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HP Victor prototype


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Hi all

 

long time lurker, first time caller :) 

 

With all the excitement recently over the new Airfix Victor, I've been motivated to dig out one of my long-standing V-Bomber projects: the prototype Victor WB771 in it's stylish black, red and silver scheme

 

As this kit has been built and described before, I shall endeavour just to show the changes required :huh: 

 

Easiest place for me to start is the fuselage.  The prototypes were 42 inches shorter than the production aircraft, which equates to approximately 14mm to be removed. Cue the bandsaw and coarse glasspaper!

 

Victor fuselage 01

 

any and all help gratefully accepted - thanks to 71chally, canberra kid, sloegin57 and MVW for the assistance so far

 

 

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Hello Cashman...:post1:

 

This should be very interesting to see and follow... not seen one build before and your choice of colors scheme sounds quite Effulgent. look forward to more..

NEAT start.

 

keep it coming.:clap2:

 

thank you 

 

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Lovely job Cashman, should look really quite striking when complete.

Are you going to use the B.1 inner/wing intakes conversion set?

 

It's unfortunate that this conversion is far easier with the Matchbox kit than the Airfix kit, mainly due to where the wings join the fuselage.

Having said that, the H.P.80s looked so clean and smooth that the existing panel lines etc can be removed.

 

Will watch here with interest

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Hi Cashman,

 

I'm glad you started this thread as I am contemplating the same conversion. Yesterday I picked my Matchbox kit from the garage where it used to live and had another look at the parts, this time enlightened will all the knowledge shared mainly in the Handley Page Victor B.1 and 2 differences thread.

 

I think I will start by the wings, but antecipating the fuselage cuts a straight cut will be easier in my opinion. Or there is any other reason for the zigzag cut?

 

Victor_01.jpg~original

 

 

 

 

 


 

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Hi all

 

I wanted to leave the intake edge complete, CarLos, as I figured leaving the root intact was easier structurally.  My plan has changed a little, as I intend to do as you are doing and use the Flightpath B.1 conversion.  However, I figure to have the fuselage completed by the time the large lumps of resin arrive, so will probably persist with the zig zag cut. 

On ‎5‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 9:21 PM, 71chally said:

Lovely job Cashman, should look really quite striking when complete.

Are you going to use the B.1 inner/wing intakes conversion set?

 

It's unfortunate that this conversion is far easier with the Matchbox kit than the Airfix kit, mainly due to where the wings join the fuselage.

Having said that, the H.P.80s looked so clean and smooth that the existing panel lines etc can be removed.

 

Will watch here with interest

 

Hi James

 

yes, as previously mentioned - should solve almost all the delicate intake work :D

 

I've removed all of the raised panel lines - following previous comments in the other thread on B.1/B.2 differences, the aircraft seem to be well built and quite smooth....

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CarLos

 

You'll find, having reduced the length of the fuselage, that the crew area now reaches back to between the intakes.  Is there much resin protruding into that area?  It will all become clear when mine arrive, but I'm curious now ^_^

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22 minutes ago, cashman said:

CarLos

 

You'll find, having reduced the length of the fuselage, that the crew area now reaches back to between the intakes.  Is there much resin protruding into that area?  It will all become clear when mine arrive, but I'm curious now ^_^

 

I made the line in the photo above without measuring, now I see that with 14 mm the back line it should be 2mm more to the back. In any case about 2 or 3 mm in front of the wing root, so no problem. In the resin insert some 9 mm of the front are to be flush with the fuselage.

 

My main concern about the cut is that if being made just after the small round window it will leave a step in the profile, both above and bellow. I am contemplating the idea of cutting some 2 cm more to the back, where the upper and lower profile are more horizontal. Of course, that way the surgery will be more difficult. Anyway, the wing insert must be reprofiled a little at the back, at least with my casting.

 

Another problem is the difference in weight, as compared with the plastic parts. I think that I will insert one or two spars (probably made of brass tube) to connect firmly both wings, to reduce the stress of the gluing of the fuselage halfs.

 

I already cut the inserts for the resin, cut the wing tanks and glued together the upper and lower parts. I will start a topic soon with my progress.

 

 

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I think I would concur with doing the cut further back. Maybe a bit harder surgery but it will be easier to blend things in when you come to re-join the nose to the rest of the fuselage.

 

Martian 

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Hi all

 

as they say in the classics: "too late now" :)  The good news is that the deconstruction has ceased (at least on the fuselage) and the reconstruction has begun

 

32156783066_a9a61e5493_h.jpg

 

As you can see, I have removed nearly all of the raised panel detail, filled the HDU hole in the fuselage bottom and used a piece of C-130 fuel tank for the revised rear fuselage.  The stabilators will need some modification to the extremities (apparently they are a little long), while you may observe the beginnings of the revisions required to the vertical tail.  I have removed the rudder, and will extend the fin by 5mm and scratch the new intake. The crew door didn't fit real well, so I am going to make a new one.

 

On ‎8‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 10:09 AM, CarLos said:

 

I made the line in the photo above without measuring, now I see that with 14 mm the back line it should be 2mm more to the back. In any case about 2 or 3 mm in front of the wing root, so no problem. In the resin insert some 9 mm of the front are to be flush with the fuselage.

 

My main concern about the cut is that if being made just after the small round window it will leave a step in the profile, both above and bellow. I am contemplating the idea of cutting some 2 cm more to the back, where the upper and lower profile are more horizontal. Of course, that way the surgery will be more difficult. Anyway, the wing insert must be reprofiled a little at the back, at least with my casting.

