Clearing the Shelf of Doom Part 2 - 1/72 Revell(Matchbox) Victor

[Back in the Saddle]

Having finished the Buccaneer, it's time to turn my attention to the next model on my shelf of doom - the 1/72 Revell HP Victor:

 

 

It's not the first time this model has appeared on BM. It was on the recent KUTA GB at the end of last year, but never quite got finished... That build was a bit of a nightmare (the intakes immediately spring to mind!). If interested, that build is documented here:

 

 

Since abandoning work on this model, I have taken delivery of the new Airfix version of the Victor - a vastly superior kit:

 

 

My original plan was to have just one Victor, painted in the camouflage scheme. However, now I have two kits I want them to look different. I've decided that the Airfix kit will be getting the camouflage scheme, so what to do with this model?

 

Two options: 

 

1. Keep it as a K.2 Victor and paint it hemp

2. Convert it back to a B.2 and paint it white

 

I've changed my mind a few times on which is best! I've finally decided to go with the second option, mainly because the Airfix kit has also included spare decals for this version and they are much better than the Revell offering... Also, I think white paint suits the aircraft better than hemp!

 

 

So here's the current state of play:

 

 

Obvious jobs include discarding the refuelling pods and underwing fuel tanks then filling those four holes in the wing. I could keep the wing tanks, but in the interest of making both models look different I think they should go - the camouflaged Victor will have these fitted and most photos of the white Victors show the aircraft without them, so that is a more representative way to portray this aircraft. A bit more surgery will be also be required on the belly to remove the central refuelling area.

 

With any luck this will be a relatively quick project!

 

 

[Back in the Saddle]

Time to do some work on this!

I started with the refuelling station on the aircraft's belly:

 

 

It had to go... A few minutes with a razor saw and scalpel left it looking like this:

 

 

The fuselage split open slightly whilst sawing, hence the tape to hold it together as I glued it back. Next job was the addition of some scrap sprue to form a base for the new surface:

 

 

I then glued some plastic sheeting over these bits, to form the basic shape of the lower fuselage, held down tightly with tape:

 

 

PPP features highly in the next stage of this conversion! 😁

 

 

 

[stever219]

You, sir, are either brave or barmy!

 

i started a similar conversion on the Matchbox kit when it was first issued.  Two house moves and a teenaged daughter (amongst other things) and it is still unfinished somewhere in the loft.  My conversion was inspired by an article in Scale Models magazine, one of a series covering RAF bombers and hacking out the HDU fairing was one of the early jobs.  The chap who wrote the piece for SM had the luxury of a spare set of bomb doors from another kit; mine involved lots of plasticard and Milliput.

 

You’re going to need to do some more work on the wings; firstly the lower surface joint just behind the outboard leading edge is horrible and need filling and smoothing to give a smooth undercamber.  The tips need extending to match those of the Airfix kit (maybe someone on here could let you have a spare set if they’re building the Airfix kit as a tanker once the coved-19 restrictions are eased).

 

It’ll be nice to see someone tackle this conversion again, but I’m not going to look for mine again just yet.

 

[Martian]

I have a couple of Matchbox Victors in the stash and both will get built. Considering it's age the kit is not too bad at all. I look forward to seeing how you get on with this.

 

Martian 👽

[Back in the Saddle]

On 05/06/2020 at 21:26, stever219 said:

You, sir, are either brave or barmy!

Or maybe just naive - I hadn't realised there were wing mods required too! 😁

 

Work on the fuselage continues. PPP was applied liberally to the central refuelling area:

 

 

Then sanded back:

 

 

All very rough at the moment, but some more filler will fix that!

 

I also took a look at the extended wingtips which are in the Airfix box:

 

 

I will use these as a guide for converting the K2. 👍

 

I will do some more work to the fuselage first before turning my attention to the wings.

 

 

[Back in the Saddle]

The belly conversion is coming along slowly. I have sanded and filled with PPP twice, but despite using a sanding block I have managed to sand away more PPP than intended - I suspect the foam backing on the sanding block was allowing it to attack the PPP to a deeper level than planned... To remedy this, I have glued some very thin strips of plastic over the PPP and will use a solid sanding block next time! Here's how it currently looks:

 

 

The wing slots have now been filled and will be sanded shortly:

 

 

I'm also considering my options for converting the wingtips!

 

 

[Lord Riot]

If you haven't already seen this mate it might be some help?

 

 

 

 

[Back in the Saddle]

Thanks Lord Riot. I had seen that before, but forgotten about it!

 

[Back in the Saddle]

The additional strips of plastic (along with a more solid sanding block!) have helped considerably. Tonight it all looked pretty smooth with just a few minor blemishes, so time for some Mr. Surfacer 500:

 

 

I'll leave it overnight then sand and repeat as necessary...

[Back in the Saddle]

Not the most interesting of updates...! I have sanded this area back once again and it looked pretty smooth, so I applied a coat of paint to see what that revealed:

 

 

There are a couple of tiny pinholes which need attention, but other than that it looks ready for re-scribing. I promise the next update will show something other than this area of lower fuselage!😁

[Back in the Saddle]

I promised something more interesting on my next post, so here goes...😁

 

Another filling and sanding session is over and I've attached the first wing:

 

 

The intention is to get the other wing on later today once the glue has set and then progress to painting.

