Vulcan - Airfix(new tool) - 1/72

[Long 1,713]

A few weeks ago I bought myself a birthday present; someone else's modelling disaster(because I totally need another project).

The description said they'd had a spray paint issue and the surface is pitted in places. I figured it was worth a go if I could get it a lot cheaper than the kit costs, which I did.

Since today is my birthday it seemed a good day to give it a start.

I yoinked the cockpit section off before I remembered to take photos, rattling around inside, vaguely taped and white tacked down, I found these:

 

I don't know what glue was used but the model cracked and popped apart when I squeezed and twisted it. Though in a few places it had fused the plastic together as one would expect from cement 

After testing a few different things on the paint, I put the nose and one side of the cockpit in a bag with some Mr Color levelling thinner for a few hours. This is the result:

Not too bad, although someone has been at it with a very rough abrasive!

 

The bottom isn't too bad:

 

But the top is a mess:

Lovely!

 

These bits were held in with white tack, although one is missing:

 

Quite a few bits are only secured with tape:

 

And the stuff that was glued came off with some gentle persuasion:

 

I doubled bagged all the smaller bits with some thinner, the paint is already peeling:

 

Just got to find a bag big enough for the wings now!

 

[Gorby 18,715]

Hope you had a good getting older day Matt.

What on earth have they done with that to pit it? And TAPPED together! 

[Long 1,713]

2 hours ago, Gorby said:

What on earth have they done with that to pit it?

My assumption is they used a small pickaxe

[Drichc 555]

I'm pretty sure if you look on the other cannel you can find the abuse it received!!!! Look for Lord Riot. I may be wrong, but it certainly looks the same.

Rich

[Gorby 18,715]

4 hours ago, Drichc said:

I'm pretty sure if you look on the other cannel you can find the abuse it received!!!! Look for Lord Riot. I may be wrong, but it certainly looks the same.

Rich

I seem to remember Lord Riot. I know his enthusiasm is greater than his skill, but I thought that people used to be nice to him. I'm glad I'm no longer a member if they are abusing others of lesser abilities.

[Huntsman’s Close 671]

I remember seeing this for sale, so I’m glad it’s gone to a good home. 
I was weighing up if this was a better starting point or a cheap old-tool with an etched bomb bay. 
I plumped for the latter, after all, I had 21 spare 1000lb bombs, what else was I going to do with those?

[Long 1,713]

4 hours ago, Drichc said:

I'm pretty sure if you look on the other cannel you can find the abuse it received

Oh yes, that's it. He used an electric sander on it, poor Vulcan I don't think I'd do that to a £5 kit, let alone a £70 one!

22 minutes ago, Gorby said:

if they are abusing others

It was the kit that received the abuse, rather than its builder.

 

 

[Huntsman’s Close 671]

I’m guessing that two new upper wings from Airfix is going to be expensive?

Still, I’m sure you can fix it anyway. Restorations are (usually) fun.

 

[Hutch6390 2,495]

Happy birthday, Long  - the rescue attempt is looking good!

[Paul Brown 8,231]

19 minutes ago, Long said:

Oh yes, that's it. He used an electric sander on it, poor Vulcan I don't think I'd do that to a £5 kit, let alone a £70 one!

An electric sander shouldn't be an issue in itself, I use a Proxxon pen sander myself and it's very useful, it's how you use it.

[Blue Noser 3,948]

Thats quite spooky, I was just browsing through the other site (which I tend to do when work grinds to a deathly halt and the only other choice is to twiddle my thumbs!) when I came across the aforementioned thread! The kit took a hell of a beating and the poor bloke was practically screaming out for advice but alas nothing was forthcoming until too late. Feel sorry for the guy as its a flaming expensive kit to wreck. Hopefully salvageable once you get rid of the paint!

[Long 1,713]

  

27 minutes ago, Huntsman’s Close said:

I’m guessing that two new upper wings from Airfix is going to be expensive?

Ah I'd not thought of that! I think that will be my last resort.

The white paint peeled off nicely, but the green and grey are a bit more stubborn. I think a fine abrasive and then a coat of Mr Surfacer should cure it though:

 

10 minutes ago, Paul Brown said:

An electric sander shouldn't be an issue in itself, I use a Proxxon pen sander myself and it's very useful, it's how you use it.

True, I just immediately thought of a belt sander, but I'm probably being over imaginative

[Paul Brown 8,231]

I think he was referring to one of the little battery powered tools used in the manicure industry, but they only usually come provided with grinding and hard polishing tools, not sanders.

[Long 1,713]

Ohh, that makes more sense.

[RWG686 35,548]

1 hour ago, Long said:

but the green and grey are a bit more stubborn

Try a soak in a bag after spraying with oven cleaner.

[Long 1,713]

I've put the nose which I won't be using in a bag with some oven pride and we'll see how it looks tomorrow

[Long 1,713]

The nose didn't dissolve, so I put several other bits in oven cleaner. Leaving them overnight, this is how they looked in the morning:

Fascinating!

 

After giving the parts a good rinse we can see that it was effective on the green and grey paint, but not on the white:

The main active ingredient in the cleaner is Sodium Hydroxide AKA Lye AKA Caustic Soda.

 

I've reassembled the cockpit section:

 

The canopy is knackered, partially melted by the paint in the same way it pitted the wings I'm assuming. Airfix moulded the wipers in the wrong place, and missed one, anyway, so I've ordered the replacement from Aerocraft models.

[Long 1,713]

After scrapping and filing the glue and paint from the joins, the fit is pretty decent.

I was going to have it with the bomb bay doors closed, but the closed doors piece is missing. So instead I've gone for the Blue Steel mount. I don't know if XM602 ever carried the Blue Steel in anti-flash white, does anybody have any information on this?

 

[RWG686 35,548]

24 minutes ago, Long said:

does anybody have any information on this?

When she wore the white scheme, XM602 was with 12 Sqn ,so not a blue steel fit. The top photo is her.

Could you not make a bomb door from card ?

 

[Huntsman’s Close 671]

Has anyone who has built this kit as the Blue Steel option got the bomb doors to spare?

[Long 1,713]

Unfortunately you have to cut away part of the fuselage in order to fit the Blue Steel mount, so it's too late to go back to closed bomb bay doors.

I'll work out which aircraft mine now most closely resembles and get decals for that

[RWG686 35,548]

9 hours ago, Long said:

and get decals for that

I'm just back from the Perth show so if you can wait until tomorrow I'll pm you with photo of a sheet I have. One of the subjects will wing its way south if you wish.

I have anti-flash white and camo sheets.

[Long 1,713]

25 minutes ago, RWG686 said:

One of the subjects will wing its way south if you wish.

You're very generous

[RWG686 35,548]

8 minutes ago, Long said:

You're very generous

In about 50 years I'll probably be scrounging something from you as by then my stash will be too small.

[Long 1,713]

I'm sure my stash will have it's own shed by then!