Villiers Vindicator B1A (or B2 maybe..)

PR19_Kit · January 20, 2017, 01:13:42 PM

This being a Spackmodel there's no way it's ever going to see a single drop of paint, be it primer or otherwise, before it's got some sort of wingspan extension installed.

In the case of the Vindicator I decided to build the B1B Phase 2 version with the 24 ft increased span, not that it looks all that much on top of the 120 ft span of the Phase 1.

I tried to super glue the extended tips on three times, but each time they snapped off with the slightest vertical load applied to the tip, so I drilled the main wing and the extension to take a short length of 1.4 mm piano wire that was handy and now it's a lot firmer.

rickshaw · January 20, 2017, 04:30:09 PM

Now it is starting look like it's rolled out of the workshop of Spackman Enterprises, Kit!

Old Wombat · January 21, 2017, 01:07:00 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on January 20, 2017, 01:13:42 PM
This being a Spackmodel there's no way it's ever going to see a single drop of paint, be it primer or otherwise, before it's got some sort of wingspan extension installed.

But wait!

I seem to recall a Spackmodel which not only didn't have wing extensions,

it actually had its wing shortened!

My only problem is I can't remember what it was or when it was to hunt it down.

PR19_Kit · January 21, 2017, 01:23:14 AM

Quote from: Old Wombat on January 21, 2017, 01:07:00 AM
Quote from: PR19_Kit on January 20, 2017, 01:13:42 PM
This being a Spackmodel there's no way it's ever going to see a single drop of paint, be it primer or otherwise, before it's got some sort of wingspan extension installed.

But wait!

I seem to recall a Spackmodel which not only didn't have wing extensions, it actually had its wing shortened!

My only problem is I can't remember what it was or when it was to hunt it down.

That may have been the DC9-BJ from 2014.

While it didn't have its wings extended as such, it had very short wings as they were actually tailplanes from a standard DC9-30.

Old Wombat · January 21, 2017, 04:44:43 AM

That may be it ... The shock at seeing tiny wings has blurred the memory of what I actually saw.

Just needs eyes & a mouth & it's a candidate for a "Planes" type movie.

PR19_Kit · January 21, 2017, 10:08:09 AM

Quote from: Old Wombat on January 21, 2017, 04:44:43 AM
That may be it ... The shock at seeing tiny wings has blurred the memory of what I actually saw.

Just needs eyes & a mouth & it's a candidate for a "Planes" type movie.

I think you commented on its lack of wingspan in the original thread.

PR19_Kit · January 23, 2017, 09:30:04 AM

After no less than FIVE PSR sessions I think I've got one wing-tip of the Vindi sorted, apart from the panel lines of course. The worst bit was trying to get the tip tapered enough to look right, it needed LOADS of filing and more PSR to sort that out.

You may wonder why, after doing my level best to make the Mach2 Valiant fuselage actually look like a Valiant fuselage, I then cut a damn great hole in the bottom of it shaped approximately like the Valiant's bomb bay.

It's because I remembered buying an Airfix Valiant conversion kit to make the tanker and PR versions as I wanted the tanker hose reel for another job. It comes with the complete bomb bay doors for the PR Valiant, and as they were pretty much identical to those fitted to the Vindicator B(PR)1B Phase 2 it was an obvious change-over.

[Yet another example of changing the backstory to suit the build......

]

This being a Mach2 kit I'd have been a tad optimistic to expect the fuselage to be the same shape as the Airfix one, and of course it isn't. It's too flat as it goes forward so it'll need some extra work just forward of the bomb bay doors, hopefully not too much of it.

PR19_Kit · January 27, 2017, 04:34:32 PM

Today was 'Heavy Engineering Day' as I filed out the Mach3 wing slots to 40 thou depth so I could insert the hefty stub wing spar that I'll need to fit the Victor wings.

But I also mixed up a hefty amount of Milliput to fill in the myriad gaps around the 'Spackman Spiral' There's so much of it I may not need any nose weight!

On the 'Oh damn, how did I forget that?' front, I'd forgotten to put the Vulcan's bomb aimer's window in place before I glued it onto the Valiant fuselage!

I managed to stick it in position with the aid of a needle file, a small dab of Blue-Tack and some liquid glue, but I had to insert it through the cockpit hole, NOT easy at all.

PR19_Kit · January 28, 2017, 08:31:46 AM

So much for THAT plan then.

I applied the Milliput around 9 pm last night and it's still soft now!

I can't remember how old the unopened pack was but it's obviously past its sell by date, so Mrs_PR19 and I took a trip to Cheltenham Model Centre to get some more, the nearest place I could find that had any in stock. I also stocked up on Halford's Grey Primer as I figure I'll need quite a bit of it.

The trip was enlivened by no less than FOUR crash stops en route, all caused by people doing damn stupid things like cutting in front of us without indicating, turning left from right hand lanes or other stupidities. I had to restrain Mrs_PR19 from getting out and thumping some stupid woman in a Fiat 500 who took NO notice of our existence at all, cut across from a right turn lane into our lane and missed us by less than an inch, thanks to my well tuned reflexes and a good set of brakes.

I've noted her number plate for future reference.....

Gondor · January 28, 2017, 08:41:39 AM

Maybe you should invest in a "dash-cam" so that you have video evidence when reporting them to the police?

Gondor

PR19_Kit · January 28, 2017, 09:07:08 AM

Quote from: Gondor on January 28, 2017, 08:41:39 AM
Maybe you should invest in a "dash-cam" so that you have video evidence when reporting them to the police?

Gondor

I keep thinking of that, but finances preclude it just now.

PR19_Kit · January 28, 2017, 02:03:27 PM

So I've scraped off all the old, soft Milliput, and what PITA job that was, mixed up a new lot from the batch I bought today and right now it's sitting on a radiator curing, I hope.........

I've also fitted the stub wing spar, a chunk of 40 thou that goes right through the Valiant's wing slots (which are both different naturally....) and drilled out the almost finished port wing to accept it. The spar goes right through the inner wall of the intake duct and would be very visible if I allowed it to protrude too far, but I won't....

I've also PSR'd the camera bay door so it matches (almost) the lower fuselage, and that doesn't look too bad, but will need some panel line engraving later on.

Hopefully tomorrow will bring much sanding of the Milliput.

You can just see the bomb aimer's window through the cockpit hole in this pic. I think I'll paint it black on the inside before I put the canopy on.

rickshaw · January 28, 2017, 05:39:21 PM

I say, it might just be an optical illusion caused by the camera angle but the front fuselage doesn't like it's aligned with the rear fuselage all that well.

Otherwise, this is proving excellent!

PR19_Kit · January 29, 2017, 02:00:44 AM

It's aligned OK in plan view, but has a slight 'droop snoot' look in side view, but it's mean to look like that anyway.

The Milliput had set off nicely this morning, thank goodness.

PR19_Kit · January 29, 2017, 03:12:14 AM

Me and my mouth..........

After your post I re-checked it Brian, and you're right, it's offset about a degree! I was so intent on getting the 'droop snoot' right that I messed up the lateral alignment a tad. Nothing I can do about it now of course, but it may be less apparent when I've got the side 'cheeks' PSR'd in place, and the camo should distract from it as well, hopefully.

I've just found out that the Milliput has set SO hard that I can't trim it back with a scalpel as I usually do, so it may need power tools to grind it down to size!

And in a moment of madness I've glued on the port wing assembly. LOTS of styrene engineering and PSR to do around it yet, but it's in position.

It's going to be one BIG model.....