 

Another problem is the difference in weight, as compared with the plastic parts. I think that I will insert one or two spars (probably made of brass tube) to connect firmly both wings, to reduce the stress of the gluing of the fuselage halfs.

 

I already cut the inserts for the resin, cut the wing tanks and glued together the upper and lower parts. I will start a topic soon with my progress.

 

 

 Hi Carlos and Martian

 

I understand your reservations.  I note however that the prototype varies a little from the production aircraft in that the base of the nose bulge seems to me to be flatter on the prototype, and the fuselage top remains straight.  Perhaps it is wishful thinking, but I will sand the curve off the bottom forward of the nose gear bay, and position the nose so that I take a little off the top and a little off the bottom ^_^ Accordingly, I have beefed up the insides of the main fuselage piece 32157263396_606b608803_b.jpg

 

thanks for the input! 

 

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Good work with the cut, hopefully the shut will go as well. I recall doing the reverse of this procedure on the old Lindberg Victor to make a B1 from the kit. The blending in of the extended nose was a nightmare.

 

5761165940233_0_ALB_zps0f888114.jpg

 

2661165940233_0_ALB_zps39df5430.jpg

 

Martian

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Hi cashman 

 

Good work! 

 

It's not difficult to scratch build, but the Flyghpath conversion comes with a metal part for the new fin's intake. It still needs to be positioned lower by 5 mm, but will save you some work. You may want to wait for the arrival of the set to decide on this point.

 

Carlos

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20 hours ago, Martian Hale said:

Good work with the cut, hopefully the shut will go as well. I recall doing the reverse of this procedure on the old Lindberg Victor to make a B1 from the kit. The blending in of the extended nose was a nightmare.

 

5761165940233_0_ALB_zps0f888114.jpg

 

2661165940233_0_ALB_zps39df5430.jpg

 

Martian

 

Thanks Martian - those intakes don't look like any kind of fun at all :o  I must admit fixing the Matchbox intakes was another of the reasons to do something other than a B.2! Was the Lindberg kit nominally a B.2?

 

14 hours ago, CarLos said:

Hi cashman 

 

Good work! 

 

It's not difficult to scratch build, but the Flyghpath conversion comes with a metal part for the new fin's intake. It still needs to be positioned lower by 5 mm, but will save you some work. You may want to wait for the arrival of the set to decide on this point.

 

Carlos

 

Hi Carlos

 

the fin intake: I guess it's for the B.1 or do they include the prototypical one?  At my current astounding rate of progress, I may have the fuselage finished before the conversion arrives :mellow:

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On ‎8‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 10:09 AM, CarLos said:

 

I made the line in the photo above without measuring, now I see that with 14 mm the back line it should be 2mm more to the back. In any case about 2 or 3 mm in front of the wing root, so no problem. In the resin insert some 9 mm of the front are to be flush with the fuselage.

 

My main concern about the cut is that if being made just after the small round window it will leave a step in the profile, both above and bellow. I am contemplating the idea of cutting some 2 cm more to the back, where the upper and lower profile are more horizontal. Of course, that way the surgery will be more difficult. Anyway, the wing insert must be reprofiled a little at the back, at least with my casting.

 

Another problem is the difference in weight, as compared with the plastic parts. I think that I will insert one or two spars (probably made of brass tube) to connect firmly both wings, to reduce the stress of the gluing of the fuselage halfs.

 

I already cut the inserts for the resin, cut the wing tanks and glued together the upper and lower parts. I will start a topic soon with my progress.

 

 

 

Carlos, the problem I see with cutting further back is that you will get the correct fuselage length, but end up with the wrong shaped front fuselage? or have I misread your intentions?

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The Lindberg kit was neither fish nor fowl. It has the fuselage of the prototype, the fin of the B1 and the wings of a B1. Strangely enough, fairing in the fuselage extension aside, the build was quite good fun. The kit provides no intake trunkings at all but I found scratch building them strangely satisfying. Probably says more about me than the kit!

 

Martian

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On 09/01/2017 at 11:25 PM, Martian Hale said:

It has the fuselage of the prototype, the fin of the B1 and the wings of a B1. Strangely enough, fairing in the fuselage extension aside, the build was quite good fun.

Thanks Martian, so the Lindberg kit has the shorter prototype fuselage, were the wings of the prototype and the B.1 any different?

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2 hours ago, 71chally said:

Thanks Martian, so the Lindberg kit has the shorter prototype fuselage, were the wings of the prototype and the B.1 any different?

Not that I am aware of although I stand to be corrected on this point.

 

Martian

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On ‎12‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 3:10 AM, moaning dolphin said:

A very intriguing build, I shall follow along if that is ok. Don't have much affiliation with the Victor but looking forward to seeing some quality modeling going down :D

 

Bob

 Not sure about quality modelling here, Bob - most of mine is usually fairly agricultural :D

 

okay, current state of affairs

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Victor fuselage 05

 

sorry - inadvertent entering........:unsure:  as you can see, the nose is attached and the fin base intake is about half finished.  I have squared up the airbrake area.

 

Victor fuselage 06

 

The step is quite manageable both above and below, and the line should look right forward of the nose gear bay.

 

Victor fuselage 07

 

sorry about the out-of focus photo - in my defence it was taken at 4am before I went to work :rolleyes: however, it is good enough to show that the fuselage sides line up pretty well and the gap is eminently fillable.

 

Onwards with plastic card and putty!

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That's coming on well! I think that once you have bludgeoned the step into submission, the rest of the build will be fine.

 

Martian

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