 

I eventually decided against converting the wingtips as the model is old and has plenty of minor flaws - I suspect the slight error in the wingspan will barely be noticeable in the grand scheme of things...

 

[Back in the Saddle]

Suddenly it starts to look like a Victor:

 

 

It's going to take up a fair bit of space! Priming is next, followed by fixing all the blemishes that inevitably appear! 😁

[Back in the Saddle]

Minor change of plan, which subconsciously I think I was expecting... This model is now going to live on my 8 year old son's ceiling, along with some of the other models we've built together.

 

I wasn't entirely surprised when he asked if it could join his collection - he's had his eye on it for a while!

 

It will now be built with the gear up and save me a huge amount of space on my shelf! 😁

[SAT69]

I definitely like the progress made thus far!

[The Spadgent]

All that sanding. I know your pain. 🤪

looking good. I have the Airfix one too. Are you starting that one after this?

 

Johnny

[Back in the Saddle]

Hi Johnny. That was a lot of notifications! 😂

 

The Airfix Victor is slowly making its way to the bench... The Revell Victor needs finishing first, but now that’s destined for the ceiling it needs a lot less work on the details! The Spitfire Vb in the GB is almost at the painting stage and I’ve just started building the Lynx - a truly gorgeous offering from Airfix. I think the Airfix Victor could be next in line after that...

 

Being off work is certainly improving my modelling skills and helping to cull my stash...! 😉

 

 

[The Spadgent]

2 hours ago, Back in the Saddle said:

Hi Johnny. That was a lot of notifications! 😂

 

The Airfix Victor is slowly making its way to the bench... The Revell Victor needs finishing first, but now that’s destined for the ceiling it needs a lot less work on the details! The Spitfire Vb in the GB is almost at the painting stage and I’ve just started building the Lynx - a truly gorgeous offering from Airfix. I think the Airfix Victor could be next in line after that...

 

Being off work is certainly improving my modelling skills and helping to cull my stash...! 😉

 

 

Sorry, I had the day off today and did ...........”nothing”  It was Bliss. 🙂☀️
you need to put threads to your next build in your last build.  A wobble chopter ? 🤔 I didn’t spot that one. 👍🤣❤️

[Back in the Saddle]

On 24/06/2020 at 19:02, The Spadgent said:

All that sanding. I know your pain. 🤪

It was watching your work with PPP on the Venom that persuaded me to buy a tube and try it - it's good stuff! 👍 That's now two products I've bought after seeing you use them (Flory wash being the other) - I wonder what I'll pick up next from watching your builds! 😁

 

Not much progress on this one at the moment, but it's getting worked on occasionally. I gave it a coat of some old gloss white to show where work is needed:

 

 

Surprisingly, more filling and sanding is needed! Once that is done the satin white (a new tin this time!) will be sprayed and hopefully decals will get on soon. It's not perfect, but I think it will make an eight year old boy very happy!

[Spec7]

I have to say you look much older in your picture 😉

[Back in the Saddle]

Now the rain in Scotland has finally stopped I have ventured outside again for some spraying. I decided to give the Victor a pre-shade in grey, as that colour was already in the brush for the Lynx... In addition, I'm hoping that it will cover more easily than a black pre-shade:

 

 

The probe on the right wingtip has broken off, but I haven't bothered to repair it - I'm sure it wouldn't have lasted long anyway, not with with an 8-year old playing with it!

 

It has also had a pass of white paint, but I think another coat will be needed - maybe two. White is not my favourite colour to spray!!

[The Spadgent]

Looking good. White is always a trial. Lots of thin coats. 👍🤍

[Back in the Saddle]

I had a bit of a nightmare with the paint... It was an old tin of Revell's gloss white enamel, a brand I would never buy again. It gummed up badly and blocked the airbrush after a few minute's use, so it's now in the bin. However, it did the job!

 

 

Basis decals are next. I'm not bothering with all the tiny stencils, as I don't think an eight year would appreciate the effort! It will look close enough when hung on a ceiling!

[The Spadgent]

Looking good. You’re a braver man than I. Enamels scare me. 🙀

 

Johnny

[Back in the Saddle]

Just now, The Spadgent said:

Enamels scare me. 🙀

That’s strange, acrylics scare me!
 

I’ve not tried too hard with them to be honest, as with the exception of some old tins (this one in particular!) I’ve had good results with enamels. The only downside is the ventilation - I spray my models in the shed, so it’s a tad weather dependent...

[The Spadgent]

13 hours ago, Back in the Saddle said:

That’s strange, acrylics scare me!
 

I’ve not tried too hard with them to be honest, as with the exception of some old tins (this one in particular!) I’ve had good results with enamels. The only downside is the ventilation - I spray my models in the shed, so it’s a tad weather dependent...

I only used acrylic paint since I started back. I don’t them quick to use and smell free. But as they say horses for courses. 🐎