1/48 Airfix Vampire

[Biggles87]

Looks good, actuating mechanisms as well, even better.

 

John   🇺🇦'

[Lord Riot]

Disappointingly it was still a tail sitter! I managed to get the seat out and inserted a couple of thin nails into the nose through the cockpit and with the seat then replaced it just about balances on its nosewheel now, thankfully. Bin averted!
 

 

 

[mark.au]

On 9/29/2022 at 11:34 PM, Lord Riot said:

Perhaps a thinner coat then wait and spray another thin coat would work better than one full coat? 

Definitely.  But it’s moot now, you’ve got a lovely paint job there.

[Graham T]

Nice job so far.  However I think you made the wrong choice between this & the Vulcan for the easier build - having built both I can state that the Vulcan is a FAR easier build!

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by Graham T

[Lord Riot]

Thanks @Graham T, and good to know about the Vulcan, I may be ready to start it after this then. Just need to get the painting right when it comes to such a big kit, I can’t afford to get any ridges between the camo patterns on those big Vulcan wings, so the Vampire was good practice. 

[stever219]

On 9/25/2022 at 6:26 PM, Lord Riot said:

I spoke too soon about how great the fit is! It may just be me cramming too much noseweight in of course, but I had to trim quite a bit off the rear cockpit bulkhead to get the nose section together. The wings fit fine, just the nose pod that was awkward.

 

It still needs some filler along the join line. 

 

 

 

Further to my last comment about the fit I've succumbed to temptation and my third Vampire and the first(?) FB. 9 has been let out of its box, kicking and screaming all the way, and is now being tortured into shape.  Without painting anything yet the instrument panel has been cemented into place in the upper fuselage half and the side panels, control column and bulkhead have been cemented to the floor: the bulkhead had its lower rear face thinned slightly and the rear edge of the cockpit floor has been chamfered slightly.  Dry fits with the nosewheel bay installed have shown a far better fit than the first two.  Later I'll see how things change once the throttle box and electrical box are installed.