stu360 Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 Good Morning fellow modellers!! So... I want build a 1/72 Victor K2. I'm aware Airfix released this but it now seems quite hard to track down!! This leaves the Revell/Matchbox option which seems widely available and a third of the price!! I'm tempted to get one, my question is... are they that bad? Or how easy would it be to convert Airfix B2? I'm not to picky about it being 100% correct as long as it looks like a victor. I want to build it in hemp colour to break up the green/grey on my 1/72 cold War shelf. I would probably look to scratch build the refuelling pods etc... has anyone done this is it relatively easy? Thinking of using some 1/72 bombs as a starting point. Decide on this then find myself drawn back to revell/Matchbox option!! 😃 Thoughts please folks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canberraman Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 Stu I you intend to build a hemp/light aircraft grey aircraft then you are limited to the K.2 variant. The B.2 was only ever in overall white or camo. There is quite significant surgery required to make a B.2 from the Matchbox/Revell kit as it needs extended wing tips and the fuselage HDU fairing over and a bomb bay to be installed. So to summarise, a reasonable K.2 can be built from the Matchbox kit but, for a B.2 I would definitely recommend the far superior Airfix offering. Mark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Des Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 If your goal is a K.2 from the Matchbox/Revell kit then it does look the part if that is the end result you are seeking although the engine air intakes needed a little care when the kit was new and it might be that fit has got a little bit worse as the moulds have aged. B.2 to K.2 would require that the wings were a little shorter (scale 18" from each side) , a centreline HDU 'bump' at the rear of the weapons bay would be required in addition to the pods on the wings (although possibly there might be resin replacements available for those) , no ECM bumps on the tail cone and depending which aircraft/when is being modelled the bomb aimers panels in the nose might have been skinned over and the aerial fit might be worth checking as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Poultney Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 B2 kit cannot build a K2. If you find someone who has built the SR2 you will probably be able to get all but two of the bits you need from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Lime Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 Given how vastly superior the Airfix kit is compared to the Matchbox/Revell, I'd hang fire and wait until they've made their 2023 range announcement. You never know, the K2 version may be in the line-up. I'm keeping my fingers crossed coz I missed out on the K2 last time and am not prepared to pay the eye-watering prices for the vanishingly scarce ones that come up for sale now and then. Mark. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerotechi Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 I have made the revell K2 and the only area that was a bit of a pain from memory was where the vertical stab joined the horz stab and needed quite a bit of filler. I have another Revell K2 in the stash I thought of converting to a B2 but will likely make it as a black buck refueller. (It cant be that bad if I got another to build) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectroSoldier Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 (edited) The Revell kit has raised panel lines and some rather ugly air intakes. You would find a rescribe and flightpath air intakes a lit easier than converting the current Airfix kit. Though I would wait for Airfix to rerelease theirs, its a far superior kit... However the Revell kit is fun if you like that kind of work. Its not THAT bad. No. And it does look the part when its built. Edited December 21, 2022 by ElectroSoldier 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 I would like the Revell/Matchbox Victor if it wasn’t for my personal bugbear, raised panel lines. If you don’t mind those, or you can sand them and rescribe, then it certainly looks like a Victor, though given the kit’s age it’s not up to the Airfix standards. Would still look good on the shelf though. I’m sure someone far more skilled than me has managed to turn one into a B.2, but it doesn’t look like it’d be easy to do accurately. I’m waiting for Airfix to re-release their K.2 as eBay prices for it are unrealistic currently. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianfuxia Posted December 27, 2022 Share Posted December 27, 2022 I made the Matchbox/Revell Victor in last year's Christmas Blitzbuild. I'm not showing the pics because in my haste I misread the instructions and reversed the grey and green. But you know what? I punched that thing out OOB and it "looks like a Victor". You can't notice the panel lines from a foot away. So if you just want a Victor it's a good option. It's also massive and I don't have anywhere to display it - one reason I haven't gone back to fix the paint mess-up! