Refueling

PR19_Kit · February 02, 2010, 02:56:45 AM

[JRM mode on]

Comparing the two piccies I note you've still got the early wing fence position on the VC10. The other piccie shows the inboard position that was adopted quite early in the flight test programme. Of course Airfix modelled their Viccie from the prototype, and then didn't change it when they added the tanker bits.

[JRM mode off]

It still looks damn good though!

ChernayaAkula · February 02, 2010, 05:17:10 AM

Whoa!

Lots of greatness detected!

ysi_maniac · February 02, 2010, 06:45:00 AM

Quote from: Hobbes on February 01, 2010, 12:55:51 PM
Almost finished:

kitnut617 · February 02, 2010, 07:14:37 AM

Quote from: Hobbes on February 01, 2010, 10:46:01 PM
1:144 Airfix VC-10,

I've got one of those too, didn't realize just how big the kit turns out, very nicely done

. Mind you I've just taken delivery of an Airways 1/72 VC-10 C1/K2

Hobbes · February 13, 2010, 06:36:16 AM

The last bits are done and I finally got around to taking some photos.

It's the mid '80s, and the North Sea oil fields are being threatened by an agressive Soviet Union. The stakeholders (UK, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark) mount combined patrols under the name NorthCAP.
In this case, a German Tornado F.3 and a Dutch Sea Tornado GR.1 get tanker support from an RAF VC-10.

The models are removable for easy transportation, hence the gubbins at the top of the rods:

I made the base as small as possible, and put the rods at an extreme angle, so the CG of all thee aircraft is outside the base:

PR19_Kit · February 13, 2010, 07:07:53 AM

Terrific engineering and modelling!

I like the 'CG outside the base' idea, but it must be tricky putting it all together. What did you use to make the rods and the gubbins on the top?

Oh yes, Dutch Sea Tornado sounds good too, where do they fly from?

Hobbes · February 13, 2010, 07:33:03 AM

Thanks Kit.
I used the Lego rig shown earlier to get the positions right. I did the VC-10 first, once I got this rod installed, I could work out the positions for the other two. It did take a few hours to do all the calculations, but then it all went together in one try.

The rods are from lengths of acrylic rod, bought at Modulor.de. The rest is bits of styrene and (on the Tornado F.3) a piece of brass rod.

The Sea Tornados are flown from a NATO-operated supercarrier (along with E-2 Hawkeye and EA-6 Prowler, among others), but that's a separate story (building several models for that, but it's still uinfinished, see the lack of decals on the Tornado).

NARSES2 · February 13, 2010, 08:39:39 AM

Terrific stuff Harro

kitnut617 · February 13, 2010, 08:58:41 AM

I'm inspired ---

I've got my 1/72 VC-10 sitting right by my desk and it may just jump right to the front on the 'to-do' list, it's going to be a C1K though.

PR19_Kit · February 13, 2010, 10:37:03 AM

Robert,

Hobbes VC10 is a C1K too......

Which 1/72 kit is yours?

kitnut617 · February 13, 2010, 10:41:55 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on February 13, 2010, 10:37:03 AM
Robert,

Hobbes VC10 is a C1K too......

Which 1/72 kit is yours?

Sorry there, I thought I could see the fuselage hose fairing at the back. The C1K doesn't have it.

I've got an Airways vacuform which seems to be a later release as it has white metal u/c legs and some faily decent decals for a C1. My friend Steve, has an earlier release which has apparently some really crappy injection moulded u/c legs and crappy decals to go with it. Going by the Britannia I have too, I know what he means as this kit is the same.

Hobbes · February 13, 2010, 10:50:36 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on February 13, 2010, 10:37:03 AM
Robert,

Hobbes VC10 is a C1K too......

My kit is labeled as a K.2. It includes the fuselage fairing.

PR19_Kit · February 13, 2010, 11:33:53 AM

Ahah, gotcha.

I couldn't see the centre HDU fairing in the pics, and it's almost impossible to tell a K2 from a C1K from above.

kitnut617 · February 13, 2010, 12:14:21 PM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on February 13, 2010, 11:33:53 AM
Ahah, gotcha.

I couldn't see the centre HDU fairing in the pics, and it's almost impossible to tell a K2 from a C1K from above.

From above it should be quite easy Kit, The C1 or C1K had Super VC-10 wings with the short fuselage, these wings have/had a leading edge extension from the fuselage to almost 2/3rds out and have a pronounced step back where it changes to the original wing leading edge. The K2 didn't have this extension as they were all converted early ex-civilian VC-10's. IIRC the Airfix K2 is from the earlier VC-10 kit which from what some people have told me is really of the VC-10 prototype.

PR19_Kit · February 13, 2010, 05:05:20 PM

Robert,

I'm not sure if Vickers actually built two VC10s the same as each other actually.....

I'm with you about the RAF C1s (later C1Ks) having the extended leading edges of the Super VC10s, but I was under the impression the K2s had them fitted during the conversion. The K3s and K4s were all Supers anyway, so they already have them. The C1s also have Super VC10 engines, and pylons with the cranked trailing edges which hardly anyone models properly, not even ones that are meant to be Supers in the first place.

I think you're right about the Airfix model being of the prototype, see my point about the wing fences above. All production VC10s of any type have them much closer to the fuselage and the front 2 ft are bent outwards too, just to complicate matters.