Vautour IIN

[Jabba]

    This will be my entry for this GB. This is for the IPMS Farnborough display at Telford this year, in that we are paying memory to a very valued club member who died recently and had connections to certain areas of the world and several different agencies. There is also a etch metal sheet and the decals I will show when I evetually open up the bag. I do understand that some people may not be happy with my choice, and if so I am happy to withdraw from the GB. 

 

The box art.

 

 

What's inside the box.

 

The contents.

 

The resin parts.

 

The instructions.

[modelling minion]

Welcome to the GB Mark and with a wonderful choice of aircraft, the Vautour is a great looker. 

1 hour ago, Jabba said:

I do understand that some people may not be happy with my choice, and if so I am happy to withdraw from the GB.

No you won't! It has been stated on here many times that this is a politics free zone and rightly so, people can choose to build subjects from certain countries or not ( I personally stopped building anything in Russian markings after they invaded Ukraine) but we DO NOT impose our views on others build choices.

I am very interested to see how she turns out as it is a kit I have considered myself before now, and who knows it might even tempt you to build other subjects not connected to a certain conflict in 1991!  

 

[81-er]

Welcome, Mark, it's always good to have you joining us  As Craig has already said, we don't judge people on what flag they stick on an aircraft here, especially as this build clearly has a very personal connection to you & the club in honouring a fallen member. 

 

James

[Jabba]

Thank you both for what you have said. I do understand Britmodellers political policy, but with the world how it is these days I thought that I would ask. @modelling minion I do often use GBs so that I can show that I am a one trick pony, with making either models from the 1991 conflict that are out of my comfort zone of 1/72nd aircraft, something completely diffferent (as monty python would say) or something that SWMBO has chosen for me to make for her.

[Dennis_C]

Nice choice and I will support you with another Israeli Vautour - so you will not be alone to withdraw (just in case). I'll be making a B version so now we need someone with a third Vautour A variant  

Edited August 3 by Dennis_C

[hakkikt]

I have heard good and bad things about this kit, and an Israeli Vautour is something I'd like to build sometime, so I'll watch with interest!🙂

[Jabba]

  Work on this one has been on the slow side, what with other builds and as @Dennis_C has said this kit is not like the more up to date ones such as the Viggen, Mirages F1 and III. Anyhow I have got the cockpit built up, plus the seats but these have not been painted the funky Green colour yet. I have also started on one of the engines, the white blocks at the rear should have been there from the start as they are where (hopefully) the exhaust will fit. It is strange that these blocks are on the other engine (which I should have started first to see where the exhaust fits). Hopefully I will get the cockpit fitted into the fuselage soon, whilst starting on the nose U/C.

 

 

[modelling minion]

Off to a good start Mark. 👍

[81-er]

Nice to see this one is underway

 

James

[Jabba]

    This one almost got binned last night. Firstly when fitting the cockpit/fwd landing gear bay, the side consoles tried to fall out of position several times. I also did a trial fit of the ejection seats, with the fuselage held together. The front will fit after the fuselage is glued together, but the back one will not. So these now have to be painted and fitted before I glue the fuselage together. Then even worse whilst removing the other resin engine intake, he circular piece just departed for not reason at all. Having found that I somehow turned the piece and then cut on the wrong side of the intake plate. Having found that I was able to glue both parts back together as can be seen in the latter photo. I do not often bin a model I do try to give them the benefit of the doubt, but thinking back I think that the last kit that went that way was a Special Hobby kit like this.

 

 

[modelling minion]

I'm really sorry to hear how much this one is fighting you Mark, it really sucks all the fun out of a build doesn't it. I hope that you find the will to carry on with her as the Vautour is such a great looking aircraft.

[Jabba]

Even more so as I have lost one of the torque links for the fwd U/C leg.

[81-er]

That's really making you work for it, Mark. Hopefully things improve from here

 

James

[Dennis_C]

18 hours ago, Jabba said:

Firstly when fitting the cockpit/fwd landing gear bay, the side consoles tried to fall out of position several times

That bit is nasty indeed. As I first glued consoles in place - it turned out the fuselage will not close. You need to attach consoles.at an angle both vertically and horizontally as the fuselage gets narrower closer to the top and forward. So I had to break apart, sand a bit and glue again. Instrument panel is a horrible piece of plastic too but luckily there is a full scale photoetch panel. Seats assembly is total mystery too so I had to study photoes to understand how that should look like (and what ejection seat it is!)

[Jabba]

I think that it was more of my ham fisted handling of the parts when I went to fit them to the fuselage, as there is not much holding them in place. As for the ejection seat I do not think that I have seen anuthing like it. It must have been one of those in house seats.

[Jabba]

I have been working on the engines and the multi part nose U/C leg. One billy bonus, I actually found the torque link that I lost the other night. This has been placed in the bag of other resin parts, but how safe it will be I do not know? Hopefully I will get the U/C leg fitted so that I can then get the fuselage together.

 

 

[modelling minion]

Good to see you still plugging away at this one Mark, and very good to see the missing torque link turned up.

[RidgeRunner]

A nice aircraft type choice, mate :). 

[Jabba]

  Finally I have got the seats painted and fitted into the cockpit, plus the nose U/C. I think that I need to fit the instrument panel before I close up the fuselage. I have also fitted the inner wings to the rest of those parts. It is strange that the wings are made as one apart from those inner sections. I have also been sanding the engines. I am pondering as to whether to fit these to the wings before I fit the wings or after fitment.

 

 

[modelling minion]

More good progress Mark, I would think that fitting the engines to the wings first would be the way to go so as to deal with any seams, though it might make getting to any joints on the undersurface of the wings more tricky. 

[Jabba]

I did a trial fit last night and slightly struggled to get the engines and the wings aligned. So as you say @modelling minion I do think that this is a better option. Also trialing a fit of one of the wings last night there appeare to be more room to deal woth any seams on the under wings.

[81-er]

I think you've got the build order sorted there, Mark, especially if the engines have prooved tricky to align with the dry fit

 

James

[Jabba]

Engines now fitted to the wings. Last night I was hoping the get the fuselage together after fitting the instrument panel, but no. The instrument panel did not want to fit straight away. So I found the the central bit that hung down was hitting the control column, so that was removed. But this still did not make it fit. So after removing the rudder pedals and trimming the top and sides of the panel I think that I have got it glued in the right place. I let this set over night so the paneI did not move, so hopefull I will get the fuselage glued tonight.

 

 

[modelling minion]

Good job fitting the engines Mark. 👍

[81-er]

Nice work there, Mark. Hopefully the fuselage closes now 

 

James