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1/72 Amodel DH.100 Vampire RCAF 442 Sqn


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The second entry for this GB from me is another 442 "City of Vancouver" subject, this one a Vampire Mk. III, using the 1/72 Amodel kit and Arrow Graphics decals.

I've decided to try something new: Since I always seem to get distracted after the main construction/decalling is (mostly) done (because my least favourite part of any build is the landing gear) and procrastinate on finishing it by starting something else, I figured I'd try starting several builds at once, working on them such that each one is at the same stage before progressing onto the next stage... we'll see how this works out for me!

This will be my first experience with an Amodel kit so I don't really know what to expect.

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Just pulled it all open to get started on the cockpit stuff (painting, for now)... first impression? There's a bunch of flash - including some really thick stuff on the seat-tub - and the plastic feels kinda weird, not sure how else to describe it. Also it's kinda 'simple', but I wouldn't exactly say 'crude', at least not in the way that some other old kits I've seen (e.g. Novo's Supermarine Attacker...). That said I'm not yet sure if I overpaid for this kit, but then, if you want a 1/72 Vampire Mk. III, what other option have you got?

Having seen a (442 Sqn!) Vampire in person I was aware that this would be a small model, but looking at the parts up close it sinks in just how tiny it'll really be!

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An update showing yesterday's progress:

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Got the pod together yesterday, and I didn't take pictures but after a while of drying I got some putty onto the seams, too.

Got the two booms assembled as well - I'll only find out when I get them onto the wings and get the tailwing in place too if they're out, but they don't look to be too bad at all; didn't really have to do any bending at all to get the booms assembled.

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@Johnopfor: You're not joking.

And to think there are still a few Vampire builds I want to do...

I have one in the stash but haven't looked at it yet - how are the RoG Vampire FB.5 kits?

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Minor update: the booms are assembled and have some putty on the seams, and got one of the wings together - the wing assembled rather easily, just a little bit of filing to do. Also, got some seam work done on the pod.

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I have one in the stash but haven't looked at it yet - how are the RoG Vampire FB.5 kits?

The RoG FB.5 is the Heller/Airfix kit. Decent shape, early 80's fit & detail.

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Thanks! I expect this'll need a fair bit of weight in the nose... hopefully I can fit enough in there to make it not sit on the tail, unlike the Hobbycraft 1/72 Canadair Tutor I built...

Speaking of base coats: I'm wondering if I should do a coat of black first before the aluminum colour; for the Mustang I just went straight with the metal. I *think* I did a black undercoat on the CF-104 I did a couple years back, but I can't remember. Is the black undercoat worth the effort/paint?

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks for those photos, Spectre - the difference is marked and immediately noticeable!

The Vampire - along with my other builds - is on temporary hold as we restructure the house, such that one room will become my own workspace with my modelling and recording gear. That should be all set up within the next couple of weeks, and I'll be able to get back to working on this and my other projects!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well, time to update this thread finally! A bunch of stuff has happened...

First off, I put a coat of gloss black on the mostly-assembled airframe...

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As you can see, I jumped the gun a little, and had to add more parts after putting the paint on, and repainting the cockpit as best I could from inside... but that done, I put the other parts on, added another coat of black, and then sprayed some silver...

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So far, so good.

I then painted the gear wells and the nose, then started applying the decals. As I mentioned, I'm using Arrow Graphics decals... I've had some hit and miss experiences with them, so I was a bit worried... and sure enough, the 'BU' on the upper wing split into several pieces, but I did manage to rescue it, and the rest of them have been working out sufficiently well, with a more gentle touch... except for those thin red "don't step here area" outlines - those just destroyed themselves, so I tried with the kit decals... and had only slightly more success. But somehow, I did manage to salvage those decals well enough to make the lines presentable, if you don't look too closely...

If I thought that was a near disaster... I then proceeded to give it an accidental test flight. Conclusion: glide ratio of a brick.

Luckily, the breakage was limited - the booms sheared clear off, but were otherwise undamaged, so I was able to reassemble it... sort of. I'm not sure why, but I wasn't able to get it to stick together as it had all been before, so one of the booms is slightly off centre... I've put some putty in and hopefully I'll at least be able to make it into a smooth enough transition not to show too much if not viewed from above.

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So next step is to fix the seams at the booms and touch it up - I'll have to brush paint it, but hopefully it'll work out well enough. After that, finish the decalling and then, the dreaded Small Stuff...

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