Fastest Recce Bird-Pugz Vigilante

[Pugz636]

Ok as i said in the chat im in with a Vigilante... i have a choice of two schemes....



and the airfix boxart...



if i get time theres a chance i may get to do both.....
I also have a revell kit if i find the decals i may use these on the second vigi in preference to the airfix boxart. I will be away for three weeks in jun so i may take them with me to get them finished, or do most of my building in july.....

ok the revell kit....



I bought this started kit from ebay, and whilst it came with decals, i have put them in a safe place and cannot subsequently find them. It is because of this and because Our very own Bruce leyland jones said that the airfix kit was the better kit, that i shall be building the revell first in the South east Asia Camo, and the Airfix kit pretty much out of box (until i find the revell decals lol).

[Saxon]

For something different I would do the pictured scheme, grey over white Vigs are very common.

[Softscience]

yeah, but they do look pretty cool

[Pugz636]

This particular aircraft was one of two painted in the South East asia Camo as an experiment.
The RA-5C was first deployed to south-east Asia in August of 1964, initially flying missions only over South Vietnam because the Navy was reluctant to jeopardize the aircraft's sophisticated and very expensive equipment, should the aircraft be lost over North Vietnam.

Eventually, the Vigilantes did go North, suffering the highest loss rate of any Naval aircraft in the war. In all, eighteen Vigilantes were lost in combat.

• 11 were lost to antiaircraft fire.
• 2 were shot down by SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air missiles (SAM's).
• 1 was lost to an Atoll missile fired from a MiG-21 fighter.
• 4 were lost for unknown reasons, over N. Vietnam.
• 1 other aircraft was lost for unknown reasons, not over N. Vietnam.
Of the 11 lost to antiaircraft artillery, the majority were during post-strike reconnaissance missions; North Vietnamese gunners knew that shortly after a strike a Vigilante would be overhead, without supporting flak suppression.

Thirty-one deployments were made to Vietnam by Vigilante squadrons. During the early period of Vietnam operations, Vigilante squadrons deployed with six aircraft. As the war progressed, this figure began declining, first to five, then to four and finally, by 1974/75, to three aircraft per squadron.

[Old_Tonto]

Very brave pilots.

[novokits]

I vote for camouflaged in green Vigilante! Very impressive view!
see here http://uamf.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=179&t=764 last post

[Pugz636]

south east asia camo it is then...

[Pugz636]

OK Im going away for three weeks on tuesday, so i have glued the wing sections together, added the section behind the cockpit and all it needs now is some sanding before moving onwards....the good news is im taking the airfix vigi with me and will be taking photos as i go.... I will compare it to the revell boxing to assist as we go.......the other good news is i have found the decals to the revell version so the airfix vigi will have a black tail....

Pugz

[Old_Tonto]

See you when you get back.

[Pugz636]

ok im back after a three week intensive injury rehabilitation...was so tired didnt even get the glue out....anyways back to work...
im gonna start the airfix vigi just so i can get both at roughly the same stage....
news as i go on

[Old_Tonto]

Good to have you back on board.

[Pugz636]

OK since we last spoke, i have some pictures to show you.....but first the bad news... i have lost part of an intake for the revell kit so im considering having to make a replacement, so the Airfix kit will now be in South East Asia Scheme. The good news is at least my paint has been dispatched.....

Comparing the two builds thus far....The revell kit has a cramped cockpit and there is an additional piece behind the cockpit which is moulded as part of the airfix fuselage. Whilst this might make the revell kit look prettier, it gives the airfix kit better lines....now those piccies....

The Airfix kit.....apart from a slightly warped fuselage here it is dry fitted together as I have to paint the Cockpit and tub environment



The Revell kit only glued together, here the fuselage differences are visible.


The two kits side by side,revell is white Airfix is grey....

[Old_Tonto]

Wow that is a BIG beast.

[Pugz636]

The revell kit is 2mm slightly wider and the tub area is very tight when the seats are fitted. I tried adding the ejector seat rings on the top out of wire and with them fitted on both seats it barely fits, and then you realise that actually you cannot see the back seats anyways....

Tonto, the radome and the rear of the aircraft havent been fitted yet, itll be bigger than an a4 sheet when completed just to keep you in the picture for size comparison...i might post it with a TSR2 at the end for size comparison...

[Pugz636]

ok the airfix kit has been glued together..after the top front section went together alright the warped fuselage started to wreek havoc with my plans so after nearly superglueing my fingers to the inside of the fuselage I have managed to correct the warp piece by piece, so that i can fil lhte step with squadron putty...which now the glue has dried i have done. Thats all im going to do to that tonight...
If you look at the first photo in my post above you will see another difference with the revell kit. Now not being a vigliante fanatic im unsure which kit is correct. On the Airfix lower fuselage assembly the hook moves and two doors are modelled inside....on the revell kit the hook assembly is fixed and the doors are modelled on the exterior of the model, i havent put the doors on the revell kit yet im going to consult my references but if anybody out there has any ideas im open for suggestions....I will be modelling everyday now (unless my paint delivery causes a delay) and i have never hand painted the vietnam camo scheme before so this as always is testing my modelling abilities... theres part of me that says "put it off,cos you ll screw it up" the other part says "naah itll be alright..the deadline is the 31s july just crack on....you do have two kits to build....lets face it merlin has built four for this build alone already..." (but its ok one day ill have a small piece of merlins ability and ill be knocking em out too...LOL)
more postings tomorrow.....