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The Mighty Hunter - Nimrod R.1P
- Thread starter RichB
- Start date
phantom II
Master at Arms
Excellent :cheer: Always found this bird so interesting .
Cheers, Christian B)
Cheers, Christian B)
phantom II
Master at Arms
Excellent :cheer: Always found this bird so interesting .
Cheers, Christian B)
Cheers, Christian B)
Very capable aircraft, I remember one coming to Grand Forks in the early 80s for some reason (Need to know and all that 
).
).
RichB
Well-known member
So, first impression upon opening the rather large box, “What have I done!” The Nimrod is a large aircraft and in kit form comprises some 230 parts. There are nicely engraved panels lines and no sign of the “Mad Riveter”.
A comprehensive selection of stores is included from sonobuoys and torpedoes to Harpoon ASM and AIM-9 Sidewinders. Unfortunately you are left to your own devices to figure what each store is.
Cabin doors, bomb bay doors, flying surfaces and flaps are poseable. The clear parts are just that, clear with no mars from moulding.
The runner attachment points are quite substantial and will require careful cutting when removing parts.
There is a large decal sheet that includes airframe stencilling for 6 colour schemes.
The cockpit has minimal details and the cabin area none. However, window area on the Nimrod is minimal and little will be seen once the fuselage is closed up. The weapons bay is equally sparse, but again, the Nimrod sits very low to the ground and little would be seen unless placed on a mirror base.
There were few differences to the basic Nimrod airframe for each variant save the aerial fitment. As with most modern reconnaissance aircraft antennas seemed appear, disappear and move each time the aircraft went in for overhaul. Some good references will be needed to confirm the correct configuration, especially if portraying an airframe after the 2008 release date.
The decals in the early production run had a significant dot matrix pattern visible in the solid colours, especially the low viz roundels. These ones seem to be better but the jury is still out on whether they are in register. I have a sheet of Xtradecal low viz roundels if there is any doubt.
Once over the initial shock, it is a conventional build with a simple parts breakdown and should look impressive on the display shelf. As with all kits, there are tweaks and resin/PE upgrades that can be done depending on your level of AMS and/or devotion to the subject.
Cheers,
Rich
A comprehensive selection of stores is included from sonobuoys and torpedoes to Harpoon ASM and AIM-9 Sidewinders. Unfortunately you are left to your own devices to figure what each store is.
Cabin doors, bomb bay doors, flying surfaces and flaps are poseable. The clear parts are just that, clear with no mars from moulding.
The runner attachment points are quite substantial and will require careful cutting when removing parts.
There is a large decal sheet that includes airframe stencilling for 6 colour schemes.
The cockpit has minimal details and the cabin area none. However, window area on the Nimrod is minimal and little will be seen once the fuselage is closed up. The weapons bay is equally sparse, but again, the Nimrod sits very low to the ground and little would be seen unless placed on a mirror base.
There were few differences to the basic Nimrod airframe for each variant save the aerial fitment. As with most modern reconnaissance aircraft antennas seemed appear, disappear and move each time the aircraft went in for overhaul. Some good references will be needed to confirm the correct configuration, especially if portraying an airframe after the 2008 release date.
The decals in the early production run had a significant dot matrix pattern visible in the solid colours, especially the low viz roundels. These ones seem to be better but the jury is still out on whether they are in register. I have a sheet of Xtradecal low viz roundels if there is any doubt.
Once over the initial shock, it is a conventional build with a simple parts breakdown and should look impressive on the display shelf. As with all kits, there are tweaks and resin/PE upgrades that can be done depending on your level of AMS and/or devotion to the subject.
Cheers,
Rich
Why have open doors if it has no interior?
RichB
Well-known member
Very capable aircraft, I remember one coming to Grand Forks in the early 80s for some reason (Need to know and all that
During Operation Corporate there was a MR.2 and R.1 (XW664) that were rumoured to be operating from a base in Chile for about a month.
Cheers,
Rich
That pre dates me by serveral months. I got to GFAFB about March '83.
RichB
Well-known member
Why have open doors if it has no interior?
To give the super-detailers fits scratch building a full interior. :gogo
Cheers,
Rich
ij001
Well-known member
If you are doing the R.1 then you won't need weaps at all - as you mentioned they were SigInt platforms only. If memory serves there were only a couple of airframes, three I think...
Three Nimrod aircraft were adapted for the signals intelligence role, replacing the Comet C2s and Canberras of No. 51 Squadron in May 1974.[12][13] The R1 was visually distinguished from the MR2 by the lack of a MAD boom.[14] It was fitted with an array of rotating dish aerials in the aircraft's bomb bay, with further dish aerials in the tailcone and at the front of the wing-mounted fuel tanks. It had a flight crew of four (two pilots, a flight engineer and one navigator) and up to 25 crew operating the SIGINT equipment.[15]
Only since the end of the Cold War has the role of the aircraft been officially acknowledged; they were once described as "radar calibration aircraft". The R1s have not suffered the same rate of fatigue and corrosion as the MR2s. One R1 was lost in a flying accident since the type's introduction; this occurred in May 1995 during a flight test after major servicing, at RAF Kinloss. To replace this aircraft an MR2 was selected for conversion to R1 standard, and entered service in December 1996.[16]
The Nimrod R1 was based initially at RAF Wyton, Cambridgeshire, and later at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, England, and flown by 51 Sqn. The two remaining Nimrod R1s were originally planned to be retired at the end of March 2011, but operational requirements forced the RAF to deploy one to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus on 16 March in support of Operation Ellamy. The last flight of the type was on 28 June 2011 from RAF Waddington, in the presence of the Chief of the Air Staff, ACM Sir Stephen Dalton.[1][17] XV 249, the former MR2, is now on display at the RAF Museum Cosford, West Midlands. The R1 is being replaced by three Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft, acquired under the Airseeker project; the first aircraft was delivered in late 2013.[18]
Wikipedia is your friend
Ian.
