Matchbox Victor - from beyond the SoD

[Spad]

Some years ago(25~30 years), when the only game in town was the Matchbox Victor (and the aircraft was a long way off retirement) a friend of mine, Keith, asked me to build his kit. Life, work, kids, house moves etc all conspired to get in the way of finishing it off. Well, I have been going through a few "shelf queens" as another friend of mine refers to them and I have finally I got to finish her off.

As most of you know, the Matchbox kit has a few issues and I have tried to address a few of them.

The kit has mainly raised panel lines and some quirk in the mould design resulted in features on the left side being replicated on the right including the outline of the crew door and "Annie's hatch" down in the rear fuselage. Matchbox also chose to create the impression of recessed panel lines on the inner wing panels with two raised lines! Odd! So all of this was removed and re-scribed. I also scribed the RAT outlet grills, reprofiled the intake at the base of the fin, moved the positiion of the AEO's window and added the fuel dump in the tail-cone

The intakes as moulded are horrendous and although it is perfectly possible to rectify with plastic card and epoxy filler, I managed to get hold of and use a set of DB resin intakes - these are now produced by David J Parkins together with a load of fret and extra resin details and are highly recommended.

I added a representaion of the Artouste AAPP in the starboard wing route, conspicuous by its absence in the kit.

The wing is OK in layout but lacks completely any of the subtle dihedral and incidence changes along it's length. This was corrected with a few careful cuts and twists of the wing sections to try to emulate the rigging diagram I have in my possession. I'm not sure if it's a result of or the cause of the wildly tail-high stance of the model but it results in the main gear being too long and excessively deep fairings for the underwing tanks but at least it would keep the FR pods horizontal. The famous Whitcomb Bodies on the trailing edge also droop (maybe to make them parallel to the ground?)

The artificial feel intake and (redundant) TFR antenna fairing on the nose have been rebuilt to slim them down and the tailplane bullet fairing has been slimmed and refined. I also took the opportunity to add the RWR antenna  and add the relocated air outlet on the rear of the tailplane faring, blocked when the RWR was installed - the original outlet also incorporated the rear navigation light (white) so a new location was found on the tailplane trailing edge - in fact two as one would be shielded by the bullet when viewed from more than a few degrees off centreline.

A few airframe strengthening plates were added to starboard side of the cabin and along the tops of the wings with 5 thou card and bits of strip.

The main gears need to be shortened so that the main gear doors run along the top of the tyres - This was achieved by shortening the jury strut and also by removing approx 1.1/2 mm from the top of the gear bogies. The end result is to have the fuselage more or less horizontal though with various fuel loads the stance would change. Whatever though, it was only tail high when braking on the landing run - maybe that's the source?

A few things I didn't do include no omega aerial under the tail cone or HDU flood lights either side of the tail bumper. I also added no comms aerials as this model had to make it unscathed to France!

Keith was on the Sim Flight at Marham and had a couple of trips (lucky so and so!) so asked for one of "his" aircraft to be modelled. As it turns out it was XM715, now known as Teasin' Tina (and we all know how she has teased!), he asked for hemp finish, door open, HDU and flaps dropped. All this was incorporated and the Xtradecal sheet for the Gulf Subjects was used along with certain kit markings.

 

Anyway, enough waffle, there are other smaller details missing but I was pretty much drained with this one so enough waffle, here're the pics. Hope you enjoy them. I love the Victor and hope I have done it's glorious shape some justice. Comments and criticism welcomed in equal measure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Airfix one waits for me but maybe a little break first!

Thanks for looking!

ATB
Rick

[janneman36]

That is a great result WOW!!

In this case you should sell the Airfix one. ( unless you want two of em)

 

cheers, Jan

[Adam Poultney]

Nice build! Always love a Victor, and this is a neatly done one.

 

You've missed the centre panel of the canopy, I don't know why so many people do it, but it's a really common error. 

Personally I would avoid the kit, as the Airfix kit is far superior being about 30 years more advanced. The shape issues around the nose also put me off ever building this.

[Phone Phixer]

After all that time, and the effort you put in, I think it looks great. Maybe not build the Airfix version, it will show up all the old kits errors.

