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PK-551 Ratch converts to a B.2


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Like many of us Ratch, I'm sure you were lured by the great Ray Rimmell when he modified the Matchbox Victor K.2 into a Blue Steel equipped B.2 back in a 1984 edition of Scale Models magazine. This will look great and if you don't have the article in question, let me know I'll scan you a copy in a day or two. 

Cheers, welcome aboard and best of luck.. Dave 

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No Dave. When I built this for the first time I read Ted Taylors review - it put me off so much the build stalled for a year (that's not me). I build for the fun of it, not the attention to detail that leads to Advanced Modelling Syndrome (AMS), the vegetative stage that requires endless research and corrections :innocent:

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Years ago I bought a conversion set which includes a revised fuselage/bomb bay insert, extended wingtips and a revised tail cone I think. Probably no problem with a new build but I have not yet started converting the tanker I built when it first came out as I am still thinking about how to fit the fuselage insert. Maybe one day!

 

Pete

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Looking forward to this getting underway. If you're lucky you might be able to find a spare set of Airfix Victor B2 wingtips from someone who built the K2, I don't know how well they'd graft onto a Matchbox kit though. And with the new Airfix Vulcan including the Victor's Blue Steel sprue, you could probably graft those parts onto this kit. 

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23 minutes ago, Adam Poultney said:

Looking forward to this getting underway. If you're lucky you might be able to find a spare set of Airfix Victor B2 wingtips from someone who built the K2, I don't know how well they'd graft onto a Matchbox kit though. And with the new Airfix Vulcan including the Victor's Blue Steel sprue, you could probably graft those parts onto this kit. 

Does the k2 comes with b2 wingtips?

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I'm looking at XL231 B.2R of No. 139 Squadron, RAF Wittering, August 1962. Can anyone give advice on uniforms? I know they won't be visible, but I like them to be painted in the right colours at least :innocent:

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Great project Ratch,I have Revell re-box in the cupboard a present from my mother in law shortly before she passed away been there

a few years if I could find someone doing FOD covers one day I'll build her just hate those horrible intakes!

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2 minutes ago, Ratch said:

Started cutting the carrots

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For a B2R? The Victors carrying Blue Steel without these were limited to only the ones involved in testing (such as XH674) and those were B2s, so you'd need to modify the APU intake and wing leading edge

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The only picture I have of XL231 doesn't have them. She was built as a B.2, converted to B.2R and later a K.2. Despite searching through the Warpaint book I cannot find a definitive "this is how she consisted" at any time, so I'm doing it as I think without getting into detailed minutia which sucks all the enjoyment of the build for me, and enjoyment it the biggest part. I dare say there are plenty of other errors in these mouldings that the purists would want to correct, but I can live with them. Ignorance is bliss.

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Nice one Ratch, I'll be following along, watching the bits flying off. A proper bit of converting.

I very much like the earlier versions for their smoother lines, which is the reason for taking such an interest in how you go about smoothing things out here.

These things can be a bit addictive. 

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I have put the office together and reinstated the Kuchemann Carrot (I had only cut one) because it was probably easier to do than the conversion.

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Edited by Ratch
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