Airfix 1;72 Vickers Valiant

[colin m]

View attachment 31280 Right, fresh out of my hightech spray booth (yes ok, it's an opended up cardboard box) big Val is now sprayed. Back to humbrol enamel gloss white for this one simply because my other two V bombers are painted in this colour. Spraying a model this size in a single colour has taken three days. I suspect the real thing was sprayed quicker than this model.

Colin M..........

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[Vaughan]

Hi Colin

That's one big bird!! looking good.

Vaughan

 

[Caledonia]

Hi Colin, looking good, looks a far better kit than the Vulcan, which I was very disappointed with. Am I right in saying that this was the only V-Bomber to actually drop a live Bomb (practice of course). In the early 60's I worked with a lad who did his national service in the RAF in the 1950's and worked on the comms systems of the Valient in the far east. Cheers Derek

 

[colin m]

Hello Derek,

The quality of this kit is miles apart from the Vulcan. Some of the parts really do just snap together.

The Valiant has a number of firsts to its name.

It was Britains first V bomber

It was the first RAF's flight-refuelling tanker (some experiments had been done before WW2, but th RAF didn't see a need fo it)

It was the first V bomber to drop 'Iron' bombs in anger, operation Musketeer during the Suez crisis

And indeed on the 15th May 1957, a Valiant XD818, did drop Britains first thermonuclear weapon.

Regards

Colin M........

 

[STRAT'71]

And, in spite of what some may say, was a good looking sleek jet.

I'm still looking forward to starting mine, but after a long layoff, I am still collecting all the consumables and courage to start.

The question is, Acrlyic (which is new to me) or enamel.

 

[colin m]

I have to agree William, it was very good looking.

And what a question that is ! I'm actually in the slow process of converting to acrylics. I listened to lots of people on this forum and decided to make the change. I opted for Vallejo and have only sprayed some small parts, but so far looks good.

I'm only using enamel as I've already painted the other 2 V bombers in Humbrol enamels. If you're starting from scratch, go for acrylic. Now then courage, well that's easy. This Airfix Valiant is a brand new kit and goes together really well, you won't have any problems with it.

Regards

Colin M.........

 

[Ian M]

......The question is, Acrlyic (which is new to me) or enamel.

Why tie yourself up to one type of paint. Use which ever has the colour you need. I have both and use both but must confess that the Acrylics are the first choice. (mostly due to no smell and easy clean up, but they do give a good finish).

Ian M

 

[colin m]

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It's been a while, but now big Val is painted. I know most (well just about all of them) of the photos show these planes totally clean, which is understandable as the whole world would have been watching the UK enter the nuclear age. But I have tried to vary the thickness of the paint just to offer a slight variation to the all over white paint, the effect unfortunately is lost in these photos. And I haven't tried any pre-shading, even I realise that would probably be wrong for this aircraft, none of the pic's I've seen show any sort of panel line at all. That said, I will be applying a panel line wash of grey to the panel gaps just to break up the vast whiteness of the model.

The decals went down very well, but Mr Airfix, who had the bright idea of placing light blue tiny decals on a light blue backing paper, which when wet, made the decals invisible ! I was crossed eyed at 1am trying to get these things in place.

OK, so it's going to be a clean plane, but even the Cosford example has a bit of oil around the landing gear bays, so I've allowed myself a bit of artistic license in the gear wells and bomb bay, out came the pastels.

Colin M.........

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[stona]

That looks really good Colin. I've been reading through your thread and have been amazed at some coincidences.

My Dad flew Helicopters (Whirlwind 22)from HMS Theseus during Musketeer. His log book brackets several flights on November 6th 1956 with the entry "Ex. Musketeer Landing 45th Commando at Port Said for assault".

On a lighter note I have a picture of myself,aged about seven or eight (which would put us in the mid sixties),clutching a large plastic model airplane on Xmas morning and guess what,it's a Valiant.

Enamel or Acrylic? I use both though make an effort to spray acrylics. There is no getting away from the fact that acrylics can be a little trickier to spray,or maybe enamels are just a bit more forgiving.

Cheers

Steve

 

[STRAT'71]

That is a very good looking model, colin m.

Puts my recently purchased Corgi Valiant truely in its place.

When the time comes, I will practice spraying with acrylics. I won't risk the Valiant until I am 100% confident.

Can you enlighten me, which type of paint shouldn't you spray on top of the other?

 

[yak face]

Looking excellent now colin, nearly there, cheers tony

 

[spanner570]

Colin, just read through this excellent thread/build.

Great stuff and a little bit of history from yourself and lads. Makes it all the more enjoyable to follow.

Thanks,

Ron

 

[colin m]

Nearly there,

Thank you all for taking the time to have a look. Ron, you're quite right, it's good to hear a bit extra about the planes we build. I bought a book about V bombers, which covers all three and then a bit more. It's been a great lunch time read although I do get some odd looks from the 'red top' readers.

Isn't amazing when connections can be made like that Steve. I trust your dad had more success landing his commandos than the Valiant crews did hitting their targets. To be fair to the Valiant, it wasn't prepared for a mission of the Muskeeter type. The sighting heads for the bomb aimer had actually been borrowed from ex WW2 bombsights ! About 942 ton of bombs were dropped with not much success.

William, as enamel paint is a bit more 'harsh' it's best to paint that first, and when totally dry, acrylic can go over the top.

Colin M...........

 

[stona]

Isn't amazing when connections can be made like that Steve. I trust your dad had more success landing his commandos than the Valiant crews did hitting their targets.

Colin M...........

He made six flights between 0810 and 1010,each time taking seven Marines. Soberingly at 1245 he made another round trip from Theseus to Port Said and back,this time a casevac flight. He made a similar casevac the next day before returning from HMS Theseus to RAF Ta Kali.

Cheers

Steve

 

[colin m]

Well Steve, a busy man with a very interesting past. Your dad sounds like the sort of bloke I could sit in a pub with all afternoon, just listening.

So, big Val is completed. The photos are in the aircraft section.

Regards

Colin M........