[petetasker]

Always loved the shape of the Victor. Remember making the kit when it first came out but I also remember it looked nowhere near as nice as yours 

[stevej60]

Stunning build and finish Rick,I have the latest Revell boxing of this behemoth so can appreciate just how good a job you've done,mine's not even on the shelf of

doom it's still in the box of eternal darkness!

[Abandoned Project]

Simply gorgeous! well done sir!

[Spad]

Thanks for all the kind comments guys - much appreciated!

@janneman36 @Phone Phixer I will definitely be building the Airfix kit - as I mentioned, this one is going to France so there can be no comparisons made! 😁

@Abandoned Project @petetasker thanks chaps - your words are much appreciated

@Adam Poultney Yes agreed, but you must remember that 30 years ago this was the only game in town unless you fancied your hand at a Rareplanes vac-form or one of the weird scale Mk.1s kicking around.

This one was started >25 years ago when the idea of another I/M Victor was but fantasy.

Thanks for the note on the canopy centre panel though - does the Airfix one accurately show this feature? 

 

Anyway, I still have a couple in the box of "eternal darkness" (@stevej60 🤣) one of which will become a K.1a with shiny paint and 3 colour D Type roundels at some point in the future so there's life in the old dog yet!

 

Thanks again for the interest

Cheers

Rick

 

Edited July 3, 2019 by Spad
spelling

[Bell209]

Sooo much better than my effort of the same kit 30 years ago!

[Adam Poultney]

6 minutes ago, Spad said:

Thanks for all the kind comments guys - much appreciated!

@janneman36 @Phone Phixer I will definitely be building the Airfix kit - as I mentioned, this one is going to France so there can be no comparisons made! 😁

@Abandoned Project @petetasker thanks chaps - your words are much appreciated

@Adam Poultney Yes agreed, but you must remember that 30 years ago this was the only game in town unless you fancied your hand at a Rareplanes vac-form or one of the weird scale Mk.1s kicking around.

This one was started >25 years ago when the idea of another I/M Victor was but fantasy.

Thanks for the note on the canopy centre panel though - does the Airfix one accurately show this feature? 

 

Anyway, I still have a couple in the box of "eternal darkness" (@stevej60 🤣) one of which will become a K.1a with shiny paint and 3 colour D Type roundels at some point in the future so there's life in the old dog yet!

 

Thanks again for the interest

Cheers

Rick

 

Yes, the Airfix one has the canopy right. Is the panel just missing on this kit?

[29Triplex]

You've done an Old Lady very proud!  

Brings back a happy memory of Marham, and those are few and far between.

[stevehnz]

I do like that, the Hemp scheme is always a winner in my book. Tempted though I may be, if I do one it'll be when someone brings one out in 1/144. I know how big these models are.

Steve.

[Spad]

@29Triplex Thanks for that! When were you at Marham, in what capacity? Dad was based there 1969~'85.

Thanks @stevehnz - did you realise, btw, that GWH/Pit-road do B.2/K.2 variants in 1/144 and very nice they are too. MikroMir  have just released a B.1/K.1 in the same scale

Cheers all!

Rick

[Retired Bob]

Hi Rick, for the Matchbox kit that is a very impressive build.   I bought my one and only Matchbox Victor at an open day at Marham in 1983, Matchbox had just released the kit and brought a lorry load of them to sell, I still have it, unbuilt in my man cave.   Now I have Airfix ones to build so it will stay in the nostalgia section of the stash.

[stevehnz]

2 hours ago, Spad said:

did you realise, btw, that GWH/Pit-road do B.2/K.2 variants in 1/144 and very nice they are too. MikroMir  have just released a B.1/K.1 in the same scale

Thanks, I think I thought they only did the bomber version, I'll check them out, it would look good with my Roden VC10 tanker come the day.

Steve.

[CJP]

Mighty fine job done there

CJP

[Timbo88]

Brilliant bit of work there, hat off to you.

