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1/48 De Havilland Vampire F.3 & FB.5/FB.9 by Airfix - released


Bjorn

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7 hours ago, Ad-4N said:

What am I supposed to do with these seven Hobbycraft Vampires?  

1. Scrap the contents of the boxes (they bear only a passing resemblance to a Vampire anyway).

2. Retain the boxes.

3. Transfer the contents of the Airfix boxes to the Hobbycraft boxes.

4. Dispose of the Airfix boxes.

Problem solved ...

 

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On 1/7/2021 at 8:21 AM, Bjorn said:

I knew it! Shame on me that I didn't guess in public... :D  Finally a decent Vampire in 1/48 scale! I guess that more versions, like the FB.5, (probably also as a Swedish J 28) will follow.

 

Source: https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/shop/new-for-2021/de-havilland-vampire-f-3.html

Hello Bjorn,

I'd also like a FB5 either to make a Swedish J28 or a blue French Aeronavale bird. I don't know a thing concerning the Vampire so I'm asking myself if it's possible with this boxing? , Well, best is certainly to first carefully (re)read this topic.

Regards.

Pat

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5 minutes ago, PattheCat said:

Hello Bjorn,

I'd also like a FB5 either to make a Swedish J28 of a blue French Aeronavale bird. I don't know a thing concerning the Vampire so I'm asking myself if it's it possible with this boxing? , Well, best is certainly to first carefully (re)read this topic.

Regards.

Pat

 

From what I can see from the sprue photos, an FB.5 with squared off wingtips should be possible from the parts provided within this initial release. There may be some small 'local' differences between a J28 and French type however the overall shape is all there. 

Cheers.. Dave  

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I like the box art!

 

20 hours ago, 28ZComeback said:

Donate the kits and some glue, paint and brushes to a veterans center, home for homeless children or local club for a raffle. 

I've used my daily Reaction allocation but I just wanted to acknowledge this as a great idea.

Edited by k5054nz
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  • 3 weeks later...

Source: https://uk.airfix.com/community/blog-and-news/workbench/new-mosquito-build-exclusive

Box art + schemes

 

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Quote

 

Vampire - de Havilland’s jet powered ‘Wooden Wonder’

Box artwork delight, this magnificent new image will grace the box presentation of our new 1/48th scale de Havilland Vampire F.3 model tooling

 

Our second headline feature for this latest edition of our blog is in relation to another new model tooling project announced at the beginning of the year, a scale representation of yet another aviation product of the prolific de Havilland Aircraft Company. In fact, the Vampire jet fighter retained many of the design and manufacturing technologies perfected during the development of the Mosquito, including a feature which still seems a little disconcerting when knowing that a jet engine was basically a hot combustion chamber which was just a continual series of little explosions - a wooden cockpit. Once again calling on the company’s experience in wooded laminate construction, the forward fuselage of their new Vampire jet was made of laminated hardwood and balsa sheets, bonded together using a special epoxy resin mixture. It would also be true to say that had the Mosquito not been such an important aircraft to the Allied war effort, the Vampire may have taken the title of being Britain’s first operational jet powered fighter, however, that would prove not to be the case for several reasons. 

 

In sport, they always say that nobody ever remembers the runner up and unfortunately for the Vampire, despite being a successful, record breaking aircraft in its own right, the Meteor took Britain’s first jet crown and the Vampire was effectively relegated to aviation anonymity in the eyes of the great British public. Thankfully, the release of our beautiful new 1/48th scale kit of the aircraft may bring the Vampire some long overdue modeller attention and an awareness that this early jet fighter had much more to offer than simply being the Meteor’s late to the party sidekick. And what better way could there possibly be to grab everyone’s attention than by revealing the beautiful box artwork which will grace the packaging of this delightful new model? Small in stature and possessing an extremely distinctive appearance, the de Havilland Vampire was actually a little world beater!

 

For the impending first release of our newly tooled 1/48th scale representation of this beautiful early jet fighter, we have attempted to highlight the international appeal of the Vampire with the three scheme options included with the inaugural release from this tool. In addition to this, two of the aircraft covered are on display in European museums, whilst the third is owned and preserved in the US, meaning that all three are doing their bit in promoting the many attributes of this capable little jet fighter. Let’s take a closer look at those scheme options now.µ

 

Scheme A - de Havilland D.H.100 Vampire F.3 VT812/N, No.601 Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, North Weald, Essex, England 1952.

