Pit Road G.W.H. Vulcan B2 XH535 Early White Scheme

[plasticlover]

Morning fellow modellers here on SMA. I am new here and this is my first build. I am also doing this over on Britmodeller but thought I would share it here with you also.
I like what I have seen on this forum so far you look like a nice friendly bunch.

Here is were I am at so far from yesterday:

Firstly Lets have a look at the real beast she is seen here flying with a B-52. She is in the early white scheme mostly worn by B1 Vulcans with the original full shade roundels and black numerals rather than the pastel tones wore by later B2s B1a's and a handful of B1 Vulcans. She was one of the first then "new" Vulcan B2s Which featured many new features but most notably was the totally new wing shape that was much extended in span with a heavy contour under neath and much steeper kinks to the leading edge than the sporty little B1 which was more triangular the B2 earned its nickname "Batwing"


The kit



This is a really gorgeous kit it is simple to build and the fit is something I can only describe as "deliciously satisfying"
I don't recommend test fitting as the fit is so good that they clip together firmly and its hard to get the parts apart again. The surface detail is very very fine indeed and I hope to highlight these very subtly as when looking at a Vulcan even close up in person you can hardly see any panel lines unless they are very very worn. But with that detail there its hard to resist not picking it out.


The intakes are one piece which is great for saving filling and sanding but makes painting tricky with the engine faces at the back Its nigh on Impossible to paint the fan blades. It would be nice for an after market company to give us resin replacements for 202 and 301 fascias as this would really improve the build enabling easy painting and a better look to the engines. For this one I am letting the shadows be my helper and just spraying them with Humbrol matt white 34 from their excellent rattle cans.






The cockpit is a simple affair but at this scale and those windows there is not much to see. It even comes with 2 pilots but I am not waisting them in here they will be saved for my numerous revell 1/144th Tornado kits.
Some black paint in here and its done me thinks.



The Tail is in 3 pieces this is it assembled. I will need to File off the RWR bulges to back date it to the original streamlined look.



The Two insides of the fuselage halfs were sprayed white with the Humbrol rattle can white again to get a better finish later.




This is her drying off with the intakes fitted to the lower halves the fit is beautiful. I really recommend this we beastie if you want a Vulcan

 

[plasticlover]

Morning Folks Well work is about to resume. Whilst having the morning coffee I was doing some further research on this bird XH535 I wondered why there are so few pictures and it seems she has a dark past and short life which give me the shivers a little as I there is some superstition in me about making models of aircraft that have crashed. Particularly so tragically as this. I have copied the story so you can read it from Aviation Safety Network.

My Sympathy's to all involved. I just hope my making this model does not upset anyone out there as once on Britmodeller someone replied to my build of Frog Vulcan B1a XA891 who had family who flew that particular airframe. I believe that one also Crashed. Cheers Rob




Date: 11-MAY-1964 Time: Type: VULC.gif
Avro Vulcan B.2 Owner/operator: A&AEE Registration: XH535 C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 6 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Chute, Hampshire, 7 NM ENE of Netheravon, Wiltshire - G.gif United Kingdom Phase: Approach Nature: Test Departure airport: Boscombe Down, Wiltshire (EGDM) Destination airport: Boscombe Down, Wiltshire (EGDM)

Narrative:
The Vulcan entered a spin whilst making a low speed, high rate of descent approach to Boscombe Down. The anti-spin parachute was deployed and the aircraft recovered briefly before spinning again and crashing.

The two test pilots ejected and survived, but the four rear crew, who did not have the benefit of ejector seats, were all killed.
R.I.P.

The two survivors were (co-pilot) Flt Lt. R. L. Beeson B Sqn, A&AEE - ejected sustaining major injuries - who ejected at 2,500 ft and (Captain) Mr. O. J. Hawkins (Test Pilot of Avro Aircraft) ejected shortly afterwards at 2,000 ft agl.

Per eyewitness report from the son of one of those involved: "My father (Jack Dingley) was Navigator on board XH535 ... the crash happened on Whit Monday and he actually replaced a friend of his who wanted to spend the Bank holiday away with his family...

The reason for the crash given to my mother by the Group Captain who came to the house to give her the news was as follows:- The aircraft took off from RAF Boscombe Down to conduct a series of tests which they completed successfully, however, the Pilot was due to make further tests the following day and decided to include one (or some) of these tests on the 11th May instead.