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted December 27, 2022 Share Posted December 27, 2022 (edited) G'day Stu, I agree that the Airfix K2 boxing is a better detailed kit and crisper in general but the Matchbox (MB) kit is a good shape, includes the HDU and external refuel pods. The Revell re-box also includes Cartograph printed decals and supplies the Hemp scheme. The areas where the kit falls a little short is in the finer details like the undercarriage and cockpit. I have both kits and despite having greater detail and the addition of PE etc, the cockpit interior is mostly invisible! As Electrosoldier (ES) mentioned the MB kit has two big drawbacks, one is that all the panel line detail is represented as fine raised lines. You may not be put-off by this and may even decide to use these as a scribing guide. Or you could juts ignore it. The second issue is the fit. The kit goes together very well for the most part but as ES also mentioned, the intakes have their guide vanes moulded integrally with each wing half, which results in a truly awful seam that goes through the middle of each vane. The easy option here is to fit some intake blanks. These are simple shapes and could be made from some plastic sheet very easily. Airfix was very clever in this area and designed the vanes as separate items with drop into place after the intake duct is assembled making for a much neater join. Flightpath make a set of one piece resin intake plugs but this involves major surgery, requiring you to cut the corresponding section out of each kit wing assembly, install the resin inserts, then sand and fill the resultant seams. The Flightpath PE set will go a long way to improving the detail level of the MB kit, cockpit, undercarriage and speed brakes but when you add the cost of the PE set resin intakes you are now approaching or surpassing the cost of the Airfix kit, plus all the extra work and complexity of folding brass and using different media (styrene, resin and brass) which makes for a longer and more comlex build. Before the Airfix kit became available, this was the path chosen by 'serious' builders. In summary you get what you pay for, the MB kit is an accurate shape but lacks recessed panel lines, but it looks the part when completed and as you say significantly cheaper than the Airfix offering (when available). Airfix has better detail and generally fits better but costs a lot more. Cleaning up the MB intake seams will be your biggest hurdle, it is annoying and tedious but can be done. Adding intake blanks would make life much easier. If you just want a shelf sitter as opposed to a comp table entry, it is not a bad option and as long as you don't suffer from AMS, it could be a cheap, fun and quick build. The Airfix kit offers better detail and more complex engineering which makes for an easier build in this respect and that is reflected in the price. Head on over to the Scalemates review site, there should be some scans of the instructions from each kit which may help you decide, cheers, Pappy Edited December 27, 2022 by Pappy 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Thompson Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 All you need to know about building the Matchbox kit, along with a reason why the panel lines on the wings have to go, by the late Ted Taylor: http://tedtaylor.hobbyvista.com/11-revell-victor/page-11.html Paul. 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectroSoldier Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 4 hours ago, Paul Thompson said: All you need to know about building the Matchbox kit, along with a reason why the panel lines on the wings have to go, by the late Ted Taylor: http://tedtaylor.hobbyvista.com/11-revell-victor/page-11.html Paul. Well there you go, cant argue with a physical object that looks as good as that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever219 Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 4 hours ago, Paul Thompson said: All you need to know about building the Matchbox kit, along with a reason why the panel lines on the wings have to go, by the late Ted Taylor: http://tedtaylor.hobbyvista.com/11-revell-victor/page-11.html Paul. I've just read Ted Taylor's build log and I think he's missed one trick, partly because the designers at Matchbox did: the Victor's windscreen panels are flat rather than curved. Matchbox give you beautifully streamlined curved Dan Dare rocket-ship panels rather than Handley Pages simpler and (probably) optically better flat panes. Had Matchbox "got it right" the Flightpath brass overlays would, hopefully, have fitted better and saved many modellers a bit of work. Ted's models definitely look the part and show what can be done with a lut that's regarded as a bit of a sow's ear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu360 Posted December 28, 2022 Author Share Posted December 28, 2022 Well that's it then..... ordered the Revell kit from ebay!! Wish me luck 🙃 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meindert Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 Searching for the Airfix Victor kit is worth it.... It may be interesting to read a comparison of the 1/72 old Matchbox (*Revell) Victor with the Airfix Victor at the IPMS.Nl page here: https://ipms.nl/artikelen/recensies/vliegtuigen-militair/airfix-hp-victor-engels Have a great new (modelling) year 🧑🎄 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectroSoldier Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 Ive got both the Airfix Victor kits and never actually opened either of them. Does the K2 kit mirror the B2 kit with additional parts? Wasnt there a reccon version of the Victor like the Valiant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Des Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 33 minutes ago, ElectroSoldier said: Does the K2 kit mirror the B2 kit with additional parts? Wasnt there a reccon version of the Victor like the Valiant? The kit is boxed as the K.2/SR.2 ( SR.2 was the reconnaissance variant) and seems to contain the B.2 parts but without Blue Steel and has additional sprues for the revised shorter wingtips of the K.2 along with HDUs , additional weapons bay tanks , some smaller variant related detail parts , Camera Crate for the SR.2 and decals for both types. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectroSoldier Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 So the K2 kit has internal details of the bomb bay then? Did the Victor ever carry any bombs other than the Blue steel missile? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Des Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 1 hour ago, ElectroSoldier said: So the K2 kit has internal details of the bomb bay then? Did the Victor ever carry any bombs other than the Blue steel missile? It can be finished with doors open and Camera Crate etc. displayed so there will be some internal detail. The Victor was initially designed to carry free-fall nuclear weapons such as 'Blue Danube' and 'Yellow Sun' with 'Blue Steel' coming along later for the B.2 but it also had a conventional capability and with the B.1 during the Indonesian Confrontation dropped the maximum load of 36 1,000lb free-fall bombs in anger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichG Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 (edited) On 12/21/2022 at 9:40 PM, Lord Riot said: I would like the Revell/Matchbox Victor if it wasn’t for my personal bugbear, raised panel lines. There's an irony here in that most Matchbox designed kits of this era were infamous for their engraved panel lines (in contrast to rival Airfix's raised lines); these being of the "trench" variety. In some of their later offerings they switched to raised lines. For the Victor kit for some reason* the wing surfaces have 2 parallel raised lines - almost as if Matchbox couldn't quite kick their "trench habit" saying "if we had engraved it, the panel lines would be this wide...." 🤣 Rich * I suspect the kit designer chose to replicate the edges of each panel rather than just represent the gap between panels - but it gives a guide for rescribing down the middle. Edited December 31, 2022 by RichG 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Lumb Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 On 21/12/2022 at 10:03, stu360 said: Good Morning fellow modellers!! So... I want build a 1/72 Victor K2. I'm aware Airfix released this but it now seems quite hard to track down!! This leaves the Revell/Matchbox option which seems widely available and a third of the price!! I'm tempted to get one, my question is... are they that bad? Or how easy would it be to convert Airfix B2? I'm not to picky about it being 100% correct as long as it looks like a victor. I want to build it in hemp colour to break up the green/grey on my 1/72 cold War shelf. I would probably look to scratch build the refuelling pods etc... has anyone done this is it relatively easy? Thinking of using some 1/72 bombs as a starting point. Decide on this then find myself drawn back to revell/Matchbox option!! 😃 Thoughts please folks!! Hi Stu I have a matchbox victor which I will be converting to a b1, are you set on having a k2? Reason being is I have the Freightdog Victor B2 conversion set and I only needed the bombbay doors, so I have a set of wing tips for a b2 and the ketchim carrot tail cone. ( sorry if I got ketchem carrots wrong im not 100% certain on the spelling) either way I don't need the b2 wing tips and that tail cone plus I even have some engine intake fod guards as well from the Flightpath b1 conversion along with a b2 cockpit canopy which is photo etched. I can take a closer look tonight and see what else the b2/k2 has in the set and conversion sets if you want them you can have them because they will just be thrown into a box and more than likely sit in the loft for years and then forgotten. Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hook Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 55 minutes ago, Ryan Lumb said: im not 100% certain on the spelling Küchemann carrots. Cheers, Andre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanoXX Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Does the Airfix K2 kit have the refuelling baskets ? It looks like the Revell one does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Lumb Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Airfix does have a limited time offer on for the v-force bundle. It's just shy of 150 but if you are a Airfix club member you can get it down to 139.94 for all 3 v bombers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectroSoldier Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 17 hours ago, DeanoXX said: Does the Airfix K2 kit have the refuelling baskets ? It looks like the Revell one does. 17 hours ago, DeanoXX said: Does the Airfix K2 kit have the refuelling baskets ? It looks like the Revell one does. It does have them in the Revell kit but they are a very basic affair. I remember using them but I cut them up and used some wire to make them look half decent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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