 

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The first production Vampire F.Mk.Is entered Royal Air Force service in March 1946, to be followed two years later by the revised and more capable F.3. The Vampire F.3 was basically a longer range version of its predecessor, featuring increased internal fuel capacity and the ability to carry two external fuel tanks. This latest variant also differed visually, in that it incorporated taller and more rounded vertical stabilisers, a lowered horizontal stabiliser and distinctive ‘acorn’ fairings at the base of each vertical stabiliser. Although this was still relatively new technology, de Havilland cleverly designed the aircraft to be simple to maintain and operate, earning the aircraft an enviable reputation for reliability amongst air and ground crews alike and allowing more pilots to safely make the transition to jet powered flight. With a number of significant firsts to its name, the Vampire was the first RAF aircraft to exceed 500 mph, with the extra range of the F.3 allowing this to be the first jet fighter to cross the Atlantic. The Vampire F.3’s of No.32 Squadron were also the first RAF jet fighters to be deployed outside Northwest Europe and the first to operate in the higher temperatures of the Mediterranean. 

 

No.601 (County of London) Squadron was a unit which enjoyed quite a colourful history, the first of the RAF’s Auxiliary Squadrons (sometimes unfairly referred to as Weekend Warriors) and one which had the notoriety of being known as the ‘Millionaires Squadron’, by virtue of the fact that many of the unit’s first pilots were well-connected and from extremely wealthy families. Indeed, it was claimed that these initial appointments were made by Lord Grosvenor at his favourite Gentlemen’s Club, selecting from a pool of his wealthy friends and acquaintances who had a love of fast cars and a passion for flying. It was even claimed that the only test these potential recruits were put through was to be subjected to a heavy drinking session, to see if they maintained their decorum when the worse for drink, something which was deemed incredibly important to Lord Grosvenor.

 

Whilst there may be some truths in these rumours, the squadron would perform admirably once the war came and despite suffering some heavy losses during the Battle of Britain, the unit’s pilots would show themselves to be brave and tenacious in facing an enemy which often outnumbered them by 4 to 1. Reformed as a fighter squadron within the Royal Auxiliary Air Force at the end of the war, the unit were initially equipped with Spitfire LF.XVIe fighters, but entered the jet age with the de Havilland Vampire F.3 in 1949. Flying out of North Weald airfield, the unit were still charged with providing fighter defence for the country and specifically the capital, with North Weald being just to the northeast of London. Whilst not a full time service, they were required to support the RAF during a particularly volatile period in world history and when the main force may have been deployed overseas, with this often resulting in periods of full-time service. In the main though, these pilots would join their squadron mates at weekends and during holidays, with the popular annual gunnery camps keeping the group together for longer periods and in overseas surroundings, allowing less experienced members to have a taste of what service life was like. 

 

In September 1952, the squadron exchanged their venerable Vampires for the latest F.8 variant of the Gloster Meteor, which they continued to fly for the next five years, until swinging defence cuts brought about the disbandment of the entire RAuxAF network and a service which had been in place for over 30 years.

De Havilland Vampire F.3 VT812 was one of a batch of 117 aircraft built under contract by English Electric at Preston between April 1947 and May 1948. Delivered to No.5 Maintenance Unit at Kemble in November 1947, she was destined for overseas service in the Mediterranean and Middle East, joining No.32 Squadron over the next couple of months. At a time where jet technology was advancing rapidly, the aircraft returned to the UK in 1950 where she was allocated first to No.614 RAuxRF Squadron and then to No.601 RAuxAF at North Weald, where by the spring of 1952, she had suffered an extremely heavy landing and was categorised as being ‘beyond the repair capacity of the unit’. The necessary repairs were carried out by de Havillands and whilst she would fly again in the hands of No.602 RAuxAF, by 1954, she was classified as non-effective stock.

 

A rather pristine example of a Vampire F.3, she would spend the rest of her life on display at various locations around the country, before ending up as an RAF Museum exhibit, first at Cosford and later Hendon. She would benefit from a concerted period of restoration during the late 1990s and is today to be found on display at Hendon, resplendent in her No.601 RAuxAF markings, a fine example of this early British single engined jet fighter.

