Vicker's High Flyer

[kitbasher]

The 432's resemblance to the Mosquito is always striking.  So here's playing with people's minds - Mossie with Spitfire wings in lieu of Mosquito outer wings, plus an under fuselage gun pack?

Mosquito:
Crew: 2: pilot, navigator/radar operator
Length: 41 ft 2 in (12.55 m)
Wingspan: 54 ft 2 in (16.52 m)
Height: 17 ft 5 in (5.3 m)
Wing area: 454 ft2 (42.18 m2)
Empty weight: 13,356 lb (6,058 kg)
Loaded weight: 17,700 lb (8,028 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 18,649 lb (8,549 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce Merlin 21/21 or 23/23 (left/right) liquid-cooled V12 engine, 1,480 hp (21 & 23) (1,103 kW) each

Type 432:
Crew: one pilot
Length: 39 ft 3 in (12 m)
Wingspan: 56 ft 10.5 in (17.34 m)
Height: 4.19 m (13 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 450 ft² (41.8 m²)
Empty weight: 7,427 kg (16,373 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 9,150 kg (20,168 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce Merlin 61 V12 piston engines, 1,520 hp (1,133 kW) each

Dimensionally not much in it.  Am tempted.  Mossie would need pressure cabin, of course - the PR XVI and others had them and outperformed the 432.

Or mess up the muggles by finishing the 432 in Mosquito PR colours rather than high altitude fighter colours?

[NARSES2]

Interesting thoughts Dave 

Or mess up the muggles by finishing the 432 in Mosquito PR colours rather than high altitude fighter colours?

That thought had crossed my mind at least once or twice, but I think I'm going to stay with the fighter, if only because the gun pack is moulded with the lower fuselage half 

However If I picked up a second example ? The likelyhood of that is closely linked to how well the wings/nacelles/fuselage fit on this example.

[kitbasher]

Really looking forward to this Chris, you've got some great GB ideas on the go.

[kitnut617]

I started the one I have Chris, but it's one of those which I did before my house move (now over 11 years ago) and it got boxed and I've not seen it since  ----  I really need to get on with some of these projects I've started ---   

Yesterday I found it while looking for something else ---     Looks like I got the wings and nacelles glued together but that's as far as it got -- hmm!

[TheChronicOne]

Whoa.. I never seen such a plane before!!  Fantastic, go for the gusto. 

How do you go about filing and sanding on resin??  I heard one doesn't want to be breathing the particles.  Frankly, I'm kind of scared of mine now.

[PR19_Kit]

How do you go about filing and sanding on resin??  I heard one doesn't want to be breathing the particles.  Frankly, I'm kind of scared of mine now.

Same as with styrene, but ensure that it's done wet. Well, the sanding phase that is anyway. Some resins are sifter than the putty so you need to be more careful, take it lightly and you'll be OK. Above all do it WET!

[NARSES2]

Exactly as Kit says. Use plenty of water and be aware that resin is softer than styrene and thus if not careful you end up sanding away far to much. It some ways resin is easier to work with and in others it's more fiddly, you just have to get in the right mindset.

Best advice I would give is to start with a resin replacement part or conversion piece. Then you've not wasted to much time/money/effort if you don't get on with it.

Anyway the fuselage is together and the Araldite smell is still dissipating  Some filling will be needed at both ends.

[TheChronicOne]

Thank you, guys. I have this lil feller here and have been tempted by it more than once.

[Knightflyer]

Thank you, guys. I have this lil feller here and have been tempted by it more than once.

Is it purely coincidental that it looks like a Meteor had something to do with that? 

[loupgarou]

Illegitimate son/daughter (??) of a Meteor and a Fouga Magister (look at the pilots cockpit)??

[NARSES2]

I've never seen either that model or heard about the real aircraft.

You learn something new every day if only you open your mind to new ideas 

[Knightflyer]

I've never seen either that model or heard about the real aircraft.

You learn something new every day if only you open your mind to new ideas 

Just looked the actual aircraft up on Wiki - totally agree with you Chris - something new every day.....and wasn't it small! 

[JayBee]

Here is another kit of one of the Ikarus 451 series, in this case the 451M.
It is 1/72 and has a wingspan of 3 ¾ inch/9.5 cm.
I got this from the makers who had a stand at SMW about three years ago.













I realy must get round to building it sometime.

[NARSES2]

Neat looking little kit Jim.

Anyway progress on the Vickers.

Couple of shots of the goldfish bowl cockpit





A shot of the fuselage showing the "bowing"



After the edition of the tailplanes and the warm water treatment



The wing/nacelle parts. The Mr Surfacer on the nacelles is to cover a few pin holes, the only ones I have so far discovered. A few more appeared after some p.s.r.



8 individual prop' blades 



I found a couple of old Frog Hornet spinners and props and the spinners are exactly the right size  Slightly more pointed but a couple of swipes with a sanding sponge dealt with that. Blades are the right size but shape is a little different. I can live with that, so no gluing 8 separate blades 

[PR19_Kit]

That fuselage bow looks horrendous Chris, a nice job on straightening it.   

How warm does the water need to be to work well please? Every time I try it I either get it too hot and it goes all floppy, or it's too cold and nothing happens.