 5 maybe more Matchbox kits to do some day, I have the resin replacement intakes, I re constructed my own with milliput on my first one back in the early 80's but it was hard work getting them to look right (thank you for after market items to make life easier). I can recommend Heritage re fueling pods to add to your re worked items.

Sorry for the waffle, I hope some of it helps,

Bob.

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Hi everyone,

I started cutting plastic this evening, beginning with the removal of the 3 large pedestals that the rear seats are fixed to... I can now start rebuilding to create a raised floor around the door and the front ejector seats. Photos tomorrow!

Hi Gazza,

I will be happy to help you with any/most questions regarding the Victor. I only wish that we had digital camera's back then.

I worked on 55 Squadron from 1975 till January 1983 and I saw a few changes in colour schemes and one or two modifications during that spell. In 1975 I started with 232 O.C.U. then doubled up with 55 until the Squadron became operational later that year. I wish I had the serial numbers of the different camouflage schemes back then. Some aircraft had light grey under surfaces whilst a few had white. The grey and green camouflage on some were lighter than others. As we aquired more K2's and 57 Squadron was formed they were mostly white under surfaces across the Squadrons, 232, 55 and 57. The dayglo markings became quite faded on the upper surfaces and fairly fresh on the lower extremities. Fortunately, there are a host of references in colour as the first of the K2's first flew in the early 70's (I happen to be in one of the reference books holding a drogue with friend and some how it is in black and white).

I have about 5 maybe more Matchbox kits to do some day, I have the resin replacement intakes, I re constructed my own with milliput on my first one back in the early 80's but it was hard work getting them to look right (thank you for after market items to make life easier). I can recommend Heritage re fueling pods to add to your re worked items.

Sorry for the waffle, I hope some of it helps,

Bob.

Hi Bob, an interesting career you had in the RAF, thanks for sharing it.

A couple of questions for you: 1. Did the Victor K2 always have a spare seat or were they added when needed?

2. Below the Phoenix emblem on the tail of 57Sqdn Victors, did they all have the Roman numerals LVII?... reference photos suggest this was the case but Revell haven't included them on their decal sheet.

Cheers, gazza l

Edited by gazza l
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Garza, seating arrangements on the Victors changed over time.

Originally there were three (generally) rearward-facing seats for Nav Radar, Nav Plotter and AEO. These seats swivelled to allow access and egress: in an emergency the rear crew were assisted out of the seats and towards the door by inflatable seat cushions. Behind the co-pilot and opposite the door was a similar seat for the crew chief (when carried. Later in their lives the Nav Plotter's IIRC seat ( the middle one) was removed.

The raised floor level did not extend forward between the pilots' seats, there being a step down to access them and the visual bomb-aiming position. As a spotty CCF cadet I was able to sit in the pilot's seat of XL231, then with 57 Squadron. She had white undersurfaces at the time, and a small Dayglo maple leaf flag directly below the door.

I agree with Bob; the panel joints are very subtle. A few years ago our local club was stationed below XH672's wing at the Cosford model show. The skin joints looked like they had been drawn on lightly with an HB or H pencil.

Look out for the bogus panel on the starboard side of the cockpit (it mirrors the crew door). On the real aeroplane there are a pair of vertically-oriented doubler plates here. There are others around the aeroplane, for example on the upper wing skins above the main undercarriage bays and over the joint between centre and outer wing panels. If you can find a copy Linewrights' Aeroguide shows quite a few of these and, again, hey changed through the life of the fleet.

IIRC the rear crew's portholes need sorting out; they're oval rather than round on the kit but a swift seeing to with a rat-tail file will soon sort them outHTH,

Steve.

Edited by stever219
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Hi again Gazza,

most of what Steve has written is spot on. The 6th seat was used by the Bomb aimer when the Victor was a Bomber or by the Crew chief when needed on Lone Ranger trips. It was removed during the Falklands campaign when "Carousel" nav system was slaved into it's place. Also pre Falklands the Bomb aimer's windows were gradually being replaced with metal blanks only for them to be hurriedly retro fitted so that recon camera's could be installed to enable Reconnaissance missions to be flown over the South Atlantic mid April 1982 on wards from Assencion Island.

As for 57 squadron markings, being ex 55, I have never built anything other than the mighty 55 K2 Victor. However, I can't remember LVII on the fin prior to 1983.

Hemp colour scheme was introduced about the Autumn of 1982

If the model is made with the crew door open, there is a recessed step in the entrance before the rear crew floor level.

Hope this helps,

Bob.

Edited by Victor K2
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Good evening,

Finally managed to spend some time this evening on the cockpit detailing. I was going to keep it simple but I got carried away with the scratch building. The ejection seats were built up with Milliput to create a padded effect and doubled up Tamiya tape added for the belts. The rear cockpit utilized a left over 1/48th Lightning photo-etch fret... a little artistic licence was used here!

Cockpit raised flooring level and rear detail added.

 

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Finally a coat of Alclad grey primer.

 

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Thanks for looking, gazza l

Edited by gazza l
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Hi again Gazza,

most of what Steve has written is spot on. The 6th seat was used by the Bomb aimer when the Victor was a Bomber or by the Crew chief when needed on Lone Ranger trips. It was removed during the Falklands campaign when "Carousel" nav system was slaved into it's place. Also pre Falklands the Bomb aimer's windows were gradually being replaced with metal blanks only for them to be hurriedly retro fitted so that recon camera's could be installed to enable Reconnaissance missions to be flown over the South Atlantic mid April 1982 on wards from Assencion Island.

As for 57 squadron markings, being ex 55, I have never built anything other than the mighty 55 K2 Victor. However, I can't remember LVII on the fin prior to 1983.

Hemp colour scheme was introduced about the Autumn of 1982

If the model is made with the crew door open, there is a recessed step in the entrance before the rear crew floor level.

Hope this helps,

Bob.

Thanks Bob; if there's anything I've got badly wrong please let me know. To me the Victor has always been the best of the V-bombers and I'd hate to disseminate duff gen about them, their crews or the men who supported them. Nice job on the office Gazza, it looks a lot better than mine did.

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Thanks for your kind comments chaps.

Another rainy evening in Cambridge so I couldn't get out in the garden, yet again! but it did mean I got to to some more modelling.

I reamed out the rear cockpit windows giving them a better shape and size. Sorry about the disgusting looking fingers.

 

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Superglued a bit of clear sprue in place.

 

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Trimmed of the excess.

 

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Then I sanded them down flush with the fuselage and finally a quick polish with some Micromesh... with a little Klear they should be transparent. I also began sanding some of the raised detail of the fuselage halfs.

 

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Cheers, gazza l

Edited by gazza l
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