Airfix 1/72 Vulcan B.2

[Back in the Saddle]

I've been beavering away on the KUTA XII GB for the past three months, finishing off the Airfix Avro Vulcan kit I started a few years ago. It was essentially built, but needed finishing and was the first model I have painted using an airbrush. The thread for this build is here:

 

 

It was finished (in a bit of a hurry!) last night, 90 minutes before the deadline for the GB closed. Here a few images showing Avro's finest in all its glory:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plenty of mistakes along the way, but overall I'm happy with this model. Two minor annoyances though - I accidentally ripped two decals off the fin, which I thought were sealed behind a layer of varnish - they weren't! Also, regarding varnish, I was not happy with the finish in some areas. For example, the undercarriage door where the registration decal is placed - the finish is opaque, not clear. Not too sure why that happened?

 

Please be gentle, this is my first RFI! 😁

Edited February 3, 2020 by Back in the Saddle

[Eric Mc]

That looks great. The old Airfix Vulcan gets disparaged a lot but it can still make a great looking model - as your build shows.

[HOUSTON]

TOP NOTCH build 

 

 

[goggsy]

Nice neat job that, good work. Shame about the tail decals but that does have a way of happening. I’d always avoid putting tape anywhere near decals, they rarely have enough adhesion to stay attached when you pull it away even if there’s plenty of varnish on top.

[Lord Riot]

Always great to see a Vulcan! Very nicely done. I'm particularly impressed that you've completely eradicated the forward fuselage join line, very well done.

[AliGauld]

Cracking job. It's always a treat to see a Vulcan.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Well done on your Vulcan sir. 

[Work In Progress]

15 hours ago, goggsy said:

Nice neat job that, good work. Shame about the tail decals but that does have a way of happening. I’d always avoid putting tape anywhere near decals, they rarely have enough adhesion to stay attached when you pull it away even if there’s plenty of varnish on top.

Quite so. Varnish on top will reduce the risk of an edge lifting over time, but does nothing to increase the mechanical bond between the decal itself and whetever is underneath it. That is all down to the water-soluble glue on the decal. 

The really solid way to do it if you know you're going to have to mask over is gloss the base up to a high shine, then clean all the glue off the back of the decal  and float it on over a drop of Klear / Future / Quickshine or whatever brand of clear acrylic sealer you favour. Then when it;'s all settled gloss over the top with the same stuff and eventually final coat with your required matt/satin finish. That gives them an almost welded-on quality.

 

I should add, well done, it's a good looking Vulcan!

 

Edited February 4, 2020 by Work In Progress

[Alan P]

Lovely job! 👏👏👏 I'm wrestling with the same kit at the moment, you've really excelled in getting it so neat. Especially considering you were on a deadline. 

 

Alan

[F-32]

Lovely big beasty!

[Vulcanfan]

Very nice!

 

Thanks for posting 

 

Vulcanfan

[Back in the Saddle]

On 03/02/2020 at 22:58, goggsy said:

Shame about the tail decals but that does have a way of happening. I’d always avoid putting tape anywhere near decals, they rarely have enough adhesion to stay attached when you pull it away even if there’s plenty of varnish on top.

On 04/02/2020 at 14:32, Work In Progress said:

Quite so. Varnish on top will reduce the risk of an edge lifting over time, but does nothing to increase the mechanical bond between the decal itself and whetever is underneath it. That is all down to the water-soluble glue on the decal. 

The really solid way to do it if you know you're going to have to mask over is gloss the base up to a high shine, then clean all the glue off the back of the decal  and float it on over a drop of Klear / Future / Quickshine or whatever brand of clear acrylic sealer you favour. Then when it;'s all settled gloss over the top with the same stuff and eventually final coat with your required matt/satin finish. That gives them an almost welded-on quality.

Thanks for the advice with this, I shall try that next time👍
 

Of course, masking more carefully and not rushing to finish the GB would have helped...

 

One other question. Any idea why the satin varnish produced a slightly opaque finish in some areas? That was my other major bugbear with this model and I’m not sure why it occurred.

 

Thanks!

[John R]

Any idea why the satin varnish produced a slightly opaque finish in some areas?

Some dampness in the air perhaps?

[goggsy]

Does it have a slightly rough texture like sandpaper? If so then it may be that the varnish dried in the air on its way to the plane. That can happen while airbrushing unfortunately, especially in awkward corners and the dried tiny pellets of varnish bond with tacky varnish on the plane and can look opaque. If it’s smooth and opaque then it may be the varnish reacting with something on the surface, maybe a decal setting solution or even dampness as someone has suggested. 

 

If it’s inconspicuous and doesn’t bother you I’d leave it, but if you’re moved to fix it then try some fine/very fine abrasive like micro mesh to cut the varnish back a bit and restore smoothness. I’d practice on something you’re not bothered about first though.

[RMCS]

Superb 

[Mark Joyce]

Very nice looking Vulcan there!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[gazza l]

Very nice work, always nice to see a Vulcan.

 

gazza l

[jimmyg352]

That's grand is that! 

[Back in the Saddle]

On 06/02/2020 at 23:34, goggsy said:

Does it have a slightly rough texture like sandpaper? If so then it may be that the varnish dried in the air on its way to the plane. That can happen while airbrushing unfortunately, especially in awkward corners and the dried tiny pellets of varnish bond with tacky varnish on the plane and can look opaque. If it’s smooth and opaque then it may be the varnish reacting with something on the surface, maybe a decal setting solution or even dampness as someone has suggested. 

 

If it’s inconspicuous and doesn’t bother you I’d leave it, but if you’re moved to fix it then try some fine/very fine abrasive like micro mesh to cut the varnish back a bit and restore smoothness. I’d practice on something you’re not bothered about first though.

 

On 06/02/2020 at 18:11, John R said:

Some dampness in the air perhaps?

 

Thanks for the advice. I suspect it was slightly damp, so might try to remedy it as suggested above and see if it improves.🤞

[Mark4700]

You’ve made a cracking job of that. Love seeing a good Vulcan. 

[mcdonnell]

A fine tribute to AVRO’s Finest and the classic Airfix kit.👏😉👍

[TonkaGuy]

Very nice. How was the build? The Vulcan looks relatively easy to build as there doesn’t seem to be many parts to it

[Adam Poultney]

22 minutes ago, TonkaGuy said:

How was the build? The Vulcan looks relatively easy to build as there doesn’t seem to be many parts to it

I've built the kit, although I never completely finished mine. It's a very old tool and is very basic, almost nothing fits properly and raised panel lines are everywhere. If you're looking at doing one, I'd say wait until the new kit releases

[stever219]

48 minutes ago, TonkaGuy said:

Very nice. How was the build? The Vulcan looks relatively easy to build as there doesn’t seem to be many parts to it

I built two of these when they were new: after getting over the disappointment of almost no internal detail whatsoever I found them relatively easy to assemble but the wing to centre section joints even then weren't brilliant and the front fuselage joint took a lot of Milliput and sanding to fully conceal.

@gazza l did another exemplary job on one of these a couple of years ago, including a scratch-built bomb bay interior, and there are other builds on here that show just what can be done with this now nearly 40 year old kit.