The Empire Strikes Back - VC10 K3 ZA149 - ** FINISHED **

This is a historical subject GB for any kit, any scale, any variant, any markings of a participant in the Desert Storm campaign, 17 January to 28 February 1991.
Runs 30 January through 28 February and your host is dwomby.
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DavidWomby
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The Empire Strikes Back - VC10 K3 ZA149 - ** FINISHED **

Post by DavidWomby »

I'll be doing a Novo Super VC-10 (a modified version of the Frog mould) as a VC-10 K3 or K4 using refueling bits from the Airfix K2 kit.

We have house guests, so I expect I won't have pics or updates until Monday.

David
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iggie
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Re: The Empire Strikes Back

Post by iggie »

Ooooh I'm looking forward to this!
Best wishes

Jim
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splash
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Re: The Empire Strikes Back

Post by splash »

Nice choice not one you often see built.
My work bench is starting to look like Portsmouth Naval Dockyard.
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MDT
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Re: The Empire Strikes Back

Post by MDT »

Great choice! I don't think I've ever seen that kit.
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DavidWomby
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Re: The Empire Strikes Back

Post by DavidWomby »

Here's the box, parts, etc, etc.

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Here's the decalsheet I plan to use. I think it covers all K2, K3 and K4s used in Granby. I've had it a long time so I hope it's OK.

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This is to show the Super fuselage compared to the Airfix K2 fuselage.

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Novo have altered the Frog moulds to remove the parts for lighting the kit. I have a mint Frog one IIRC it has a removable tray about 2 inches long in the bottom of the fuselage just ahead of the wing to get access to where the bulbs go and transparent runners that carry light from the fuselage to wingtip lights etc. It also has a nice big stand for the batteries and a switch in it for the light. Some of the 'working' features Novo have left are the flaps and the leading edge slats. I'm not sure if I'll use them as I build my aircraft 'in flight' and wheels up usually. Frog also seem to have captured the Super wing correctly with the leading edge extension but I think they may have missed some of the wing fences - I'll have to double check.

First job is going to be a good hard scrub in hot water and washing up detergent. The thing has a really dense sticky layer of mould release agent on it and was actually stuck to the inside of the plastic bag that contained the parts. Then I need to find out which cabin windows need to be closed up.

David
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splash
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Re: The Empire Strikes Back

Post by splash »

I remember as a child looking at the Frog original kit and wishing I had more pocket money to buy one but I never managed to save up enough to get one :cry:

I think the original had a nice picture of a VC10 taking off at night in a big box.
My work bench is starting to look like Portsmouth Naval Dockyard.
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DavidWomby
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Re: The Empire Strikes Back

Post by DavidWomby »

splash wrote:I remember as a child looking at the Frog original kit and wishing I had more pocket money to buy one but I never managed to save up enough to get one :cry:

I think the original had a nice picture of a VC10 taking off at night in a big box.
That's right. The box art is quite striking. I bought mine off eBay about 12 years ago for a lot of pocket money. Looks like they're cheaper now since Roden announced one.

David
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Re: The Empire Strikes Back

Post by DavidWomby »

It took very hot and water and strong detergent followed by a rubdown with IPA to get the mould release agent off. While doing that, I was looking at this kit more closely and I think there's some odd inaccuracies.

It does have the wing leading edge extensions (which the Airfix kit doesn't have) but it has NO wing fences at all, so they will have to be added. The wingspan is right but the wingtips are more squared off not the famous "Kuchemann" curved tips. The strangest thing is that it has elevators on the tailplane whereas I thought the VC-10 had an all-moving tailplane. Does anybody know for certain about the wingtips or tailplane for the K3/4??

Meanwhile, I'll keep researching to double check on that tailplane and confirm that the K3/K4 had swept wingtips. I also still need to figure out what windows to block off.

The flaps are movable but look clunky and do not merger smoothly into the 'canoe' fairings on the rear edge of the wing that carry the flaptracks. Not sure what I'll do with them. They'll probably look OK from above in the raised position. The slats, although moulded as a separate piece, are not movable.

No photos as Photobucket is not working for me again today so far.

David
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Re: The Empire Strikes Back - VC10 K3/4

Post by philp »

This page may help you a bit. I have Google translate on and seems to read ok.

http://faq-fra.aviatechno.net/guide/vc10.php;

And a couple pics from that interweb thingy.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAqKem9uVNI/U ... .11.25.jpg;

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f39/p ... 0079-1.jpg;
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MDT
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Re: The Empire Strikes Back - VC10 K3/4

Post by MDT »

This http://www.vc10.net/Technical/structure.html may be very useful and it looks like the VC10 had separate elevators. That suprised me as I though the same as you!
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Re: The Empire Strikes Back - VC10 K3/4

Post by DavidWomby »

philp wrote:This page may help you a bit. I have Google translate on and seems to read ok.

http://faq-fra.aviatechno.net/guide/vc10.php;

And a couple pics from that interweb thingy.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAqKem9uVNI/U ... .11.25.jpg;

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f39/p ... 0079-1.jpg;
Thanks. Those two photos are depressing.

David
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DavidWomby
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Re: The Empire Strikes Back - VC10 K3/4

Post by DavidWomby »

MDT wrote:This http://www.vc10.net/Technical/structure.html may be very useful and it looks like the VC10 had separate elevators. That suprised me as I though the same as you!
I've been peering at pics. I think it has an all moving tailplane and elevators on that. It's hard to find a pic that shows the elevators deflected much. This is best I found so far

Image

David
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splash
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Re: The Empire Strikes Back - VC10 K3/4

Post by splash »

Is this any use to you? I took it last year at Ducksford.


Image

Regards Splash
My work bench is starting to look like Portsmouth Naval Dockyard.
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DavidWomby
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Re: The Empire Strikes Back - VC10 K3/4

Post by DavidWomby »

Thanks, Splash. Yes, you can see the separately moving elevators are deflected slightly upwards on that pic of yours too.

David
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Re: The Empire Strikes Back - VC10 K3

Post by DavidWomby »

No physical progress to report - work got in the way - but research is pretty much done and so is a lot of test -fitting parts. The fit isn't great but since it has separate slats and flaps, I'm going to try building it with them down.

I also discovered it will be a K3 as the K4 entered service after Granby.

I am away for a couple of days but will start cutting and gluing when I return.

David
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