F163 Vickers Vimy Mk IV

[Paul821]

I was holding on to this for later in the GB, but a story popped up on the BBC web-site that prompted me to put it in today.

 

For it is 100 years ago today that Alcock and Brown set off, in a Vickers Vimy, on the first successful non-stop flight across the Atlantic. Fift years ago this was well marked with the GPO tower - Empire state building race but the centenary seems to have been largely overlooked. Indeed the BBC story points out that more people think Charles Lindbergh was first across the Atlantic than know of Alcock and Brown.

 

So here is the box

 

Unfortunately I don't have the original Trailblazer version.

 

Not only does this kit use the Frog hot knife tool it also has an interesting take on rigging

 

 

With my Proctor on finals and Gypsy Moth in progress I will not be starting this for a while but thought I should put the placer down to mark the 100 years

 

Edited June 14, 2019 by Paul821
add the fact that A&B were in a Vimy

[bristol boy]

Now that looks interesting, If I finish my Wellington and get round to second build it was going to be the Trailblazers A&B version!

If my like buttons worked I would us it, but it has departed so you'll just have to believe I like it.

[JOCKNEY]

Oh yes, delighted to see this one join the GB.

[TonyW]

I thought the Airfix RE8 was hard enough to build! You get my vote for some kind of award for having a go at this one. I've opened the box of my builder a few times. Each time I try to make a start, but bottle it every time. What a plane though!

Well done on going for it, and I wish you every success with the build. I'll be rooting for you from the sidelines.

 

Tony.

[Paul821]

1 hour ago, TonyW said:

I wish you every success with the build

As I built this way back as a teenager in the 1960's  hope my modelling skills have increased since then - although the eye-sight and hand coordination may have gone the wrong way. I certainly did not rig it back them but I am seriously thinking about following the instructions to the letter in that respect.

[stevej60]

Looking forward to this one Paul,as you mentioned the BBC made note of Alcock and Brown's crossing today.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/bM5diyl48K/alcock

Edited June 14, 2019 by stevej60

[Rabbit Leader]

Now this Vimy is an excellent choice. The odd child that I was, parted ways with some hard earned money to purchase a Novo edition of one of these kits. I would have been about 10 years of age and had only just started modelling (quite badly I should add). I have no idea what drew me to choose this kit however there has always been some mystique about it that still remains today. I ended up building it and recall that about half of the wing struts ended up contacted the upper wing! As I rummage through my spares box I often come across at least one aileron, a few struts, some broken four blade props and those melon sized bombs that came with this kit. The good memories keep flooding back. 

 

Cheers and I wish you every success with this great kit.. Dave 

[PeterB]

Hi Paul,

 

I will be watching this with interest as I have one of these to build too, but not just yet. According to an article I read, this was modified from the Trailblazer "Atlantic" aircraft but still has one or two features which would not be found on an RAF machine. Apparently both the rear windows and gun position are in the wrong place and the fuel tank behind the cockpit is a leftover from the record breaker and too big with an incorrect fairing. I can send you a copy of the article if interested, but when I build it I probably won't bother.

 

Have fun.

 

Pete

[Paul821]

As the Proctor is now in the Gallery and one of the Gypsy Moths is progressing well, the Vimy is now on the workbench,

 

 

 

that is rather too tidy to be my work bench!

 

All the parts seem present and my first task was to tackle the dihedral on the wings.

 

 

 

The idea was to fix the lower wings to a piece of wood, and then overlay the three sections of the upper wing on top. I used a sheet of greaseproof paper to avoid sticking the upper and lower wings together,

 

 

This how I left the wings - tomorrow morning I will see if it has worked.

 

Busy evening as I also tackled the dihedral on the Moth

 

 

[Rabbit Leader]

Good to see that this kit has started and thanks for describing your build / rectification techniques with us. It's all really helpful. 

Cheers.. Dave 

[CliffB]

Another great choice Paul.  Have you decided on a scheme yet?

 

Cheers

Cliff

[Paul821]

To answer @CliffB

 

Even within GB's I try to stick to my collections policy of East Anglian Aircraft. In squadron service the Vimy was a rare site in the area with only no's 7 & 99 squadrons being based at Bircham Newton

 

The box provides for two schemes

 

 

However Martlesham Heath, in my area and home of the Experimental Aircraft Flight, saw most types of aircraft either based there - or passing through - during the1920's and '30's with a number of Vmy's included. However neither of the box examples are listed in Kinsey's book on Martlesham. I am going for H651 as it is an experimental aircraft and there is the off chance that it might have flown to Martlesham on a test flight. Also I don't think I have ever used "chocolate" as a paint before on any aircraft.

 

 

 

 

[PeterB]

Computer went funny so please ignore this one - can't work out how to remove it.

Edited June 19, 2019 by PeterB

[PeterB]

8 hours ago, Paul821 said:

To answer @CliffB

 

Also I don't think I have ever used "chocolate" as a paint before on any aircraft.

 

Probably meant to be PC10 or failing that it might have actually been NIVO - Night Invisible Orfordness? Nobody was likely to be making either when the kit came out so Frog may have gone for something easier to find. I believe the O/400's went to NIVO after the war ended, from overall PC10, which as you probably know is the subject of much argument. Some say greenish brown, others say brownish green which faded to brown and in any case several different versions existed (Scheme A-E at least as the war progressed). I believe that the early brownish version of US Olive Drab was in fact a copy of PC10!