One of these tests was to perform a low-fly low-speed test over the Downs approx 10 miles NW of the base. During this test the engines stalled and they were not high enough to enable a restart ...as a result the Vulcan "belly flopped" and all but the 2 pilots survived (they ejected at low altitude) and the RAF co-pilot was severely disabled and was / is wheelchair bound for life."

 

[plasticlover]

Well I am now fitting the engine tunnels. Its designs like this in kits that interest me. this would easily allow them to offer b1, b1a, b2 200/300 series engine tunnels and exhaust types. Man I hope they do. I must buy their K2 kit.

I have never made a K2 yet. I find them interesting but it is a little strange having a sleek bomber like the Vulcan only to be fitted with an upturned garden shed on the back !, must have been flying low eh..



There is a left and a right with these so watch out..










The tail was sanded down to the original shape using my trusty sandvik sander a wonderfull tool that I have been using since my Grandad gave it me when I was a kid over, Over a decade of use and still as good as the first day and still on the same plate too. I will tidy this up with wet and dry later.










I am just about to do the weighting of the nose

Anyhow dudes and dudettes more later.






Rob

 

[plasticlover]

I have weighted the nose with Milliput which should be safe around the plastic poles this kit has to fit the halves.
A quick test was done to check the balance point with the top, tail and bombay fitted. It seemed ok so lets hope she is not a tail sitter !










This kit is screaming for an after market bombay insert. But this one is buttoned up now.

Cheers Rob

 

[plasticlover]

Its a very quiet forum this lol

 

[JMac]

Its a very quiet forum this lol

Everyone must be hard at work, trying to finish up their Zombie builds…

Nice work on the Vulcan. The GWH looks really nice. Are you planning to leave the bay open or closed?

Jason

 

[Junkie]

Great progress on this. You're moving right along.

*yeah the forum has been a bit quiet. It won't stay that way for long.

 

[plasticlover]

Hi there you both. Yep I am new here and just wanted to check there were others out there as its always good to talk a bit.

Did not want to update for no reason. Its good to share.

The bombay has been closed. Its a shame there are to my knowledge no castings available for the interior. I would have had ago at scratching but 1 time for this one wont allow and 2 this was the 3rd B2 to be made and the first B2 to carry the larger 3rd type tail cone after the 2 earlier type B1 cones. She was a test aircraft and would not really be opening her bombays up much on a regular basis. This was the trials aircraft for the new ecm cone itself. Though I do not believe it had the ecm plates fitted intially. So I am leaving the one off as I cant find photo evidence she had them yet but the the other early versions XH533,534 I can see did not have them when originally delivered. I can easily add the plate later should I need too.

I will update soon she is nearing the paint stage.

Cheers Rob

 

[plasticlover]

Ok guys here is the update.

She is now standing on here legs only temporally to check she aint a tail sitter and thankfully she has landed gracefully.







I have noted that although pit road are the first since frog to get the nose radome outline right they have cocked up the back edge of this with a sweep back that is not there on the real thing. I am also going to mod this one and cut off the TFR nose thimble which was not there at the time I am modelling this beast.
Heres a shot of were I will rescribe this.





I masked off the intakes with blue tak while I sprayed the pit with Humbrol 27 dark grey ready for me to brush paint with humbrol black and a touch of Windsor and Newton flow improver the insides. thats all I am going to do in this pit and I am leaving the men out.









The Pit Road representation of 200 series exhausts. these are early types but the outer ones should be slightly pointed outwards and down but they look damn close. For people modelling them in later condition will have to add the little squares on there as can be seen on XH558. It is very welcome we get 200 series pipes for but interestingly the boxing options are for Falklands XM607 & XM598 these two were 300series engined with wider shorter exhausts as on the Airfix kit. Its nice they have obviously molded this so they can offer more types. I hope we get a B1 and B1a someday with the much smaller wing.



wet n drying the surface and cleaning up the usual messy spots..



PVA masking the windows using schools pva







You can see here I have been rounding the lip on the air intakes. the kit has razor sharp edges this is not right the vulcan has soft rounded air intake edges and they look better for it I recon I love curves..

Cheers Rob

 

[JMac]

Nice progress.

 

[The Nylon Gag]

Nice progress buddy

One of my favourite's

Keep it up

Gag