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Special Hobby 1/72 DH.100 Vampire Mk.1 Swiss Air Force


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Hi,
Here is a selection of images from my latest completion.

This model is based on the 'The first Jet Guardians of Neutrality' boxing of Special Hobby's 1/72 De Havilland Vampire. The airframe depicted is a Mk.1, specifically J-1003 of the Swiss Air Force as included in the kit.
This release adds to the previous boxings of this kit with the inclusion of new tail booms and a new tailplane specific to the Mk.1. Also the later variant tailplane and the intakes have been re-tooled to correct errors. In the case of the tailplane its chord has been reduced and in the case of the intake openings they have been reshaped. I am not sure exactly when these modifications were made. Despite Special Hobby fixing these errors there is still a big error which remained untouched, the overly large wing chord. The issue seems to be with the root rather than the tip so I removed a slither of plastic about 1.5mm at the root from the leading edge of the wings leaving the tip as it was. This changed the wing leading edge angle to better match references. This also required the intakes to be moved rearward the same distance to avoid a step and the fuselage parts needed adjusting to match the new intake positions. The trailing edge of the wing remained uncorrected even though I estimated it was about 2mm to far rearward along all its length, the tail booms and control surfaces made it more complicated to fix.

Apart from the modifications to the wings the kit was built largely out of the box, except from some scratch built details in the cockpit including a seat harness and other details based on references. Along with a couple of aerials under the port wing noticeable in photos of J-1003. I also drilled out the clear wing tip lights from the inside to create the bulbs. I packed the nose and area behind the cockpit bulkhead with steel balls to try and prevent the model from sitting on its tails, although I ultimately failed in this regard.

Once the airframe was assembled it was primed in Ammo One Shot Black primer then overcoated with gloss black in preparation for the High Speed Silver finish. This was replicated using Vallejo Metal Colour White Aluminium. The red wing bars and fins with their white crosses where masked for and then painted, as I thought the red may bleed through the included decals. The model was then gloss coated using AK Interactive Gauzy Shine Enhancer to help protect the paintwork. After applying the numerous decals another coat of Shine Enhancer was airbrushed on. Weathering was achieved with the use of Ammo's panel line washes, Ammo's Starship Filth Oilbrusher and Tamiya's X-19 Smoke. The model was finished with a coat of Vallejo Satin varnish to tone down the shiny metal effect. The undercarriage parts that were previously painted, fitted without any issue along with their doors. The masking was removed from the canopies and the sliding portion was secured with Vallejo Liquid Mask. If you add some to the canopy mating surface and leave it to dry it remains tacky enough to hold the canopy in place once positioned. It can then be repositioned a few times before the stickiness is lost, allowing the canopy to be posed open or closed.


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Hope you enjoy!

Mark.
 

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Thank you all for your comments.

 

17 hours ago, WildeSau75 said:

what a beauty - love it! My uncle flew J-1125 in the Swiss Airforce and had a fatal acccident with it.

 

Glad to see a Vampire in Swiss markings - you did it justice.

 

Cheers,

Michael

 

Sorry to hear of your families loss, its easy to forget the real dangers of these machines and the bravery of the pilots when we build scale models of them.

 

I chose this scheme originally as I wanted to try doing a overall metallic finish. Previously I had only done a metallic underside on my Gnat and jet exhaust areas. I also really likes the splash of red and white against the high speed silver.

 

Mark

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21 hours ago, Diggers11 said:

Thank you all for your comments.

 

 

Sorry to hear of your families loss, its easy to forget the real dangers of these machines and the bravery of the pilots when we build scale models of them.

 

I chose this scheme originally as I wanted to try doing a overall metallic finish. Previously I had only done a metallic underside on my Gnat and jet exhaust areas. I also really likes the splash of red and white against the high speed silver.

 

Mark

Thanks Mark - indeed those early jets were dangerous to fly and the men who flew them were brave. Itnwaw a mid air collission with J-1108 in a training flight that costed him his life back in 1955....Your Vampire is a nice representation of the type. I like the Swiss markings on the highspeed silver too. Hope we soon get a Venom from Special Hobby - they have it on the roadmap at least. 

 

Cheers,

Michael

Edited by WildeSau75
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Very nice finish with that Vallejo Metal Colour. I've also tried that, but directly onto that One Shot black, just buffed down. I've also got Vallejo's gloss black primer but still haven't used it yet.

I like that a lot! 👍

 

Martin

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On 11/14/2020 at 11:29 AM, WildeSau75 said:

Thanks Mark - indeed those early jets were dangerous to fly and the men who flew them were brave. Itnwaw a mid air collission with J-1108 in a training flight that costed him his life back in 1955....Your Vampire is a nice representation of the type. I like the Swiss markings on the highspeed silver too. Hope we soon get a Venom from Special Hobby - they have it on the roadmap at least. 

 

Cheers,

Michael

 

That really was a tragic event.

 

Hopefully when Special Hobby release their Venom they will get the shape more accurate than they did with the Vampire.

 

I see you have a Vampire on your bench, is there a build thread for it?

 

20 hours ago, Lightningboy2000 said:

Very nice finish with that Vallejo Metal Colour. I've also tried that, but directly onto that One Shot black, just buffed down. I've also got Vallejo's gloss black primer but still haven't used it yet.

I like that a lot! 👍

 

Martin

 

I will have to try buffing the one shot primer sometime, or use a gloss black primer to start with. I think in this instance the extra layers of paint helped reduce the panel lines.

 

Mark

Edited by Diggers11
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On 11/16/2020 at 10:12 PM, Diggers11 said:

 

That really was a tragic event.

 

Hopefully when Special Hobby release their Venom they will get the shape more accurate than they did with the Vampire.

 

I see you have a Vampire on your bench, is there a build thread for it?

 

 

I will have to try buffing the one shot primer sometime, or use a gloss black primer to start with. I think in this instance the extra layers of paint helped reduce the panel lines.

 

Mark

hey mate - I did even finish the Vampire but it's not up to your standards. And yes, I did build it as J-1125 - a little,tribute to my uncle. Indeed a 'right' Venom would be nice.

 

Cheers,

Michael

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