1/72 Airfix Avro Vulcan **NEW TOOL**

[Back in the Saddle]

19 hours ago, viper-30 said:

Excellent will be following this mine is delayed until the end of July .. so very much watching with anticipation.. my 1/49 version waiting in the wings .

It will be worth the wait! The 1/49 version sounds interesting…

 

19 hours ago, general melchett said:

I'm about to start my second Mike. If you didn't catch the pre-production model I built for AMW back in January, here it is again (apols if you've already seen it).

Thanks General! I’ll read your thread for pointers before getting stuck into this one.👍

 

19 hours ago, Fritag said:

Don’t see how anyone can have been a ‘plane mad kid in the 70’s and not love the Vulcan.  l’ll tag along too if I may, Matt.  Although how you’ll have space to display it given the 747’s etc. I don’t know 

You’re welcome Steve. I’m going to need a bigger shelf! 🦈

 

17 hours ago, 2996 Victor said:

Looking good!!! I'm collecting my example tomorrow - just need to find somewhere to hide it.....

Cheers Mark. It’s a tricky one to hide…! 😂

 

14 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

Wow, thanks for the great photos of the parts.

You’re welcome - there will be more once I get started.👍

14 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

Looking forward to your build!   

Thank you!

 

4 hours ago, Adam Poultney said:

Following this. Mine arrived this morning, expect a thread up from me later today.

I’ll look forward to that - you can keep me right when I get going on mine😁

 

4 hours ago, Dr. Quack said:

Looking superb.....I'll be watching with Mother, er interest.

Thank you! 👍

 

Still hoping to get stuck into this on Sunday evening, so hopefully some progress photos soon(ish!)

[Adam Poultney]

6 minutes ago, Back in the Saddle said:

I’ll look forward to that - you can keep me right when I get going on mine😁

 

I've just remembered, if you're building this in a box scheme you may need to make modifications to the underwing blisters. XM594 has only got the Skybolt coolant blister, no mounting blisters, but XM602 had a full set of blisters.

The coolant blister is the small dome shaped one in front of the twin blisters.

 

I think I'm enjoying this release too much 😂 too much time worrying about other people's Skybolt blisters and not enough time starting on my own.... actually probably a bad idea with the hangover I have today 😬

[Adam Poultney]

1 minute ago, Beermonster1958 said:

I haven't pre ordered either.
 Don't really understand all the rush and frenzy!!

It's only a kit and,will likely be around as long as its 1983 counterpart!! 😉😂.

I cannot afford it anyway but, my wonderful partner has promised to put "a couple" (her words) on her Crimbo list!!

I better buy her something extra nice......! 😉🤔😊

 

John

Well for me I'm going to uni in September and it will be pretty hard to build Vulcans there, I intend to build 2 this summer alongside my enormous Lancaster.

[PhantomBigStu]

Wonder how many wallets are going to be hurt by this thread? Watching along anyway

[Head in the clouds.]

I have snook onboard inside the bomb bay for this build, I intend to get one so will give me an insight.

[general melchett]

Quote

Thanks General! I’ll read your thread for pointers before getting stuck into this one.

 

 

No problem Matt, ask away.

 

Quote

if you're building this in a box scheme you may need to make modifications to the underwing blisters. XM594 has only got the Skybolt coolant blister, no mounting blisters, but XM602 had a full set of blisters.

This is true, the main reason we went for XM602 was because it carried the full suite of Skybolt features, had the early smooth nose, (no probe or TFR thimble) and was fitted with 301 engines. XM594 was a little unusual in that, as Adam pointed out, it had only the small coolant blister fitted, nine aircraft were configured this way.  Another small point, if you're intending on building a 201 powered Aircraft, is to remove the four small anti-icing fairings and exhausts on either side of the underside (see below on the 3D prototype) as only the 301 powered aircraft had them fitted, due to its increased service ceiling. It was quite a game finding out which airframes had what fitted, luckily Craig Bulman's excellent 'The Vulcan B.Mk2 from a Different Angle' bible came to the rescue. A must have' for anyone building a Vulcan. I was lucky enough to be given a copy soon after it was published, way back in 2001.

