Classic Airframes Sea Vampire Prototype 1/48

[Colin W]

Ahoy me Hearty's

 

I have been tempted to join this GB but was involved in the RAF 100 until now. I looked through the posts and was surprised that no one is doing the first jet carrier landing of LZ551/G with Lt. Cdr. Brown at the controls. This has been on my list for many years having built the first swept wing landing on a carrier (S 510) and the first twin landing on a carrier (Mosquito), I have to do the first true jet landing. All flown by Brown I believe.  I plan to do Lt Cdr Dunning landing on HMS Furious for the 11th Hour GB later in the year to get the theme well progressed.

 

So with no further ado here is the box of goodies.

 

I'm not sure where / when the box was discarded, or the whereabouts of the MPM Fulmar that also once inhabited it?

It looks like 2 CA kits, 2 replacement Aeroclub fuselages, one set of Aeroclub's intakes and bits left over from my Kiwi Vampire built in 2006. Looks like one of the canopies is yellow but the other looks OK.

 

Colin

 

 

 

[Basilisk]

Great to see this historic moment appearing in this GB

 

Wish you luck with this challenging build.

Cheers, Peter

[trickyrich]

Welcome aboard Colin and what and interesting choice as well.

 

I am a bit surprised as well that we haven’t seem one of these much less a Sea Venom! Trying not to show my age but I remember see these flying in NZ, for a while I lived not far from Ohakea Air Base.

 

Well good luck with the build, being a Classic Airframe beast you’ll need a wee bit. Look forward to seeing her in the Gallery.

[Colin W]

I built a Sea Venom many years ago from the Aeroclub multi Media kit. Its on ARC if you're interested. A lovely little kit with Vacform wings and injection booms and fuselage.

 

Well this is my slowest ever start to a GB but I'm chipping away while wondering how best to proceed. I have the CA kit with an Aeroclub fuselage correction and an Aeroclub vacform kit. The CA interior and nose are superb but if I fit it to the Aeroclub fuselage there will be fit issues. I'm also debating whether to use the lower wing from the Vacform kit to make the extended flaps for this as they will all be 1 piece and a lot stronger. The Aeroclub Vacform also gives noses for T11 and NF2 so I'll still get some benefit from it with the other CA kit.

 

Anyway here is the difference in the 'corrected' nose. Basically the cockpit opening is too far back on the CA kit.

 

 

More noticeable here.

 

Colin

 

[Colin W]

I started on a bit of painting with the cockpit given a base coat of dark grey. Then I looked at a few pictures I took at Yeovilton a few years ago and learned that it is green inside.

So here is the interior after the basic painting. Some more detail to add later.

 

 

This got me thinking and I remembered a book I bought when I was there.

 

 

Everything you ever needed to know about LZ551/G, including pictures of the actual first landing...

 

 

Obviously pics credit to FAA Museum. What a gem. I'm not sure if its still available but I probably have the only copy in Thailand.

 

I have carried on by cutting out the flaps using the book and some pictures I took from Yeovilton for reference. The flaps on 551 were 40% larger than standard which seems to mean they went under the booms as well. I also notice from the book that the fins are completely different and the bullet fairings much larger. This will add to the work in the build but looks easy enough.

 

Colin

[trickyrich]

There is quite some difference with the cockpit position, not something that could have been corrected easily!

 

The cockpit is looking nice. It looks like you have a bit of correction work/or more like modification work to do on her. Will be a very interesting build to follow.

[Colin W]

Since I planned to have this landing I realised I need a model of Captain Brown himself. I had a look on you Tube and there is quite a lot of footage of the early landings and Capt Brown wearing a leather flying hat. The only thing in my figures box suitably equiped is this RAF chap so I decided he'll fit the bill if not the cockpit. More on that later I'm sure.

 

 

Meanwhile here are the wings. Mating surfaces sanded down to sharpen the trailing edges and undercarriage bays super glued in place. These were sanded until almost transparent but this was still not enough so I hollowed out the upper wing surface. The small piece of plasticard is to seal the rear of the wing where I cut away the flap. The inner flap is bigger so will have to be done after the wings are assembled to the fuselage. 

 

These are now clamped up and drying until next weekend

 

Colin

 

 

[trickyrich]

arr Classic Airframes U/c bays, been there many times, they look good when done but boy you have to remove some plastic to get them to fit!

[Colin W]

I am not a great figure modeller but I thought I'd make a bit of effort to get the great man looking at his best. After only a minor bit of fettling I managed to get him in without chopping any appendages off as is often the case.

 

 

Painted in RN WW11 cold weather aviators oilskins and a leather helmet.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile I started on the booms by cutting away the fins and bullets with a view to backdating to MK1 standard. I have used a plan in the above mentioned book and will use it to laminate up the new parts.

 

 

Colin

 

 

[trickyrich]

ripping into virgin plastic with a razor saw, I love it!

[Colin W]

Well back to the action after a break from posting if not modelling.

 

The tail fins were drawn out from the plans in the book. Here with sizes if you're doing this at home!

 

 

Last picture before  joining the fuselage. Note the dremelled out fuselage side to go with the wings and undercarriage.

 

 

Tail fins laminated up.

 

 

Port wing added to the fuselage. I decided to add the booms earlier to get them level with the part moulded to the wing. Have to make sure they are square now!

 

Colin

[MarkSH]

A great build and a note worthy subject.

[Chewbacca]

On ‎15‎/‎05‎/‎2018 at 13:47, Colin W said:

This has been on my list for many years having built the first swept wing landing on a carrier (S 510) and the first twin landing on a carrier (Mosquito), I have to do the first true jet landing. All flown by Brown I believe. 

