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1/72 Vickers Valiant


At Sea

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Hello and welcome.

I have been working away on this and not taken that many pictures because it has been a real mojo build and I've been enjoying myself too much!

Anyhow here is the progress and some of the 'cheats' that I used to make my life easier.  Kind of a 'How to Cheat' Valiant build.

 

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Cockipt, not OOB but not too over the top either.

The kit seats as mantioned in General Melchitt's build are 'armchair thingys' and not wanting to go and order more stuff I had a snuffle around in the spares box and found some Pavla Martin Baker Mk10 Harrier seats.  The resin casting blocks even make them the right height!

 

So they got used as they look better, not accurate but better and the windows are small anyway.

 

For the awful green colour I used Matt 30 from the Humbrol Aerosol as it is an awful green and I used Tamiya Nato black aerosol for the other bits.

 

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Fettled the joints, sanded off any paint on mating surfaces and prepared to do battle.

 

Nailed the fuselage together much more easily that anticipated though it was apparent that the cockpit sides make it a bit wide so this required some sanding to make the fit perfect.  Mine is going to be bomb doors open so I did not use the spacers provided which the General found were too wide anyway.

 

As with my 1/48 Javelin that I built recently it is essential with these new Airfix kits that you test fit and test fit again to get it right...

 

Personally I prefer this as I make a better job of sanding internal structure than filling external details.

 

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Using my Airfix 1/72 scale Bedford MK Tactical refueller to illustrate the size of things...

 

The scale of the Blue Danube device was awesome, in the correct non-American meaning of the word.

 

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So far apart from the seats and the colour call for the interior this is as per the instructions, and I am very impressed.

 

Looking at the jet pipes I am not keen on masking around them and painting so I have decided to use artistic licence and cheat.

 

The jet pipe nozzles fit into the wing training edge structure, this is to be white and blended into the wing.

 

I think this gives me ample opportunity to cock up.

 

So I am painting the 'carrier' in Humbrol Metal Cote steel and the jet pipes in Humbrol Metal Cote Aluminium with a Tamiya Nato Black centre.

I used a counter sinking drill attachment on a bit driver to thin the jet pipes and to scale they are about 8" think!

 

I'll attache them after painting and to hell with accuracy, it will look better than my masking efforts and add some interest to an all white build!

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And this is where I am now.

 

A very very light dusting of Tamiya Nato Black all over, just to give the panel lines some cover, 2 light dustings of Citadel Corax White.

and as you see it 2 light dustings of Halfords White Primer.

 

This has given me a run free coat of white with all the panel lines visible and none of the sanding marks visible.

 

I used the cockpit canopy to trace a anti glare mask and that worked well. Eduard pre cut canopy mask for the windows.

 

I'll update further once I get back from work in about 3 weeks. 

 

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I was lucky and bought mine at retail price.  I was tempted to sell it and buy some other kits but really really glad I didn't.

 

Looking forward to building my Victor soon.

 

If Airfix don't sort themselves out and retool a Vulcan I'm going to have to rescribe one eventully! 

I have plans for a Bomber Command display cabinet. 

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  • 2 months later...

tn_1f24d674-d297-43c9-a5f1-36aa22308208.

 

Not much more WIP to show to be honest, I guess you all know how to stick undercart on, spray aerosol, settle decals and remove masking! Lol.

 

A more atmospheric shot is in RFI.

 

Thanks for looking.

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