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Andy

 

 

 

 

 

[Adam Poultney]

12 minutes ago, general melchett said:

This is true, the main reason we went for XM602 was because it carried the full suite of Skybolt features, had the early smooth nose, (no probe or TFR thimble) and was fitted with 301 engines. 

 

Interesting, it makes a lot of sense since the kit wouldn't require you to remove blisters and things; leave that to us Vulcan nutters. 

The whole batch from XM597 to XM612 had full Skybolt blisters though, and few didn't have the IFR probe, such as XM601 of 9 Sqn which was photographed with XM602, 603 and 604. 

Do you know if any further images of XM602 were used as reference beyond the ones from that four aircraft lineup? Struggling to find any if I choose to do that Vulcan for my build (unlikely because I kind of want a 9 Sqn one or XH557).

16 minutes ago, general melchett said:

'The Vulcan B.Mk2 from a Different Angle' bible came to the rescue.

I second this recommendation! It's just amazing. I have two copies: first and second editions. It's worth having both as they have different photographs in them and the second edition has a lot more info with a few corrections (such as the odd error in the first edition where he states XH554 may have had the narrow intakes refitted to standard wide ones, pg4).

 

[Alan P]

Certainly looks nicer than the old one, even though you did a bang-up job with that. 

 

Still don't like the look of those intakes though, the design looks similar to the original, and they were just horrible! 

[Adam Poultney]

1 minute ago, Alan P said:

 

 

Still don't like the look of those intakes though, the design looks similar to the original, and they were just horrible! 

Honestly I like them, they look easier than the old ones to turn into B1/early B2 intakes.

[Alan P]

11 hours ago, Adam Poultney said:

Honestly I like them, they look easier than the old ones to turn into B1/early B2 intakes.

Fair enough, but from the modelling point of view the upper and lower halves design was a real struggle to achieve a smooth result 😕

[SallysDad]

This will be a treat. 

Mine are on the way, I'm told..... yes, I preordered 2...... I am so neurotic.... got to meditate.

[Pappy]

G'day all,

 

A question for the Vulcan experten (with apologies to Matt for butting into his thread) 

 

Can I build one of the Black Buck Vulcans from this box version?

 

Apart from decals and perhaps some Shrike missiles are all the other bits included for a Falklands fit RR Olympus 301 powered Vulcan. Apart from the 301 engines and he AAR system probe, were there any other external distinguishing features e.g ECM fit that would be needed and are these items present (but perhaps not referred to) but not used for the supplied kit subjects? 

 

I am sure that I am not the only one that wants to know,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

Edited July 3, 2021 by Pappy

[k5054nz]

18 hours ago, Adam Poultney said:

It's at Newark Air Museum, you can get right around it and up close underneath. It's supposed to be having some new paintwork done at some point soon iirc

Sorry Adam, I wasn't seriously asking, I was making fun of the markings instructions as they put that info on there twice! Good luck to them on the repaint as that must be a massive job.

[tomprobert]

I’ve just treated myself to this kit this very morning - my local model shop only had a couple left after receiving a batch on Thursday - seems to be selling like the proverbial hot cake. 
 

I have had a nosy in the box and it looks gorgeous - I’ll be following your progress as you’ll be a few steps ahead of me I imagine... I must not start another model... I must not start another model... I must not start another model...

 

Tom

[general melchett]

Also sorry to butt in Matt but just to quickly answer a couple of things. 

 

Quote

Fair enough, but from the modelling point of view the upper and lower halves design was a real struggle to achieve a smooth result 

 

I agree Al, not my favorite way of doing them either, instead of two seams you now have three to deal with. Then again the fit is far better and some filler and elbow grease gets the job done, I used homemade 'sprue-goo' and a piece of wet'n'dry wrapped around a brush handle, did the trick. The separate single-piece central airflow divider is handy though (even if there are yet more seams to deal with). 

 

 

 

Quote

Can I build one of the Black Buck Vulcans from this box version?