 

I was privileged 2 years ago to get a VIP invitation to Winkle Brown's memorial event at Yeovilton.  A fantastic day to remember the achievements of undoubtedly Britain's greatest aviator with all of the great and the good from the last 50 years or so of the Fleet Air Arm (so I've no idea why they invited me!).  Why Winkle was never knighted I will never understand. 

 

This build is looking really good so far.  I'm looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

[Colin W]

Hi Chewbacca,

Yes now you mention is one does have to wonder why Winkle was not Knighted. Plenty of less deserving people seem to have been. I had a chance to see him at a littary festival in 2013 but it was £200 for a 20 min talk so I passed on.

Shame really as it was probably his last appearance.

 

Colin

[Colin W]

Well I had a few IT issues last week (and earlier tonight) but here goes with this weekends activities.

 

Both wings now on and the roots trimmed at the rear to make space for the hook. I'm not sure how this fitted as the book says it was mounted to the rear wing spar. I've cut back to the spar and will use the Aeroclub generic A frame hook part number V171. Now this is done I can start to make the fairing on the upper fuselage.

 

 

How old is this?

 

 

A quick comparison between the Classic Airframe intakes and the Aeroclub ones issued as correction parts. The Classic Airframe parts are cut too far back on the bottom and undersize at the splitter plate and outer bulge. The gap down the middle indicates still not enough was ground out of the fuselage to fit the cockpit.

Lower surfaces.

Aeroclub parts in cream on Starboard. Original Classic Airframe parts in grey green on port.

 

 

Upper surfaces of intakes at the bottom. 

 

Colin

Edited June 18, 2018 by Colin W
Understanding

[trickyrich]

WOW! that's some nice work with the booms, I can imagine they would have been a real pain to get right and even!

 

It's taking quite a bit of work by the looks of it to get her right and correct, but it will be definitely worth it to have a model of such an important aircraft. 

[Colin W]

Thanks Rich,

I have been procrastinating about the hard bits but had a go tonight.

I've carved the laminated fins to an aerofoil shape and these are on the right read to fit. I'll probably knock them off while working on the hook fairing so I'll leave them off for now.

Here is the structure built up to support the tail / hook fairing along with the piece which will make the fairing itself.

 

 

Here it is fitted and taped into place.

 

 

It's actually come out OK but I think my next post will include the word 'Milliput'

 

Colin

 

 

[Colin W]

A slow week for modeling but a bit of progress to update.

Here's the first layer of Milliput applied. Holes filled and starting to sculpt the hook fairing

 

 

2 steps forward and 1 back. Milliput sanded back and starting to get the shape. Snapped off one of the booms and decided to break the other one off as well to add some reinforcing rods. I also managed to knock off the instrument panel, control column and top half of Winkle. Despite this the fairing is coming to shape .

 

 

More evidence on the bottom with the flap holes filled, cannons removed/filled and location for the hook coming clear.

Having the booms removed allowed me to fit the fins so I can work on these as well as the fuselage. I will need to drill out the front of the booms but this will make a stronger joint.

 

 

I'm trying to get the Puma done as well so more progress on the Centenary build thread.

 

Colin

 

 

[trickyrich]

there's a fair bit of mod work and shaping required there. The hooks position is really different from what we're use to seeing.

 

I can understand how easy it was to knock off the boom, removing them will definitely help with getting the shape of the fairing right.

 

It's a bit of a big project but it will look great when done.

[Colin W]

Wow I just realised only 2 weeks to go and lots still to do on this!

The hook fairing is pretty well done now so I decided to add the booms on their more secure joints. This is the last major step in construction. I have made the new fins from laminations of card and the oversized bullet fairings for the tail. These were over large to fit movie cameras into the fronts to film the approach. Hard to think a camera was so big with today's technology!

I used a file to make sure the structure is square.

 

 

Colin

 

[trickyrich]

I love the "aligning" device!   She does look a bit different with the "tail section" on the main pod. You'd get some amazing in-air footage from cameras mounted in those locations.

 

Hopefully you can complete her in time, but don't rush to make a deadline. She's going to look awesome when done .

[Colin W]

A bit more progress.

Everything now square and aligned. Joints at the boom intersections refilled and a spray overall of Mr Colour grey 1000.

That done the horizontal stabiliser added and the the bullet fairings filled with clear sprue to replicate the cameras.

Cockpit on next and then we can start to get into the detail

 

 

I notice Dragon have released a 1/72 Sea Vampire, coincidence?

Colin

 

[Colin W]

Bit more work on this over the week.

I decided to do the flaps from thin aluminium sheet from a coffee tin. I used the vacform Aeroclub lower wing as a former and built up 3 layers for each side. These were then stuck together with PVA and I added a piece of angle to the leading edge to make a secure joint to the wing.

Here is the sheet for the Aeroclub Vampire, tin foil and one part roughed out.

 

 

Main flaps laminated and glued. Note the Sea Vampire flaps were 40% larger than standard, achieved by extending the trailing edge. I made 2 laminates at the size of the bay and the outer lamination larger to giver the extension

 

Completed flaps and air brakes which were similarly extended.

 

 

Main painting this weekend.

 

Colin

 

 

[trickyrich]

that's a clever bit of scratch building there, well done.

[Colin W]

I've carried on with flaps and underside details. I fitted the flaps in the lowered position as planned. The angle was a good idea since the flap needs to lift over the boom section. This worked well and I was able to drill the lightening holes in the spar. I added the ends of the structure in the flap bay and the hydraulic rams based on a picture I took  at the FAA Museum.. Undercarriage is as per the kit but I used the Aeroclub white metal wheels to get the correct hub.

 

From the other side. The laminations for the flaps have separated in a few places so I might have to develop this technique. Hook is also from Aeroclubs generic range

 

 

I will paint  all the insides silver and then onto its wheels

 

Colin