 

Scheme B - de Havilland D.H.100 Vampire F.3 17018, No.442 ‘City of Vancouver’ Auxiliary Fighter Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force Station Vancouver, Canada, 1949.

 

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The Canadian Air Force adoption of the Vampire as its first jet powered fighter was the result of quite a complex arrangement agreed following the end of the Second World War and would end up as a straight jet powered aviation fist fight between the Vampire and the Meteor. From an official perspective, this race proved to be a dead heat, with as many people favouring the Vampire as they did the Meteor, however, the deciding factor would eventually be cost, as they could have more Vampire jets for the same outlay, so the de Havilland fighter was duly selected. Deliveries began in early 1948, with these first aircraft remaining in service with the Canadians for the next 8 years.

 

Conversion onto the Vampire would require Canadian reserve pilots to embark on a methodical, if somewhat sedate programme of introduction. Although many older pilots had experience flying high performance piston engined fighters during the Second World War, many younger pilots did not and they would be coming to the jet powered Vampire straight from the cockpit of a Harvard trainer. As for all early jet pilots, there were no two seat variants to ease this dramatic conversion, so their first flight in a jet was often their first solo in the aircraft. Thankfully, the Vampire was a relatively simple and forgiving aircraft, however it didn’t suffer foolish pilots gladly and was capable of being extremely difficult if not handled in the correct manner. A programme of lectures, ground instruction and start-up/taxiing trials were all designed to prepare pilots for their first flight as a Vampire pilot, becoming one of Canada’s first jet pilots in the process.

The Vampire would eventually equip ten RCAF squadrons, both regular and auxiliary units, with the majority of the flying staff made up of former WWII airmen. One of the auxiliary units to fly the aircraft was No.442 ‘City of Vancouver’ Auxiliary Fighter Squadron, based at Sea Island, the site of the current Vancouver International Airport. This unit was famous for having several of its jets flamboyantly painted with distinctive red and black ‘Bat Heads', a design which was reputedly inspired by the indigenous Haida people, a design which really suited the shape of this diminutive fighter. 

 

On 1st July 1948, six Vampire F.3 fighters from RAF Odiham made the first Atlantic crossing by a jet aircraft, a single engined type into the bargain. Each equipped with underwing fuel tanks and accompanied by Mosquito support aircraft, the journey did much for the reputation of the Vampire and underlined the faith the aviation world had placed in jet propulsion. Once in Canada, the Vampires embarked on a hectic goodwill tour of the country and neighbouring North America, thrilling audiences with demonstrations of close formation aerobatics and high speed passes from Britain’s first single engined jet fighter. Canada would eventually obtain 85 de Havilland Vampires, but by the time the aircraft were withdrawn from service in 1956, only 40 aircraft remained in airworthy condition.

 

The Vampire covered in this scheme was built by English Electric at Preston and allocated the serial number VP691, although this would never actually make it onto the airframe, as it was simply a facilitator number required to allow the onward transfer to the RCAF. Taken on strength with the Canadian Air Force in 1948, she was allocated the serial 17018 and would spend time serving with No.402, 401 and 442 ‘City of Vancouver’ Auxiliary Fighter Squadrons. Struck off charge in 1958, she would spend the next few years transferring from one North American owner to another, spending long periods in outdoor storage, but also undergoing restoration to airworthy condition. The aircraft is still thought to be in one piece, but her current location is unknown - she is possibly at the Planes of Fame Museum in Arizona.     
   
Scheme C - de Havilland D.H.100 Vampire F.3 P42408/AE-B, Norwegian Air Force, Gardermoen Museum, Oslo, Norway, 2019.

 

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Following the end of the Second World War, British aviation companies were keen to market their latest aircraft to overseas operators, securing potentially lucrative deals over an above their commitments to the Royal Air Force. De Havilland’s knew that their diminutive Vampire fighter would be an attractive proposition for any nation looking to enter the jet age with a reliable and extremely cost effective aircraft type and were aggressive in their approach, something which would see the aircraft operate in the colours of many of the world’s air arms.

 

The Royal Norwegian Air Force would be established following the end of the Second World War and from a nucleus of free fighting Norwegian pilots serving with the Royal Air Force. Initially equipped with aircraft such as the late mark Spitfire and de Havilland Mosquito, the force was keen to keep pace with the latest aviation developments and match other European nations by operating the latest jet fighters in an air defence role. Once again, this selection would be between the British Vampire and Meteor jets and whilst both aircraft would have been suitable, it was eventually thought that the de Havilland Vampire would be more suited to operations in Norway’s climate and geography. An initial order for four F.3 fighters was placed, which was later increased to twenty aircraft and this was followed up with a further order for thirty-six FB.52 (export version of the Mk.6) variants.