 

Given the unbleached linen undersurfaces I would say PC10 is the favorite. The silver finish was originally intended for use in the Middle East to reflect the sun.

 

Just a thought.

 

Later, Just dug out my box and I find that in fairness Frog do say PC10 in brackets.

 

 

 

Edited June 19, 2019 by PeterB

[Paul821]

Back at the start of the Frog GB I mentioned my lack of experience of rigging - which has led to a dearth of biplanes in my adult builds (that is over the last 50 years!). Having committed to 4 bi-planes in the GB I am now at the stage where I cannot escape the mysterious craft known as rigging.

 

Having obtained some E.Z. line I tried an experiment:

 

 

I am happy with that result all I now have to do is repeat it about 100 times on my various builds. Having solved the dihedral issue the next issue is getting struts to stand upright.

[Rabbit Leader]

26 minutes ago, Paul821 said:

....which has led to a dearth of biplanes in my adult builds

I hear you brother!! Nice rigging experiment. 

Cheers.. Dave. 

[Paul821]

@CliffB thanks for the comments about colours - however I think I'll stick with the teenage me on this one and built the model as I might have in the 1960's. For a railway modeller chocolate & cream either means Great Western or Pullman coaches. It just happens that my paint stash includes the relevant Humbrol Railway acrylics. This might not please any Britmodeller purists but it is what I would have done in the past. Also it avoids the hassle of purchasing two more paints that might only be used one. We often talk about out kit stash, but I have over 100 paint containers I have collected over the years, many only used for one kit.

 

Today's work was mainly spraying primer - the rain holding off long enough to do this outside.

[PeterB]

Paint - tell me about it! I must have 300 tins/bottles, many of which have not been used for over 40 years. GWR will look fine, though I usually add a touch of brown to the cream to get a faded "natural linen" look when I don't have the specific colour. Hey, it's your kit, do what you like!

[PeterB]

Paul,

 

This shot of my ancient Bristol M1C shows 1970's era Precision Paints take on one of the PC10 schemes with unbleached natural linen,

so GWR will be close enough. The "linen" has darkened a bit with age and pipe smoke!

[Paul821]

22 hours ago, PeterB said:

Hey, it's your kit, do what you like!

@PeterB thanks for both the above comment and the shot and the pic' of the Bristol M1C.

 

Anyway onwards with the Chocolate and Cream build, when writing this post I realised I should have shown the underside

 

 

The two rulers clamped to the workbench are and attempt to get the first four struts firmly attached to the engines and at the right spacing and angles.

 

Parallel to my various GB build's I am also building the new Airfix Phantom and one thing I have become aware of is the tolerances in old and new kits, At nearly every stage the Phantom has required parts to be clamped due to extremely tight fitting of other pre-built modules.  To date the Vimy has gone together with no issues at all.

[bigbadbadge]

Looking good Paul and has gone together quickly too. I like your solution for the wing dihedral too, very useful thank you.

Keep up the good work

All the best

Chris

[Paul821]

It's been a busy 24 hours in the Frog GB as this build slipped to the second page in less than a day.

 

Today sees a double update as the phot shows the Vimy and Gypsy Moth together to illustrate the differing approach's to getting the struts in place. In both cases, what seemed to be the most secure sub-assembly (the engines for the Vimy, or structs (the V shaped fuselage struts in the Moth) have been chosen as the initial fixing points.. When the glue has cured I am hoping in both cases that this approach will allow the upper wing to be glued in place and then the remaining struts attached.

 

 

 

 

[Paul821]

On 6/14/2019 at 10:30 PM, Rabbit Leader said:

I ended up building it and recall that about half of the wing struts ended up contacted the upper wing!

Dave that problem exists to this day. I guess that when I first built this I managed the entire construction within a few hours. This time it has taken nearly a week just to get the struts in place. After cementing the eight engine struts firmly in I then progress pair by par - gluing and clamping with a day between each. So today I came to the last pair and guess what...  …there were too long and needed about 1mm trimmed off. Hopefully this is the final clamping (out of view on the left) needed to set the struts so that the wings align.

 

 

The photo still shows one of he engine struts with a slight banana shape.

[Rabbit Leader]

Good to see this progress Paul. Your doing a grand job on these multi-winged kits and I’m sure it’ll all fall into place nicely (not without a tonne of sweat and toil!). 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Paul821]

After a fortnights radio silence on this one it's time to come clean (I could just forget the build  consign it to the dustbin of doom  - or share the issue openly - honesty being the best policy.

 

After many evening of knitting (aka rigging) and nearly gluing my fingers together  with CA glue, I was getting rather pleased.

 

 

I know some of the rigging is not attached at by the wing but I was attempting to follow the Frog suggestion of trying knots in the rigging. This was not the main issue. I not know if it was the heat or a mistake on my behalf but..

 

 

but the upper wing is now at an odd angle and looks like some early x-plane.

 

I will continue with the build and continue to report on it errors and all. I knew there was a reason I wanted to steer clear of bi-planes.