RN FAA Odyssey #1 Airfix Sea Vixen FAW.2

[CJP]

On ‎5‎/‎23‎/‎2020 at 9:49 PM, Guy said:

They are much nicer than the out of the box version, suspect they will be driving me mad when I get to try to finalise them.

 

However, madness is relative - today it is these little nightmares that are driving me up the wall. I do not want to see ones like this ever again !

 

Neat work on those engine bay decals & that resin wing fold really looks good with some paint on it highlighting the detail

CJP

[Guy]

Another weekend and another few steps towards completion.

 

Slight issue with one of the decals for the ejection seat warning and I have had to put in a different one from the kit, but I suppose it gets the message across a little clearer.

 

[Guy]

Nearly there, but a conundrum which I am sure has been tackled before - what colours for the lights ?

 

 

When I look at a picture like this (http://www.gengriz.co.uk/images/Sea Vixen References/P7110114.JPG)  They are very dark, quite a contrast from exceedingly red/green that I have available. Any suggestions on how best to achieve a realistic look that gives a hint of the colours whilst not standing out as a sore thumb?

[perdu]

Sadly my photographic skills are less skilful than a rock sitting on the sea bed but I have tried honest

 

I use these CD marking pens

 

 

I tried to show by marking green and red over a black stripe but it hasnt come out well on the picture

 

 Let's look at this

This is the red lens on my Belvedere which I finished recently, done with the above marker pens

 

You need to mark over a darkish surface because the pen acts only to change the colour of the underlying piece.

The grey gives a really dark red, other lighter colours give brighter reds and greens

 

 

There are as many ways of doing this as there are ideas on the day you do it, the pens are often easier to use than blobs of paint too

[Guy]

I like the results you have got, sadly my marker pens are years past useable but I need to add some new ones to my shopping list.

What I ended up doing was using the red/green I had, but overpainted them with XF-19 Smoke which has knocked them back a bit so they don't stand out too much.

 

 

And the rather harsh light has shown I need to do a bit of touch up on it's nose/

[Nikolay Polyakov]

Excellent and enjoyable thread, Guy. The Vixen looks great! 👍

[perdu]

Guy I think the darkening has done a fine job

So have you, the Vixen is lovely 👍

[Guy]

Main landing gear next, stock with a bit of extra pipework from electrical wiring.

 

 

Glad it doesn't look this rough when viewed at a normal distance.

 

[Guy]

Now I need to set myself deadlines, make sure the landing gear is completed before the Hungarian F1 Grand Prix.

 

[Guy]

She has got wheels !

 

[Guy]

A rather nice brass refuelling probe that came in the Wolfpack wingfold kit. A tight fit and I have to do a bit of filling now, but almost a shame to paint over that brassware.

 

[Guy]

The older members of the forum will know what I mean what I say I have just hit a Hamlet moment.

 

The moment when you have primed some of the final parts ready to paint up and push to finish the model and then you think .. now where did I put the rails for the red top missiles ...... oh ******* .... I guess she gets 2 x rocket pods and 2 x empty pylons.

 

[Guy]

I suspect somewhere in the Fleet Air Arms past, there has been a dictate to use as many warnings, lines, dots etc on their aircraft for exactly the purpose of irritating future modellers.

Seems like I have done 1000's of decals and the sheet still seems to have 14,361 still awaiting my attention .... has to be a battleship next to get away from these little blighters.

                                                                                                                                   

[Guy]

Last few items now, starting today on the Eduard photo etch ladder so have some folding fun to come.

 

[redleader]

Alas the camera always shows up flaws that are invisible to the naked eye! Great work. Love the Vixen

[Guy]

5 minutes ago, redleader said:

Alas the camera always shows up flaws that are invisible to the naked eye! Great work. Love the Vixen

Thanks and it is that balancing act between what can actually be seen and what drives you crazy because you now what is there.

[redleader]

you've just defined life, amigo

[Guy]

Finishing off the wings ready to mount I realised I hadn't dealt with the pitot tubes and it got me looking at two different brass ones that I have.

 

The ones I mounted are the Air Master AM-48-099 set which look to me much closer to the scale that I can see in the photos here:   http://www.gengriz.co.uk/images/Sea Vixen References/vixenphots.htm

 

Also I had the ones supplied in the Wolfpack wingfold kit which look quite oversized, did the Vixen sport different sized pitot tubes during it's life or is the brass one in the picture just made too large ?

 

 

There are some decals I have only just applied which I had also forgotten about, so over to the Micro Sol to see if I can get rid of the silvering.

[CJP]

Great job on the Sea Vixen mate - you are inspiring me to get mine out of the stash - also that photo link on the Vixen is very useful and saved to my favourites

CJP

[Guy]

1 hour ago, CJP said:

Great job on the Sea Vixen mate - you are inspiring me to get mine out of the stash - also that photo link on the Vixen is very useful and saved to my favourites

CJP

 

Thank you - far from perfect but improvements with each new model build. Hopefully this evening the wings will go on then just a bit of fettling around the wingfold and she will be done.

 

As far as getting yours out of he stash - to quote Mrs Doyle 'Ah, go on .... '

 

If these are of assistance here are some of the additional references I used:

• https://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/seavixen/walkaround.php
• https://www.seavixen.org/image-gallery
• http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/p7hg_img_6/fullsize/

[Guy]

A bit of a break over lunch and inching closer, however I was sure that I put the requisite number of grams into the nose but she is a tail sitter! I am sure that the real ones didn't go round propped up by an oversized bottle of Gorilla Glue so I need to see about getting a bit more weight into her wheel bay.

 

[Martian]

The other thing you could try is to hang a store of some sort on the middle pylons and fill them with some weight, that should tip the balance.

 

Martian 👽

[Brigbeale]

A beautiful Sea Vixen.😍😍😍

I’ve got a 1/72 version which requires restoration -I saw it on eBay and had to have it although the paint underneath and the panel gaps, especially around the tail booms,  are terrible. 
I’m sure it depicts the same aircraft.

[Guy]

1 hour ago, Martian said:

The other thing you could try is to hang a store of some sort on the middle pylons and fill them with some weight, that should tip the balance.

 

Martian 👽

The solution was easier then expected, just forward of the front wheel still in the wheel well., you can drill a hole upwards and into the nose. Insert a few lengths of solder and now she is sitting as she should.

[Guy]

5 hours ago, Brigbeale said:

A beautiful Sea Vixen.😍😍😍

I’ve got a 1/72 version which requires restoration -I saw it on eBay and had to have it although the paint underneath and the panel gaps, especially around the tail booms,  are terrible. 
I’m sure it depicts the same aircraft.

That sounds like a fun challenge, I hope we will see a restoration log !

 

This aircraft I chose as being part of 899 Squadron onboard HMS Eagle on her final round the world deployment in 1972. My father was onboard as a Met Officer and I have a faint memory of meeting her when she came back to port. I suspect the Vixen had flown off by then but it is nice to do something that had a link.