 

To speed up the delivery of the Norwegian Vampires, the aircraft were initially taken from the English Electric production lines in Preston, including this aircraft, which would initially be allocated the serial number VT833, but on acceptance into Royal Norwegian Air Force service was renumbered P42408/AE-B - the ‘P’ denotes that this aircraft had originally been produced by English Electric in the UK. Once delivered, these first aircraft would form ‘C’ flight of No.331 Squadron and immediately embark on a period of technical evaluation in advance of the Vampire’s service acceptance. In Norwegian service, the F.3 fighters were finished an a smart all natural metal scheme and have to be considered as some of the most attractive Vampires to ever see operational service. As the country’s first jet fighters, the Vampires were always incredibly popular with the public wherever they appeared, with their pilots being treated as aviation celebrities.  

 

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This scheme option features a Vampire which is preserved and on display in with the Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection at Gardermoen, the aircraft we scanned at the beginning of this exciting new tooling project

 

Towards the end of the 1950s, Norway was coming under increasing pressure to fulfil its NATO obligations and upgrade their air defence capabilities by procuring more advanced aircraft, a development which would soon lead to the withdrawal of their entire Vampire force. Most aircraft would go on to be used as ground instructional airframes, station gate guardians or simply stored awaiting disposal. This particular Vampire was built by English Electric and joined the Gardermoen based No.336 Squadron in 1949. Suffering a landing incident in 1951, the aircraft spent the next 18 months in repair, before going on to serve with the jet training wing at Sola and then No.337 Squadron in a service career which would see it log just short of 642 flying hours with the RNoAF. Following the withdrawal of all Norwegian Vampires from military service, This aircraft would be the only one earmarked for preservation and during the 1970s, was to benefit from a concerted restoration programme in advance of her being placed on display in the Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection at Gardermoen. In fact, this this is the actual aircraft the Airfix team scanned at the outset of our new Vampire project and is therefore the one which provided all the design shape data for the new kit.

 

Our delightful new 1/48th scale de Havilland Vampire F.3 kit is still on course for an early Autumn release, which leaves us with one final Workbench update to come, that being images of the final frame sample full build in at least one of the three appealing schemes covered above. Will it come as a millionaire’s machine or sporting a bat’s head, only time will tell, but we can hardly wait. What is certain is that this beautiful new kit will make for an irresistible companion build for anyone who has one of our 1/48th scale Meteor models on display. 

 

 

V.P.

Edited by Homebee
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  • Bjorn changed the title to 1/48 De Havilland Vampire F.3 by Airfix - release early Autumn 2021
On 20/07/2021 at 22:53, PattheCat said:

Hello Bjorn,

I'd also like a FB5 either to make a Swedish J28 or a blue French Aeronavale bird. I don't know a thing concerning the Vampire so I'm asking myself if it's possible with this boxing? , Well, best is certainly to first carefully (re)read this topic.

Regards.

Pat

 

The sprue shots show all the bits to make an F.3, FB.5 and an FB.9, whether these get removed prior to release is anyone's guess.

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5 minutes ago, Wez said:

whether these get removed prior to release is anyone's guess.


I certainly hope not, that would be a bit mean and not normally something I’d associate with Airfix. I can understand a complete sprue, but not individual parts removed off the one sprue. Really looking forward to this. 
Cheers.. Dave 

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3 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said:


I certainly hope not, that would be a bit mean and not normally something I’d associate with Airfix. I can understand a complete sprue, but not individual parts removed off the one sprue. Really looking forward to this. 
Cheers.. Dave 

 

I agree Dave, it doesn't follow their usual practice and seems a bit parsimonious.

 

Looking forward to this kit, I can't choose what I'd do first, I'd have to see what parts come with the kit.

 

Look out for a rash of 112 Sqn Vampire FB.5's wearing the wrong colour shark mouth (infill should be black not red).

 

For those wanting to make an FB.5, it really pays to find a photo of the starboard side of the jet you want to do, some FB.5's have the extended intake fairing for the cold air unit originally developed for the tropicalised FB.9.

