Airfix 1/48 Sea Vixen FAW 1 XJ584.....the hard way

[gunpowder17]

Its been years since i did a work in progress , but i may need a little info along the way so here we go  Having got bored waiting for the alley cat conversion to become available again , i have decided to di it myself. I have an early and late FAW 2 built up so i want to add am FAW1 to the collection

First up i  filled the holes in the upper wings with plasticard. That went very well

 

Next up the cut outs behind the rocket launchers. I will fill these in later , i may plug mould parts.

 

Then remove the bulge around the coal hole hatch. Luckily the plastic is very thick here.

 

Now the bit that caused a lot of head scratching ,, The tail booms. I really was not sure how i was going to do this but in the end i just started chopping them up. Worked out ok actually!

 

Some sprue strengtheners were added , followed but the very basic shape in milliput.

 

Not bad for a days work. Amazing hbow much you can do if you just get on with it!   Lots of sanding to come but i feel the bulk of gthe work is done.

[Thom216]

Very nice! A little more 'elbow grease,' but it'll be all yours!

[perdu]

Sometimes the only way is your way, grasp the nettle

 

Your work so far looks great, watching and making notes.

 

👍

[gunpowder17]

Thanks Guys . Does anybody know if the seats were different on the FAW 1?

 

[perdu]

I dont think so, maybe ask in Cold War for advice

 

I dont expect to change the seats when I finish my Sea Vixen conversion

[gunpowder17]

Im going to have the navigators hatch closed anyway so that helps with the height of the seat

 

[bigbadbadge]

Great start and quick work. Looking good.

If you need any Decals for the FAW.1 I have the remains left, I built the HMS Centaur machine, I think there were 4bor 5 other options which will include serials etc, the roundels from the kit are used, I think, but your welcome to have the leftovers if you want to use. Let me know and I can dig them out and let you know what's there.

 

Chris

[gunpowder17]

That would be great , thank you

[bigbadbadge]

No worries,  pm me your details and I will dig them out and post off to you.

Chris

[heloman1]

Some interesting work going on here. Shame you couldn't obtain the conversion set!

 

Colin

[gunpowder17]

Booms are now sanded smooth and looking good , i will post some photos after priming. The bonus to using the kit parts is that the booms are not as heavy as the ones in the conversion , which are solid resin.  Im actually starting to think the FAW 1 looks nicer than the 2. Its a bit sleeker

[gunpowder17]

Lots of staring at photos , sanding , dremeling etc and they are done. I will fill the little divots left by my dremel slipping at a later date. I must say thr photos on the walkaround section here on BM have been the most helpful.

 

 

[Biggles87]

I have the Alley Cat set from the first time around but haven’t started it yet , so I’ll watch yours please.

 

John

[gunpowder17]

Thanks to BM member Bigbadbadge for sending me leftover decals my Sea Vixen now has its identity. I have a couple of picture requests if anyone can help

I need photos on the underside of the booms where the flaps go , this bit;

 

Ive never understood of the boom under the flap should be flush , recessed or what so any help there appreciated.

 

I also need a photo or picture of the indents behind the nose mounted mini rocket parts , this

 

Other than that , intakes , wheel wells and airbrake in. This will be the first Sea Vixen with the flaps down which will make a change , my other 2 have the flaps up.

 

[David H]

Always nice to see the Sea Vixen in the earlier iterations. Still hoping that Airfix someday plans to give us a decent Sea Vixen in 72 scale. A 48th scale FAW. 1 would be nice too!

 

-d-

[gunpowder17]

I seem to have unwittingly chosen one of the very first sea vixens i ever saw as a child, XJ584 was later converted to an FAW2 and then eventually went to the school of aircraft Handling at Culdrose. It was later put on display at Cornwall aeropark Helston , just inside the main gate along with another one or two. This was the first time i laid eyes on one and i was hooked the moment i saw it!

[Thom216]

1 hour ago, David H said:

Always nice to see the Sea Vixen in the earlier iterations. Still hoping that Airfix someday plans to give us a decent Sea Vixen in 72 scale. A 48th scale FAW. 1 would be nice too!

 

-d-

It's too bad they didn't do what Dragon/Cyber Hobby did with their 1/72, putting both FAW versions in the same kit.

[bigbadbadge]

Hi Andrew

 

Wow, great work on yhe booms.

Glad the decals are of use, it is great to hear your choice is a machine you saw as a youngster.

 

I can't help with the insides of the flaps/airbrake areas. I built mine flaps up. 

The areas behind are indented/recessed as a curved shape, presumably to allow the exhaust to escape from the rockets.

This is mine from quite a few years ago now so may be incorrect?  This was using the Alleycat front fuselage section.

 

 

 

Chris

[Rando]

Damn this is inspiring work. I myself am always looking for another conversion kit to make an F-8C, but they're so impossible to find that I've thought a few times about how I could possibly scratch the needed changes myself. Maybe some day I'll get brave and give it a shot like you are here!

[David H]

6 hours ago, Thom216 said:

It's too bad they didn't do what Dragon/Cyber Hobby did with their 1/72, putting both FAW versions in the same kit.

Agreed, but the Cyber Hobby Sea Vixen is not what i'd characterize as a World-Beater.

Edited April 8 by David H

[Adam Poultney]

On 08/04/2024 at 23:21, David H said:

Agreed, but the Cyber Hobby Sea Vixen is not what i'd characterize as a World-Beater.

The questionable shape has put me off buying one so far... I'm holding out for an Airfix release

[gunpowder17]

Indeed it is not good. The whole nose area is wrong. It just looks odd. As much as i like 1/48  , 1/72 would be better space wise.

[Ngantek]

You're doing God's work with this hard-mode conversion. Looks great so far.

 

EDIT: The area under the flaps is just lightly recessed to house the one-part 'loop' over the top I always thought they were slightly recessed, but looking again, the recessed bit increasingly looks to be an illusion created by dirt buildup. I have more pictures harvested off google, but not knowing the source, I probably shouldn't post. There are a good few of XP924 at airshows with everything down, and some in a dirtier state which helps highlight the detail.

 

https://www.facebook.com/aviationmt/photos/a.735829616779034/875862112775783/?paipv=0&eav=AfYHapVGjtJWRBvaybI7QKwjodTnK_IawkjuR9nf9QDwi27Uff7X7c32N2y52wdpJ0Q&_rdr

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1841452826216702&set=a.735829616779034

 

This one here, though (half way down the page) makes it seem flush.

https://vintageaviationecho.com/flying-the-sea-vixen/

 

Given it looks pretty flush when raised in all the photos, perhaps there's just a small recess?

 

Does the airfix leave a gap here? CH did the same despite having separate flaps, oddly (just as they have a poseable air brake but nothing to fill the hole it reveals)

 

Yeah the shortcomings of the CH one is a shame (not to mention frog and xtrakit). I don't think (😳) of myself as someone who fusses over the little stuff, and the (well Revell actually) buildups looked perfectly sea vixeny to me at first glance; but the more you look at it the worse it is, and the whole nose section just looks too 'not right' sitting there on the shelf now I've built it.

 

Andy

[Thom216]

12 hours ago, gunpowder17 said:

Indeed it is not good. The whole nose area is wrong. It just looks odd. As much as i like 1/48  , 1/72 would be better space wise.

There is a resin nose avalable to correct the profile. And as a little counterweight to the tail.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 11 by Thom216

[gunpowder17]

Its not just the nosecone its the whole nose is just wrong somehow