 

You can pappy, as you say you'd need an AGM-45 Shrike and Dash 10 (AN/ALQ-101D jammer pod, borrowed from Honington's Buccaneers) plus their respective pylons. Other than that the ECM fit was the same as that used for the free-fall bombers. The Dash 10s were needed due to the standard Red Shrimp S-Band jammer system (two small domes fitted to the counterpoise panel that ran between the starboard engine fairings) being designed to deal with Soviet weapons whereas the Argentinians used western supplied equipment thought to be capable of defeating it. The Red Shrimps were retained but not used. You've got four aircraft to choose from XM607, XM612, XM597 and XM598 (all Skybolt aircraft so other than the Shrikes, Dash 10 and pylons the decals are the only things needed). The appropriate ARI18228 RWR rectangular fin cap fairing is also provided to replace the original smooth one. Who knows what could be released in the future... 

 

Anyway, back to Matt's build, look forward to progress.

[Back in the Saddle]

21 hours ago, general melchett said:

No problem Matt, ask away.

Thank you! 👍

 

19 hours ago, Alan P said:

Certainly looks nicer than the old one, even though you did a bang-up job with that. 

 

Still don't like the look of those intakes though, the design looks similar to the original, and they were just horrible! 

Thanks Alan. Getting the intakes smooth on the new tool looks like it might be a similar challenge to the older kit…

 

17 hours ago, SallysDad said:

This will be a treat. 

I hope so - looking forward to reporting some progress tomorrow when I get home again!

 

13 hours ago, Pappy said:

A question for the Vulcan experten (with apologies to Matt for butting into his thread) 

No need to apologise - the more input we get from the Vulcan experts the better! It all helps produce a better result in the end. 👍

 

6 hours ago, tomprobert said:

I’ve just treated myself to this kit this very morning - my local model shop only had a couple left after receiving a batch on Thursday - seems to be selling like the proverbial hot cake. 
 

I have had a nosy in the box and it looks gorgeous - I’ll be following your progress as you’ll be a few steps ahead of me I imagine... I must not start another model... I must not start another model... I must not start another model...

I’m impressed they had some left! 😁

I will try to keep ahead of you (but maybe behind @Adam Poultney!😂)

 

6 hours ago, tomprobert said:

I must not start another model... I must not start another model... I must not start another model...

I know that feeling! Last one for now, for my sanity!😂

 

1 hour ago, general melchett said:

Also sorry to butt in Matt but just to quickly answer a couple of things. 

General, interject as much as you like - I think we will all welcome your insights. 👍

[Terry1954]

1 hour ago, general melchett said:

I used homemade 'sprue-goo'

 

Sounds like something Baldrick may have had a hand in!

 

How exciting to have a few Vulcan threads on the go. It's like Christmas!

 

Terry

 

 

[Back in the Saddle]

On 03/07/2021 at 19:21, Terry1954 said:

How exciting to have a few Vulcan threads on the go. It's like Christmas!

It is a bit! 🎅

 

To hopefully avoid replicating anything in @Adam Poultney's thread, I am going to concentrate on how well (or not!) the kit goes together, rather than the specifics of individual aircraft. Essentially I will build this OOB and honestly evaluate it as I go. Talking of which, I would like to start by correcting one comment I made earlier about the size of the box. Whilst large, I now don't think it is oversized - there is a *lot* of plastic in this kit. Sorry Airfix, I was too harsh - the box is a sensible size for this kit.

 

Anyway, time to finally get started.  I cut out the parts for the cockpit:

 

 

Initial observations are that the parts are beautifully crisp and the ejection marks are sensibly placed - on the picture above, you can see there are some on the rear of the instrument panel and on the non-visible section of the side panels. If you flip the bulkhead over or the cockpit floor, you can again see these marks but they will be hidden when built. Nice work Airfix, somebody gave this some thought when planning the sprue layout.👍

 

I clamped the first three pieces together and attached the control yokes to the IP:

 

 

I will let these dry before attempting any more building - the instructions below show the next steps:

 

 

Another bonus point to Airfix - the painting instructions for the seats are very clear and detailed. Much better than some other kits I've built...

 

Tomorrow will see some more work on the cockpit. Thanks for tagging along! 

[Adam Poultney]

Hmmm yours if obviously from a better batch than my second one, one of the parts that build up the sides of the entrance was warped and the floor had scratches all over part of it, nothing I couldn't easily fix though.