 

I first built the Matchbox Victor not long after it first appeared, when I was a youngster. It was great fun putting together those huge fuselage and wing parts,  but dread to think how much tube cement I poured into it! I hung it from the ceiling, complete with a home made hose and drogue, to refuel my Airfix Lightning F3.

I have two more stored away for a rainy day. Admittedly not as good as the new, and rather expensive, Airfix offering, but I personally enjoy the challenge of trying to bring an old kit up to something approaching modern standards.

 

[russ c]

Fantastic result on that old kit, really nice work

[29Triplex]

Hi Rick,

On ‎7‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 11:42 PM, Spad said:

29Triplex Thanks for that! When were y🍺ou at Marham, in what capacity? Dad was based there 1969~'85.

I got to Marham in the mid 80's, as part of the initial engineering cadre for the Tornado Force, so I suppose that I was part of 'the problem'. Marham was (I am led to believe) a sleepy hollow - with Canberra's and Victor's, until the Tonka's moved in. Then came the exercises every other week, and on at least one occassion I can remember - we had two in the same week. Ask your dad about the exercise when the Para's came to attack using Chinooks.

Then there was SRF, where we had to take turns doing the Snowdrops job of doing extra guard (because of the WE177 sunshine buckets). Along with the high pofile 617 Dumb*stards 'standing-up' and then 27 - It was quite an intense period before your dad left in '85. They were the not-so-good times. But, with a SWO like Bernie, there was always good times to be had - down the Bell, in Marham village (now long gone!) - at the end of a long week 🍺🍺🍺  .

Regards,

29Triplex.

Edited July 6, 2019 by 29Triplex

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Incredible Victor in my favorite camouflage ! 👍🏻

[cherry268]

I thought the Matchbox Victors would fade away but they keep appearing and it seems to be always to a extremely high standard.

Yours is another , fantastic build

[Retired Bob]

On 06/07/2019 at 20:01, 29Triplex said:

But, with a SWO like Bernie, there was always good times to be had - down the Bell, in Marham village (now long gone!) - at the end of a long week 🍺🍺🍺  .

Yes, Bernie was possibly unique as a SWO.  On one exercise in the mid 80s we were organised into a "CND" rabble at the main gate as an exercise inject, our F.S. wore a monks habit and we had placards with "Ban the Bomb" &" Nukes out of Norfolk" etc . Bernie got into a pretend tussle with me after I got through the gate and a visiting truck driver, thinking it was real, grabbed me by the throat and Bernie had to stop him doing his civic duty of killing a protestor. The look on this drivers face when Bernie told him it was all staged and I was in the  RAF as well, Ahh memories.  I last visited Marham in Nov 17, I was taking a Tornado canopy there from Leeming, the SSA was a dumping ground for Tornado parts and there was lots of building work going on for the arrival of the F35.  A far cry from the sleepy hollow of my first posting there in Jan 1977. (not a HAS in sight) 

[Spad]

 

 @CJP@Timbo88 @russ c @Corsairfoxfouruncle @cherry268

Thanks guys for the kind comments- much appreciated!

@29Triplex

Ha! yes! Not such a sleepy hollow really, more like "at the back of beyond". With it being so remote, social life was lively and self reliant. With daily "Dragonfly" then "Tansor" launches (and I mean pretty much daily) to chase Ruskies over the Northern Approaches it wasn't exactly quiet! But it did get very noisy when the "Fins" turned up! Never heard that nickname for 617 before! 

Sadly all three pubs in the village (Bell, Crown and Fox & Hounds all gone or converted into houses - Fox was my favourite tbh, though if you got into The Bell by 1050 you were set until 1 or 2! As you say, good times.

Unfortunately I am not in a position to ask Dad about the Para/Chinook episode - what went on?

 

@Retired Bob great story Bob! Can't quite picture you as a hippy! 🤣 

 

Thanks again guys - I'm pleased the build has sparked a few memories for some!

ATB
Rick

[Hobo]

Magnificent. One of the best Victor's I've ever seen. Proof the old Matchbox kits can be built into beautiful models.

Edited July 12, 2019 by Hobo

[delticfan]

Superb job well done have two Airfix K2 awaiting in the stash I’m inspired