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12 hours ago, Wez said:

 

The sprue shots show all the bits to make an F.3, FB.5 and an FB.9, whether these get removed prior to release is anyone's guess.

 

12 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:


I certainly hope not, that would be a bit mean and not normally something I’d associate with Airfix. I can understand a complete sprue, but not individual parts removed off the one sprue. Really looking forward to this. 
Cheers.. Dave 

I would hope this one will be the same as the 1/48 Hurricane; the plastic is the same in the Mk.I, Mk.I Tropical and Sea Hurricane boxings, just the decals and instructions differ.

 

Andy

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Very pleased to see a RNoAF version, this is a must buy for me even if I've never found the Vampire attractive. Just need to correct the text a little bit, the RNoAF was founded in 1944, not after the wars end. :)

 

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A point of order.

The extended intake fairing that is often quoted as for the cold air unit is actually covering the inlet duct for the cockpit.

The cold air unit and its associated heat exchanger are sizable lumps that would not fit under such a bitty piece of aluminium 

Pedantic I know.

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On 8/16/2021 at 8:29 PM, Eivind Lunde said:

Very pleased to see a RNoAF version, this is a must buy for me even if I've never found the Vampire attractive. Just need to correct the text a little bit, the RNoAF was founded in 1944, not after the wars end. :)

 

Not exactly. The RNAF was founded in 1944. This changed to RNoAF in the mid 50's. Actually, the term RNAF had been used since the early 1940s, for the Royal Norwegian Air Forces (pluralis).

As for the Vampires, the stencils were in Norwegian lyrics. I doubt the Airfix kit has these correct, as the museum aircraft at Gardermoen has these incorrectly applied in English.

 

Nils

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2 hours ago, Vingtor said:

Not exactly. The RNAF was founded in 1944. This changed to RNoAF in the mid 50's. Actually, the term RNAF had been used since the early 1940s, for the Royal Norwegian Air Forces (pluralis).

As for the Vampires, the stencils were in Norwegian lyrics. I doubt the Airfix kit has these correct, as the museum aircraft at Gardermoen has these incorrectly applied in English.

 

Nils

I hope that one of the Scandinavian decal companies can put that right for us. ;)

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5 hours ago, SleeperService said:

I hope that one of the Scandinavian decal companies can put that right for us. ;)

I suppose that would have to be Vingtor for Norwegian markings  I guess 😆 .

As for Swedish (FB.5) markings, Moose Republic has that covered.

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1 hour ago, flarpen said:

I suppose that would have to be Vingtor for Norwegian markings  I guess 😆 .

As for Swedish (FB.5) markings, Moose Republic has that covered.

One of the first Vingtor sheets were for Norwegian Vampires, with the stencils in Norwegian language. Sold out long time ago. Maybe time for a reprint...?

 

Nils

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3 hours ago, Vingtor said:

One of the first Vingtor sheets were for Norwegian Vampires, with the stencils in Norwegian language. Sold out long time ago. Maybe time for a reprint...?

 

Nils

Sounds like that could be a good idea.

 

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On 8/18/2021 at 6:24 AM, flarpen said:

I suppose that would have to be Vingtor for Norwegian markings  I guess 😆 .

As for Swedish (FB.5) markings, Moose Republic has that covered.

 

Thanks for that I keep forgetting who specialises in what subject. With my Congo J29B looking hopefully at me I think Norwegian for the first Vampire. 

 

On 8/18/2021 at 8:23 AM, Vingtor said:

One of the first Vingtor sheets were for Norwegian Vampires, with the stencils in Norwegian language. Sold out long time ago. Maybe time for a reprint...?

 

Nils

 

On 8/18/2021 at 11:52 AM, flarpen said:

Sounds like that could be a good idea.

 

Yes, yes, and yes! A very good idea indeed. With the Pilot Replica's 2 seater in the pipeline it could be a very well-timed re-release.

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1 hour ago, SleeperService said:

With the Pilot Replica's 2 seater in the pipeline it could be a very well-timed re-release.

 

Which version will this be? Obviously the T.11 and/or derivatives. But which canopy and which fins?

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1 hour ago, Vingtor said:

 

Which version will this be? Obviously the T.11 and/or derivatives. But which canopy and which fins?

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According to their FB page this is what's coming. There MAY be alternatives planned but this is all I know about at present.

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