By 1967 it was increasingly apparent that the F-111B was not what the US Navy wanted for Fleet Air Defense.  The B was grossly overweight and had been forced on the Navy as a compromised design with the TFX program touting commonalty with the USAF F-111.  While the aircraft had performance and political issues, the weapons system showed promise, namely the impressive AWG-9 Radar and what was to become the AIM-54 Phoenix missile.   

As North American was gearing up for a last batch of RA-5C Vigilantes in the late 1960's, they proposed marrying the AWG-9 and the Phoenix into the Vigilante to provide Fleet Air Defense. While the Navy preferred a clean sheet design, it was feared if the Navy walked away from the F-111B they might wind up with nothing, so the FA-5 Vigilante was launched in 1968, and they were produced on the same production line along side the final batches of the RA-5C in Columbus, Ohio. 

A small squadron of 6 Vigilantes provided each Carrier Air Wing with outer Fleet Air Defense, with F-4 Phantoms providing the inner layer.           

The Kit: a rather ancient and basic Airfix RA-5C.  1/72

   

Can't go wrong when starting with a Vigi. 

Quote from: PR19_Kit on June 10, 2023, 05:20:00 AMCan't go wrong when starting with a Vigi. 

Nope!  A real looker.

Basic kit.  Really deserves more detail and deep work, but not for a one week build. 

Bottom fuselage is flat.  Not even a nose wheel well. 



RECCE canoe on the sprue, but wont be needed. Good for the spares bin! 

There is a nose wheel bay, just that they close the doors once the undercarriage goes down, same with the main undercarriage bays. A reasonably common thing to do. The kit is ideal fodder to bash about though, it will be interesting to see how this goes for you.

Gondor

I've built all three of the 1/72 Vigi kits, Airfix, FROG/Hasegawa and Trumpeter, and the FROG/Hase one always seemed to be the best to work with.

The Airfix is rather simple, and the Trumpeter, while modern, doesn't fit all that well and is pretty inaccurate, not that that matters to us in the slightest. 

Quote from: Gondor on June 10, 2023, 10:59:28 AMThere is a nose wheel bay, just that they close the doors once the undercarriage goes down, same with the main undercarriage bays. A reasonably common thing to do. The kit is ideal fodder to bash about though, it will be interesting to see how this goes for you.

Gondor

Thanks, I had forgotten that, North American seemed to like gear doors that closed back up going back to the P-51.   

Quote from: PR19_Kit on June 10, 2023, 12:32:12 PMI've built all three of the 1/72 Vigi kits, Airfix, FROG/Hasegawa and Trumpeter, and the FROG/Hase one always seemed to be the best to work with.

The Airfix is rather simple, and the Trumpeter, while modern, doesn't fit all that well and is pretty inaccurate, not that that matters to us in the slightest. 

Frog as "best"?  Cant say that much 

Worked has commenced, primer on. 

I love the card board draped over the hedge! Something I would do!
Are you going to enlarge the nose for all that radar stuffing?

That FROG kit was originally moulded by Hasegawa, I'm not sure if FROG bought a set of moulds and made them themselves or just re-packed the Hase mouldings. It's a step above the standard FROG kits of UK types anyway.

Every year for the one week build I tell myself: keep it simple, no cutting, no elaborate paint jobs, no major putty work....

then I ignore myself......

The RIO just needs a glass canopy!  while no dogfighter, it was deemed appropriate to give the Radar Intercept officer in the rear seat of the Vigilante increased visibility. 



Pretty clever connector between the horizontal stabilizers, keeping them aligned and straight out. More kits could use something like this. Never seen one like this.  Simples.



Nose weight, doubt if needed,  Scratched up some sill rails for the RIO. 

The decals are goners......

Quote from: kerick on June 11, 2023, 08:25:56 AMI love the card board draped over the hedge! Something I would do!
Are you going to enlarge the nose for all that radar stuffing?

Glad you like my well ventilated spray studio- The hedge is handy! 

The Fleet Air Defense version of the Vigilante used a slightly smaller dish on the AWG-9 radar, which reduced long range detection to @70 miles under most conditions, but was deemed adequate, and preserved the nose lines of the aircraft. 

You could always increade the depth of the radar by lowering the bottom of the fuselage line forward of the nose undercarriage, could also widen it a bit at the same time. But that would be best for a later version when there is more time to work on it.

Gondor

Quote from: Gondor on June 11, 2023, 02:38:53 PMYou could always increade the depth of the radar by lowering the bottom of the fuselage line forward of the nose undercarriage, could also widen it a bit at the same time. But that would be best for a later version when there is more time to work on it.

Gondor

Exactly.  I could use a bigger dish, but not for a one-week build.  As Kit says, fit the story to the kit or stash at hand!

  

Nice stuff.. Like a Vigilante build

I swear I've built that kit a long time ago!