LF Vulcan XL390 photos in camo scheme with Blue Steel

[Dave Swindell]

Hi All

 

Like a lot of you reading this no doubt, I've bought and started a new tool Airfix Vulcan.

Prior to starting it I had a browse through my Vulcan references and dug out all the Vulcan stuff I had in the stash, Net result I decided on building BMk2 XL390 from the Freightdog Gods of Sea and Fire decal sheet, based on a photo I (thought I'd) found in my references. Trouble is I'm now at the stage I need to think about which optional parts need adding, and despite frantic thumbing through the aforementioned references I can't find the photo.!

.

XL390 is depicted in gloss camo over white under surfaces, carrying a blue Blue Steel, and sporting D type roundels and the diamond shaped 617 Sqn badge. circa 1970.

I've convinced myself I found a photo of her airborne in this configuration, taken from slightly below and behind on the starboard side, but I've drawn a blank finding any photo's of her in camo with Blue Steel fit.

I'm confident she had at this time:-

Olympus 301's

No RWR on the fin tip

None of the Skybolt lumps and bumps

Under fuselage collision lights

Plain doppler panel behind the port undercarriage.

 

I think she had:-

Later Red Steer II radome (separate Airfix part, not the slightly more pointy Red Steer I moulded with the tail cone)

Fitted for but not with TFR i.e. refuelling probe & blanking plate (C08 & C05)

Towel rail on nose gear door (H24)

Single X-Band emitter under the tail (H16)

Early swept style UHF aerials (H19 & H20)

 

Unsure about:-

Emitter plate setup between engines:-

Freightdog show just one plate between the starboard engines (F35????) - a couple of low res photos taken before the diamond badge was applied appear to support this, at least the lack of blade aerial.

By 1974 she had two plates, the starboard one with the large blade aerial fitted (F36 & F37), also had later straight UHF aerials by then.

I'm erring towards the single plate setup, but would love to find the photo to confirm

 

Any help (especially with a pointer towards a photo!) gratefully received!

[Ossington 2]

NA3T Transport Photos. com has a pic of XL390, at Finningley, 1969, whilst with 617. 

[Dave Swindell]

13 hours ago, Ossington said:

NA3T Transport Photos. com has a pic of XL390, at Finningley, 1969, whilst with 617. 

 

https://www.na3t.org/images/photos/air/MIL23711.jpg

 

Thanks for that, I've got a colour lower resolution version of that photo, this was taken a year or two before I want to model her ahd she has the 617 vertical red lighning bolts used before the  change to the diamond badge. What I couldn't make out on the colour photo was the large blade aerial between the starboard engines which appears to be there on this better resolution B&W photo. So was the large blade aerial fitted when only one emitter plate was used, or is this indicative of  two emitter plates, port & starboard? @Adam Poultney?

 

[Adam Poultney]

Hi I'm out right now but I can give you all the info you will need tomorrow

[Dave Swindell]

3 hours ago, Adam Poultney said:

Hi I'm out right now but I can give you all the info you will need tomorrow

Cheers Adam, any help appreciated 🙂

 

[Adam Poultney]

Ok so, XL390.

This Vulcan was originally built as a freefall bomber with Olympus 201 engines. However, it was part of the batch of Vulcans (XL384-390) that was refitted c.1964 with Olympus 301s and Blue Steel.

 

I've found four photos identifiable as XL390 with Blue Steel in a Google search, two show the 1965 configuration and the other two I think are c.1968-1970.

1965

1965 2

C.1968-1970

C.1968-1970 2

 

First the things that are common between the two configurations:

Blue Steel

Olympus 301s

2 ECM plates (fitted in refit)

No Skybolt blisters (four on each wing need to be removed)

Early version of the Doppler radar, sand off the raised square where the tan trapezoid decal goes (which should be black not tan anyway).

Early UHF aerials 

Anti collision light covers

Looks like Red Steer Mk1 in the Blue Steel photos (definitely MK2 in later photos but it looks like Mk1 until the last blue steel photos I can find)

Aerial on the nose gear door was fitted

No RWR on the tailfin (so original fin cap)

No X Band jammer (you may be confusing the tail bumper with this, very easy to do)

 

1965:

No TFR mod, smooth nose with IFR probe. For this configuration you will need to modify the kit part for TFR mod with IFR. I would approach this by separating the TFR mod cap from the IFR, glueing on the cap and then blending it in and rescribing. 

In terms of paint, you'll want a gloss finish and soft edge camo (in this scale a very refined effect which I chose to exaggerate on my build). This Vulcan didn't have the squared edge around the radome, instead the green swept back further to avoid the radome entirely. 

 

c.1968-1970

The TFR has been fitted by this point, so you can use the kit part for that with no modifications.

For paint you will want a matt finish with hard edges, the green was now squared off around the radome as per the kit scheme of XM594. The Sqn insignia was the three red lightning bolts, similar to the pale ones used on white 617 Sqn Vulcans but smaller and oriented vertically. I don't think the diamond insignia was introduced until later.

 

 

[Dave Swindell]

Hi @Adam Poultney

Thanks for taking the time to reply, very useful to confirm the timeline for fitting the two ECM plates, and pointing out the tail bumper fairing, you were correct, I was fixating on looking for an Xband fairing and forgetting there was also a tail bumper fairing!

 

I'd really like to do the scheme in the Gods of Sea & Fire decal sheet with Blue Steel and the diamond 617 sqn badge @Colin @ Freightdog Models, I know it's a good while since this was released, but do you know where the reference for this came from?

This is some time between 1969 and 1974, I have a photo of her at St Mawgan in 74, in this time period the following changes were made

Blue steel to conventional bomb bay

Early to late style UHF aerials

Red Steer I to Red Steer II

Vertical Lightning bolts to diamond badge

 

I'll have another look through my references for a photo, I'm sure I've seen one 

[Colin @ Freightdog Models]

Hi Dave,

 

Really sorry but I can't remember which book I saw the picture, your mention of taken from below starboard side does ring a bell, just not sure where! Don't read too much into the aerial fit in the four views, they were all pretty much the same basic drawing but with different marking options (except the Blue Steel was correct for XL390).

 

Colin       

[Dave Swindell]

On 08/09/2021 at 14:22, Colin @ Freightdog Models said:

Hi Dave,

 

Really sorry but I can't remember which book I saw the picture, your mention of taken from below starboard side does ring a bell, just not sure where! Don't read too much into the aerial fit in the four views, they were all pretty much the same basic drawing but with different marking options (except the Blue Steel was correct for XL390).

 

Colin       

No worries Colin, I've found a few more  photo's of her still with Blue Steel and the vertical lightning flashes, so I'm continuing the build on that basis, if the badge change to the diamond did take place before blue steel was removed (nearly said dropped there !) it can't have been long after the photo's I have and only a short time before the switch to conventional bombs. If I find the photo I'll  go with the diamond, otherwise Ray at 26 is releasing a couple of vulcan sheets, one of which has the vertical flashes on.