Construction
I won’t go into an in-depth build of the cockpit and nose section as it is virtually identical to the build that Geoff has done except that I intend to add the AAR probe. I will reiterate what Geoff said about detailing the interior – don’t waste your time doing too much here, just stick to the basics as very little can be seen of the cockpit interior on the finished model.
The main fuselage interior goes together without any really issues. Unlike Geoff’s build with the weapons bay I have opted to use the Blue Steel which requires and insert. For this to fit some plastic needs cutting away but the instructions are very clear what needs removing and the kit plastic is clearly marked to show what needs to be removed.
The blue steel missile itself comes on a common sprue that is used on the Victor kit so don’t worry about all the extra bits on the sprue that aren’t mentioned in the instructions – they are for the Victor.
VIDEO DEMO
The intakes…
These caused me a really headache. They are a lot better in their design and fit than those on the old kit but getting rid of the seams is still a challenge. I originally didn’t intend to use the blanks so joined the 2 intakes parts together and then set about getting rid of the seams. This proved to be more hassle then I realised so I decided to use the supplied intake blanks. The instructions tell you to fit these into the intake halves before you join them together for a reason – they really don’t want to go into the assembled intake trunking. I did eventually manage to get them to fit but only with some serious pressure and cutting away of some on the rear of the blank. The kit instructions provide templates for the camouflage to white intake interior demarcation. These do sort of work especially if you don’t use the blanks but in the end I made my own mask templates that masked off the white areas and then used Maskol (rubbery masking fluid) to ensure no paint overspray. This process took a lot longer than I really wanted and stalled the project for quite a few weeks as it took a lot of filling and sanding to get a finish that I was really happy with.
The upper and lower fuselage halves were then joined together. These fitted together well and I didn’t have any of the issues Geoff had with his build at this stage.
The front fuselage section was then added. The fit wasn’t great and quite a bit of filling, sanding and re-scribing was required to get to good fit. The intake splitters also needed filler to get rid of the gaps and blend the intakes in to get rid of all the seams – it’s worth taking your time on these as these as they are very obvious on the finished model and any seams are very visible and will detract from the final look of the model. The same applies to the tail section fit and the tail itself. This was all quite disappointing given this is a new tool kit, I did expect the fit to be better.
A quick inspection showed some mould sink marks just in front of the flaps which seems to be quite common on these kits. These were filled in and sanded flush but these were the only ones on my kit that really needed work, unlike others that I have seen.
The engine exhaust assemblies were unfortunately not as simple to fix. I tried to use the jigs as shown in the instructions but in the end used my own assembly sequence to minimise the mis-fits. This sequence ensured a good fit on the more visible top surface but did leave some large gaps on the lower surfaces that needed filling and sanding. The advantage of this was that the plates that cover the lower engines also covered a lot of the surface imperfections that came with the filling and sanding process.
VIDEO DEMO
With that done the model is now ready for the main painting to start.
Paul Ainsworth says
Hello,Dave – A magnificent build of the new Airfix Vulcan.
An absolute credit to you.
If I may ask one question? I see you’ve used Mr.Hobby Aqueous for the camouflage and then ‘glossed’ over with Mr.Color Superclear Varnish which is lacquer-based.
May I ask the drying time/application technique you used to avoid bad reaction between the paint types?
My compliments once again and best regards to you.
davecoward says
Hi Paul,
Thanks for the nice comments about the kit – really pleased with the end result.
Reference the use of the Varnish I gave the Aqueous paint about 24hrs to fully dry before using the spray can varnish. I used a light coat first and let it dry for about 15 mins and then added another light coat again giving it 15 mins to dry. Finally I added a heavier wet coat to get the deep gloss finish. I had no reaction issues between the paints.
Hope this answers you question.
All the best
Dave
Paul Ainsworth says
Hello,Dave – Thank you so much for your reply which answers my question perfectly.I’ve used the Mr.Superclear Varnish on two builds but that was on top of Mr.Color Lacquers.
Plenty of drying time and light coats are the order of the day.
Your Vulcan build is absolutely magnificent.
Full credit to Airfix as well for upgrading this subject and also releasing the Valiant and Victor.
Keep up your marvellous work and all the best for the New Year!
Stuart Mackay says
Stunning model and workmanship, Dave!