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Airfix 1/72 Vampire T.11

RichB

Well-known member
Continuing the Airfix theme in this campaign,

Start~11.jpg


Excuse the fuzziness, my camera was putting up a fight when I took this.

Cheers,
Rich
 
In the last week or so, I got the major sub-assemblies underway. Cockpits at that time were painted black so not a lot is visible, especially in 1/72. The instrument panel is a kit decal which works fine. If the pilots aren't used, adding some scratch seat belts will improve the look. There are two dimples on the seat headbox to add the curtain handle from fine wire or stretched sprue. (For those suffering from AMS, Eduard makes PE sets for the Vampire and Pavla and CMK make resin cockpits.)

Subassy2.jpg


The main gear has to be attached to the tail booms before being mated with the wings. These and the pitot probe on the port vertical stabilizer are just asking to be broken off. Just outboard of the main wheel wells on the lower wings there are two flashed over holes that can be drilled out if you wish to add the EFTs. (RAF trainers rarely carried them.)

Moving on. :pilot

Cheers,
Rich
 
Great kit, Rich.... I have my own 'Vampire' story, would it be OK to post it on this thread ?? - just to add some 'colour' to the build, if you know what I mean.

Ian.
 
Nice ... I did one of these but it was a older Heller kit . I'll be very interested in how she turns out ... :popcorn :pilot
 
Great kit, Rich.... I have my own 'Vampire' story, would it be OK to post it on this thread ?? - just to add some 'colour' to the build, if you know what I mean.

Ian.

Yeah, no problem.

Cheers,
Rich
 
Think I may have over-sold this, however...

...Back in the UK, I was a Coastguard Office, we had a training facility (The School) on the south coast just outside Christchurch in Dorset. I was on a course there in early autumn, on the last day, a Friday, we finished early and instead of going straight back north, I drove up to Bournemouth (Hurn) airport where there was a small and tatty hanger that housed a 'museum' of sorts.

I walked-in and found nobody at the desk, so wandered over to where a group of guys were manhandling a two-seat Vampire out of the rear doors;
'Need a hand ?'
'Yeah, thanks'

We pushed it out into the sunshine, they popped the avionics hood and the tools came out.
'What's the problem'
'Bl**dy ILS has gone down again, and we have a customer flight in an hour'

This was news to me, I didn't know that this machine was still airworthy let-alone giving flights to paying customers. Most of the blokes disappeared but being the curious type I hung-around with the 'tech' who was pulling the 1970's era 'boxes' out of the nose and making adjustments with a greasy screwdriver whilst attaching them to a on old car battery.

'You know about these ??' he seemed to be asking in hope.
'Not really, I had my PPL and I've done some voluntary up at Duxford but that was all with Harvards'
'So you know what the ILS looks like !! - No problem, get in and tell me what the needles are saying as I adjust these'

I did as I was told and twenty minutes of fiddling-about later we were good - well close enough :eek:hmy:

I got out and collected-up my camera gear and began to head in to the hanger.
'Hey, fancy a run-out ??'
'Erm...'
'Well I need to check the calibration, and could do with a second set of eyes'

The decision process took three or four nano-seconds.
'Yeah sounds good, when you going ??'
'Now'

The 'Tech' was, of course the pilot/owner whose name I won't write hear for obvious reasons. We lifted-off into the cold and clear autumn sky and shot seven or eight approaches in to Hurn, then a quick (for a Vampire) run out to The Needles and around the Isle of White, and north to join the circuit at Southampton/Eastleigh airport, but time there for just the one approach. Back to Hurn and the scariest landing I ever had - your a*se (US = *ss) really is six-inches off the tarmac when you hit !!

On the drive back-up to Liverpool (5hrs), every time I tried to stop for a drink, I kept spilling it, because of the stupid big grin on my face !!


Ian.
 
Dang, I pushed an T33 out of a hanger once and all I got was a peak inside. :bang head

Great story Ian. :drinks
 
Hey it's worth telling simply because it was that unique. I worked up at Duxford for three years as a volunteer for the IWM, and only got free passes to one of the four shows they hold each year.... and a tie-pin !!

:facepalm


Ian.
 
Hey it's worth telling simply because it was that unique. I worked up at Duxford for three years as a volunteer for the IWM, and only got free passes to one of the four shows they hold each year.... and a tie-pin !!

:facepalm


Ian.

Definitely worth telling!! (y) I did some volunteer work back in JUNE 2004 at March Field Air museum, got my handprints & some blood on their B-17G. Great experience :drinks
 
Major assembly is complete. Used a little bit of putty along some of the seams. There are a few lumps and bumps along the underside of the fuselage that could be mistaken for molding flaws, they belong there and should not be sanded off. Nose landing gear, wheels, door and elevator counter balances left to add. Canopies have had their dip in the Future tub and resting comfortably. Once they are setup they can be masked and it is ready for paint bay.

Top~0.jpg


Right~0.jpg


Left~0.jpg


Bottom.jpg



:pilot

Cheers,
Rich
 
Even standing close to the real thing, those panel lines are virtually invisible. This is the (gorgeous) T55 that lives at our local airport:


hd22b978.jpg




Ian.
 
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