 

[Retired Bob]

On 03/07/2021 at 12:33, tomprobert said:

I must not start another model... I must not start another model... I must not start another model...

I was thinking exactly the same thing this morning.....but this afternoon (Sunday) As the skies darkened with the forthcoming thunderstorm I decided to have a little test fit of parts.  One thing led to another and my cockpit is now ready for spraying and the bomb bay/wing framework is all assembled.  That was all I intended to do, let it harden up for a day or two.... but, now the lower wings are joined with the Blue Steel panel and my intakes are curing with a generous application of sprue gloo like the general recommended.  Some things are just inevitable. 

Edited July 4, 2021 by Retired Bob
missing word

[Pappy]

On 7/4/2021 at 2:58 AM, general melchett said:

Also sorry to butt in Matt but just to quickly answer a couple of things. 

 

 

I agree Al, not my favorite way of doing them either, instead of two seams you now have three to deal with. Then again the fit is far better and some filler and elbow grease gets the job done, I used homemade 'sprue-goo' and a piece of wet'n'dry wrapped around a brush handle, did the trick. The separate single-piece central airflow divider is handy though (even if there are yet more seams to deal with). 

 

 

 

 

You can pappy, as you say you'd need an AGM-45 Shrike and Dash 10 (AN/ALQ-101D jammer pod, borrowed from Honington's Buccaneers) plus their respective pylons. Other than that the ECM fit was the same as that used for the free-fall bombers. The Dash 10s were needed due to the standard Red Shrimp S-Band jammer system (two small domes fitted to the counterpoise panel that ran between the starboard engine fairings) being designed to deal with Soviet weapons whereas the Argentinians used western supplied equipment thought to be capable of defeating it. The Red Shrimps were retained but not used. You've got four aircraft to choose from XM607, XM612, XM597 and XM598 (all Skybolt aircraft so other than the Shrikes, Dash 10 and pylons the decals are the only things needed). The appropriate ARI18228 RWR rectangular fin cap fairing is also provided to replace the original smooth one. Who knows what could be released in the future... 

 

Anyway, back to Matt's build, look forward to progress.

 

 

Thanks Matt, Thanks Andy,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

[At Sea]

Regarding the intakes the way I have done it on my Victor (which has a similar assembly) was to pre paint the parts in Halfords White Primer, 

I then assembles using Tamiya extra thin, the glue that squidges out of the join mixes with the paint and hides the joints pretty well.

Using the same technique on the Airfix Phantom resulted  in no sanding or extra work required at all. 

[philp]

I have a set of the Wolfpack seamless intakes that I was going to use on my old kit.  Anyone had a look to see if they would work in the new one?

[Adam Poultney]

Just now, philp said:

I have a set of the Wolfpack seamless intakes that I was going to use on my old kit.  Anyone had a look to see if they would work in the new one?

Not a chance. The old intake inserts didn't go all the way to the lip, part of the intakes was moulded to the wings. The new intakes go all the way to the lip.

[Back in the Saddle]

22 hours ago, Adam Poultney said:

Hmmm yours if obviously from a better batch than my second one, one of the parts that build up the sides of the entrance was warped and the floor had scratches all over part of it, nothing I couldn't easily fix though.

Hi Adam. Sorry to hear that... My kit was in immaculate condition when it arrived - very well produced and packaged.👍

 

Work on the cockpit continues. The centre console and rudder pedals were glued into place, followed by the front bulkhead. With hindsight I should have used this piece as a jig to hold the side walls in place, to ensure accurate alignment... 

 

 

I then cut out the pieces for the seats and side panels. As before, the ejection pin marks are located in the perfect position! Each pilot seat comes in two halves, with a third 'cushion and straps' insert to add once the main frame is built. The seats for the crew members sat in the back are each made up from two pieces. The two outboard seats are identical and the inner one is a completely difference design. I will dig out some photos later, taken when I visited XL426 at Southend - they might be a useful reference. Here are the next bits that will be used:

 

 

The sprue attachment on the two seats at the bottom was a little thicker than the others, but easily removed with a sharp knife. Tomorrow will hopefully see some painting take place.