Air brakes - In or Out?

[Spellbinder99]

I started building the Dynavector 1/48th TSR-2 the other day and after sucessfully cutting out the rear fuselage halves and fitting the main wheel wells I was looking at the airbrakes that are scribed on the parts.

Now, most pictures of the TSR-2 seem to show them slightly deployed all the time, but I remember reading somwhere that this was a minor glitch that was later to be fixed. The brakes in the kit are clearly defined, but if I wanted to open them I would have to scratchbuild the bays and operating rams. That is not a great problem, but as I want to pose the finished model just parked I was wondering whether they would normally be fully closed on the ground?

Obviously I have to decide before closing the fusleage halves.

Cheers

Tony

[Captain Canada]

I guess it all depends on how much time you want to spend on her, eh ? Dropping them a wee bit as you say they did early on, would look pretty cool. And if you're building her as one of the prototypes, would definately add something to the model, seeing as there's nowt else to hang on her.

Have fun !

[Spellbinder99]

True, if I was going to do a prototype, but I am pretty certain I will do her as an orange and white RAAF ARDU test bird with pylons, mounted weapons under test ( perhaps Karinga cluster bombs) and maybe even some assorted test bumps and bulges.
There  are some lovely builds of this kit out there in prototype white, but I want this one to stand out.

I guess the crux of the question is were the airbrakes normally fully closed on the ground.

Cheers

Tony

[Aircav]

Suppose it really depents on how good the hydraulics would have been in service or did it need hydraulic pressure to keep them closed.

[TsrJoe]

whilst at Henlow then Cosford, XR220 had its airbrakes closed for a number of years, it was only due to providing access that they were later opened. I recall that they sat snugly closed on the airframe in normal non deployed position.
the photographs showing the airbrakes partially deployed on XR219 were due to a potential latching problem (as well as a desire not to add any hinderance to their deployment),  this was rectified for its final flights and i guess would not have figured on subsequent aircraft.

hoping the above might help?

if opening the airbrakes, apart from adding the shallow bays, neatly boxed in altho a few shaped areas to add for the ram, there is a contoured inner face to the brake panels themselves, again easily added with card, any detail pics required drop me an email and ill fwd some scans!

cheers, joe    

[Spellbinder99]

Thanks Joe. I have some reasonable shots I found online of the bays and the door interiors, obviously the inner surface of the bay is part of the engine bay outer wall by the contouring.

I am going to leave them closed on this build, but having started I am now tempted to get another Dynavector TSR-2 and build it all "open and down". The relative thinness of the vacform parts will be a positive attribute when opening the airbrakes, bomb bay, avionics doors and other such things if I do.

Cheers

Tony