Lord Riot Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 On we go with the RAF Cold War jets; hot on the heals of the Sabre comes this tiny Vampire FB.5 from Heller. On opening the box I was pleasantly surprised by its neatness and simplicity - though I bet this is actually a harder kit to build well than it looks! Could be interesting getting the booms straight and finding enough space in that tiny nose for enough weight! Here is the obligatory opening shot. I'm undecided on the decals. I'd like to build the kit option OOB, but the decals look quite old, and I understand that the shark's mouth should actually be black inside with a red trim, does anyone know if that's correct? I've also read that this particular aircraft didn't even carry the mouth, or if so then just for a few days!? Again, any information would be welcome. In the meantime I'm going to consider some alternate markings in case I don't go with the kit ones. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 (edited) Good luck with this one Edited April 19, 2018 by RidgeRunner 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 I have the Revell FB.5 Vampire waiting in wings, so I'll pull up a chair. Crack on my Lord. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 This looks like an easy and fun build that will improve with a few choice and simple scratch-built add-ons. I agree about the decals. I am not sure about the shark's mouth, but they do have a yellowish tinge to them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancfan Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 There is plenty of room for weight against the bulkhead behind the cockpit LR, it is still ahead of the main wheels and will keep the model off it's tail. David. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted April 19, 2018 Author Share Posted April 19, 2018 Thanks David, apparently it needs about 8g so I'll have to find room somewhere! Moving on, Vampire drivers must have had huge cahunas to fly these without the benefit of Martin Baker, in just a bucket seat! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted April 19, 2018 Author Share Posted April 19, 2018 I'm going for the 'lived in' look for the cockpit. I imagine these jets got pretty heavy use in early-50's RAF Germany! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killingholme Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 I really enjoy building this little kit. Despite all the more 'modern' kits available it somehow just really captures the look of a Vampire really well. The only tricky part is the joint between the fuselage and the booms, but heck, no modern manufacturer seems to be able to engineer that joint particularly well either! Enjoy! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted April 19, 2018 Author Share Posted April 19, 2018 Hopefully this is enough nose weight. It's 8g, but those booms stretch back a long way! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 Got to love the Vampire and the early editions of the Heller kit were great, some later mouldings suffered due to issues with the plastic used. If it's not too late, the seat should be a reddish-brown colour like the later Spitfire seats, it was moulded from a phenolic resin and paper compound, the resin being that reddish-brown colour. You can see this in Patrice's (TEMPESTMK5) thread of his build of this kit here. As an aside, when I first started in the RAF we had to hand file blocks of a similar material which was phenolic resin and linen, back then we never bothered about resin dust - we never knew it was bad for you! Concerning the markings, please see my own thread on the subject here! A thing to watch with many FB.5's (and WA331 is one of these), is that they often had the cockpit refrigeration unit fitted which was introduced for keeping the FB.9 cockpit cool in the tropics (the Fb.9 was essentially a tropicalised FB.5). The give-away is the extended intake fairing on the fuselage of the right hand intake. Good luck with your Vampire, I never tire of seeing one of these being built. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted April 19, 2018 Author Share Posted April 19, 2018 (edited) Thanks Wez, I'll see what I can do with the seat colour, I think I can probably sort it. Interesting point about the extended intake, I guess filler is the option here, moulded into shape. However, would WA331 have had this intake as early as 1951 as depicted in the kit decals, or were these intakes fitted at a later date? Edited April 19, 2018 by Lord Riot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 1 minute ago, Lord Riot said: Thanks Wez, I'll see what I can do with the seat colour, I think I can probably sort it. Interesting point about the extended intake, I guess filler is the option here, moulded into shape. However, would WA331 have had this intake as early as 1951 as depicted in the kit decals, or were these intakes fitted at a later date? Yes it does, the photo's in the later edition of Modeldecal Sheet 14 (as in the 1980 version I have), clearly show the extended intake. Filler or a combination of filler and plasticard should do the trick. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted April 19, 2018 Author Share Posted April 19, 2018 Slightly more orangey tint to the seat ... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 Just the ticket! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Good to see this kit on the go. I have the Revell kit to build in the stash. Good work so far. All the best Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 2 hours ago, bigbadbadge said: Good to see this kit on the go. I have the Revell kit to build in the stash. Good work so far. All the best Chris The Revell kit is the Heller kit reboxed. If you see the later Heller box (with a photo of the model rather than the painting), alongside the Revell boxing, I would go for the Revell kit, the plastic's better. But if you can get the Heller kit in its original box, so much the better! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted April 20, 2018 Author Share Posted April 20, 2018 I think I'm going to leave the shark mouth off, seeing as it's the wrong colour. It looks like 112 Sqn Vampires didn't always have them ... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted April 20, 2018 Author Share Posted April 20, 2018 I've marked out where the intake extension will go for the air con unit. Just on the starboard side, apparently? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted April 20, 2018 Author Share Posted April 20, 2018 It doesn't look great now, but hopefully once it's dry and sanded into shape I'll have the starboard aircon intake extension! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Air con unit on starboard side only - yes! You're correct, 112Sqn didn't always carry the sharkmouth BUT, when they didn't, the green lightning flash on the nose was longer and featured the Squadrons black cat from the Squadron crest on a white circle superimposed over the flash. If anyone has used the sharkmouth option from Modeldecal 14, they would have this marking spare, I might have it but I'm not in a position to check before Sunday afternoon. The lead aircraft in the photo is WA331 before the sharkmouth was applied. Tell me, on the Heller kit decal sheet are the T-A codes either side of the roundel the correct green? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted April 20, 2018 Author Share Posted April 20, 2018 (edited) Thanks Wez. If anyone has a spare correct mouth or lightning flash that would be great! Actually, I've just checked the code letters and they're not any shade of green at all, they're black! I assume I'll need new codes too then? Looks like the original decals are unsuitable. 🙁 Edited April 20, 2018 by Lord Riot 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 The devil is in the detail and it's looking like decals are going to be the problem child...you'll sort it . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted April 20, 2018 Author Share Posted April 20, 2018 The fit of the wings and intakes to the fuselage is quite poor - lots of gloop needed! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted April 20, 2018 Author Share Posted April 20, 2018 So much filler and sanding needing, along the top and bottom of the wing roots and all around the intakes. Before I spray the silver, I'm thinking of spraying it all over with a grey primer, to show up any gaps and joins I might have missed. Is that a good idea or would two coats cover up the surface engraving too much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted April 21, 2018 Author Share Posted April 21, 2018 After rather a lot of filling and filing, this tiny Vampire is ready for the first coat of spray, once the tailplane and fins set at the corrct angle. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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