Three Nimrod aircraft were adapted for the signals intelligence role, replacing the Comet C2s and Canberras of No. 51 Squadron in May 1974.[12][13] The R1 was visually distinguished from the MR2 by the lack of a MAD boom.[14] It was fitted with an array of rotating dish aerials in the aircraft's bomb bay, with further dish aerials in the tailcone and at the front of the wing-mounted fuel tanks. It had a flight crew of four (two pilots, a flight engineer and one navigator) and up to 25 crew operating the SIGINT equipment.[15]
Only since the end of the Cold War has the role of the aircraft been officially acknowledged; they were once described as "radar calibration aircraft". The R1s have not suffered the same rate of fatigue and corrosion as the MR2s. One R1 was lost in a flying accident since the type's introduction; this occurred in May 1995 during a flight test after major servicing, at RAF Kinloss. To replace this aircraft an MR2 was selected for conversion to R1 standard, and entered service in December 1996.[16]
The Nimrod R1 was based initially at RAF Wyton, Cambridgeshire, and later at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, England, and flown by 51 Sqn. The two remaining Nimrod R1s were originally planned to be retired at the end of March 2011, but operational requirements forced the RAF to deploy one to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus on 16 March in support of Operation Ellamy. The last flight of the type was on 28 June 2011 from RAF Waddington, in the presence of the Chief of the Air Staff, ACM Sir Stephen Dalton.[1][17] XV 249, the former MR2, is now on display at the RAF Museum Cosford, West Midlands. The R1 is being replaced by three Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft, acquired under the Airseeker project; the first aircraft was delivered in late 2013.[18]
Wikipedia is your friend
Ian.
RichB
Well-known member
You are correct, no weapons for the R.1. The weapons bay doors were rigged so they could only be opened manually on the ground. Most of the fuselage windows were also blanked off and they sprouted a forest of antennas along the fuselage.
XW664 (Norman), XW665 (Grey Lady) and XW666 (Beast) were the original three. XW666 was the one that crashed in the Moray Firth.
The RC-135W's will be ZZ664, ZZ665 & ZZ666.
Cheers,
Rich
XW664 (Norman), XW665 (Grey Lady) and XW666 (Beast) were the original three. XW666 was the one that crashed in the Moray Firth.
The RC-135W's will be ZZ664, ZZ665 & ZZ666.
Cheers,
Rich
RichB
Well-known member
Starting to cut plastic, with the flight deck being the first victim.
It is a bit sparse so time to dig out the reference pics to busy things up a bit by adding seat belts, arm rests, FE station and the electronics rack behind the pilot.
There are three crewmen supplied for those who like to add flight crew to their builds. However they are "fast-mover" figures and will require head transplants as Nimrod crews didn't wear "bone domes".
On to the creative gizmology.
Cheers,
Rich
It is a bit sparse so time to dig out the reference pics to busy things up a bit by adding seat belts, arm rests, FE station and the electronics rack behind the pilot.
There are three crewmen supplied for those who like to add flight crew to their builds. However they are "fast-mover" figures and will require head transplants as Nimrod crews didn't wear "bone domes".
On to the creative gizmology.
Cheers,
Rich
Good start.
RichB
Well-known member
Puttering away on the flight deck.
Added armrests and seat belts to seats. Raised the floor about 2 mm so the pilots would be able to see over the canopy sill. Widened the instrument panel about 4 mm so it spanned the fuselage width. Added the port electronics crate and the FE station on the starboard side. Enlarged the door at the rear of the flight deck and added the folding door from some Evergreen siding. Trimmed the nose of the flight deck for some future mods to be done.
Added some insulating blanket to the cockpit walls.
A test fit in the fuselage. The trimming of the flight deck nose is required to move nose landing light (the rectangular opening) down 2 or 3 mm.
Cheers,
Rich
Added armrests and seat belts to seats. Raised the floor about 2 mm so the pilots would be able to see over the canopy sill. Widened the instrument panel about 4 mm so it spanned the fuselage width. Added the port electronics crate and the FE station on the starboard side. Enlarged the door at the rear of the flight deck and added the folding door from some Evergreen siding. Trimmed the nose of the flight deck for some future mods to be done.
Added some insulating blanket to the cockpit walls.
A test fit in the fuselage. The trimming of the flight deck nose is required to move nose landing light (the rectangular opening) down 2 or 3 mm.
Cheers,
Rich
Sherman 18
Master at Arms
I really like what you have done! 
